Disclaimer: All activities depicted in this article were conducted in compliance with the COVID-19 rules and regulations at that given time.
Members of Co Lab key tenant, The Astronauts Collective (TAC), engaging in a hearty discussion in their suite room of the co-working space at HYC. (Photo by Chan May Ching)
Hybrid work arrangements have become increasingly prevalent among many companies due to the pandemic. As such, co-working spaces in Singapore have seen a significant uptick in demand this year. At Tzu Chi Humanistic Youth Centre (HYC), such spaces have been very much part of the centre since it opened its doors in November 2019.
Named “Co Lab”, the co-working space is home to various start-ups, non-profit organisations and social enterprises. At present, there are about nine tenants, with three key ones occupying the main suite rooms and the rest taking up the single-seater dedicated desks. Unlike other co-working spaces outside which might be more commercially driven in nature, the focus of HYC’s Co Lab has been about bringing together like-minded entities with a mission of doing good for society.
Given that the journey of social entrepreneurs is known to be a testing one filled with hurdles at every corner, the presence of Co Lab has also helped ease some of the difficulties that they have faced along the way.
The pantry at Co Lab often serves as a place where many unplanned discussions take place, helping raw ideas come to fruition. (Photo by Chan May Ching)
One of Co Lab’s key tenants, A Good Space (AGS), is a co-operative made up of 34 members working together to impact social change. Photos of various AGS members can be seen hung up on the wall of its Co Lab suite room. (Photo by Chan May Ching)
Overcoming the Lack of Conducive Spaces
One key challenge these social entrepreneurs have had to overcome has been the shortage of conducive spaces to run their activities.
Shared Mr Marvin Kang, co-founder of one of Co Lab’s key tenants - The Astronauts Collective (TAC): “As we scale up and have a greater pool of volunteers, there will be more training and engagement sessions required, and having physical spaces to run them becomes very vital.”
Having only joined in February this year, TAC is a non-profit organisation with a mission to help youths explore meaningful career options with the help of its volunteer professionals. Over time, it has gradually started to reap the benefits of being based at HYC. With Co Lab partners being offered better rates when renting event venues at HYC, it has allowed TAC to organise more of its activities at a fixed location, therefore resolving much of its concerns regarding physical spaces.
“It has given a sense of familiarity and stability to our volunteer pool. They are already starting to have that top of the mind awareness of going to HYC for our activities and it helps to build a kind of spatial connection to the work that we do,” added Mr Kang.
“Years ago, we would always have to go somewhere different every month for our training. Sometimes, we would borrow from National Youth Council or from our alma mater. Other times, we would do it at our own homes. With a central location that caters to our different needs now, it has created a stronger affinity between our volunteers and us.”
Besides physical spaces, other potential challenges faced by partners such as outreach difficulties and costs have also been alleviated by being based at HYC.
Said Mr Eric Oh, co-founder of Circular Asia (CA), another key tenant of Co Lab: “Being here at HYC has definitely helped with our outreach efforts. We like the environment and synergy, and how HYC is driving and helping the community here.
“So very often, we have been bringing our workshops here. Usually, what we want to do is for the participants to not just attend but also to experience the space around.”
Ultimately, practical issues such as rising costs will always serve as obstacles to any business and this is no exception for social enterprises. While maximising profits might not be at the forefront of the work that they do, a healthy balance sheet is nevertheless still crucial in ensuring self-sufficiency. And Tzu Chi has played its part in supporting these social enterprises by charging them cheaper rates for the use of its spaces.
“The main challenge we face is in balancing social impact and generating profits to continue our work. A lot of the work we do creates social impact but isn't paid because funders don't want to fund manpower. So we have to take on projects like school training that makes money but doesn't generate significant impact,” explained Mr Vincent Ng, General Manager of A Good Space (AGS).
“HYC helps with discounted office space, which is very important for us to carry out our work, host meetings, and boost our credibility. The emotional support and friendship from the HYC staff also helps.”
The close ties between HYC and its Co Lab partners are evident, and this has been displayed on several occasions. For example, during TAC’s recent career exploration event, HYC’s centre manager dropped by with her daughter, providing encouragement and feedback in a personal capacity. As a show of mutual support, there were also instances where AGS would help tour guests around HYC and share the Tzu Chi story with them. With these close bonds forged, it has gone some way in providing a morale booster for these social entrepreneurs as they continue navigating their way around various obstacles.
TAC founders, Mr Marvin Kang (left) and Mr Wong Yi Fong (right), have enjoyed their time at Co Lab since being based there at the start of this year. (Photo by Chan May Ching)
Mr Eric Oh, co-founder of CA, sees Co Lab as ideal for his social enterprise. At CA, the focus is on promoting a sustainable economy through various means such as educational games, networking sessions and seminars (Photo by Chan May Ching)
Not Just a Space, But a Community
For AGS, HYC has certainly been instrumental in their journey since they became tenants in August 2020. While there are a plethora of co-working spaces to choose from in the market today, the similarity in values with HYC was what drew them in. There was an emphasis on collaboration from both parties and this has resulted in several opportunities to work together, most notably in the area of supporting migrant workers. And for them, one of the key differentiating factors between HYC and the co-working spaces outside was the human connection.
“The relationships are definitely what makes it different. In commercial co-working spaces, the level of relationships is not that deep. People do become friends with you but not to the extent of forming collaborative partnerships,” said Mr Ng.
Similarly, this ability and potential to collaborate with HYC was also a difference TAC cited when comparing with other co-working places.
“The culture is very constructive and conducive for partnerships, and this may not happen everywhere. With HYC, their tone and the way they work with us has always been very patient and understanding, trying their best to figure out something together,” shared Mr Kang.
“While coming out with the actual partnerships might take a while but the general kind of culture and the way the HYC staff carry themselves, it feels very positive. At some bigger co-working spaces outside, it doesn’t always feel that way. Whereas over here, it’s not just a space but a community.”
Over the past few years, there have certainly been several collaborations between HYC and its main Co Lab partners. Through regular networking sessions, HYC formed ties with the members of AGS, getting involved with various initiatives and events in the migrant workers’ sphere, particularly during the height of the pandemic. CA has also collaborated and supported HYC on numerous occasions such as the organising of workshops or setting up of booths during centre-level activities. As for TAC, given that they are the newest tenant of the three, many potential collaborative opportunities have not quite materialised just yet. However, plans to work together are in the pipeline such as at the upcoming year-end HYC third anniversary event.
Judging by the frequency of collaborations between HYC and its Co Lab partners, it is clear that there is a strong and burgeoning team spirit all around. With common goals and values, working together has come almost naturally, allowing all parties involved to reap mutual benefits.
“There is plenty of resource sharing among us. What we have is space, volunteer resources and connections while they have passion and knowledge of the various causes that they support. So when both of us come together, we can actually fill each other’s gaps and create something more impactful,” said Ms Lim Choon Choon, HYC centre manager.
Mr Vincent Ng, General Manager of AGS, has seen many positive collaborations with HYC emerge over time. (Photo by Chan May Ching)
HYC would often serve as the venue for TAC’s activities. (Photo provided by Marvin Kang)
An Exciting Future Ahead
Looking forward, while Co Lab has already proven to be a space which supports like-minded people and entities in their pursuits towards achieving societal good, there is still plenty of untapped potential to discover. Currently, even though there have been many past collaborations between HYC and its Co Lab partners, it has not translated into a similar level of collaboration among the various tenants themselves just yet. However, steps have already been taken to breach this gap through quarterly networking sessions facilitated by the HYC staff. Through these sessions, there have been an exchange of ideas as well as an increase in familiarity with the work that each tenant is involved in, thus opening up potential opportunities to collaborate.
Ultimately, Co Lab hopes to foster an environment where it can function as an incubator programme for its various tenants. Through such a programme, it aims to serve in a long-term companionship role, providing resources such as mentoring or funding right from the ideation stage to the eventual launch of the product or programme.
Often riddled with a myriad of unforeseen stumbling blocks, social entrepreneurship is a less-travelled path suitable only for a select few. At HYC’s co-working space, it has always strived to provide support to these trailblazers, helping to ease their difficulties and simultaneously explore possible collaborations. And with the immense potential of the space, one can be sure that there will be many more good and exciting things emerging from it in the near future.
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