🐋 Meet Bloop: Exploring Mental Health, Together

This World Mental Health Day, Montfort Care is bringing Bloop, the Wellness Whale, across five locations to create spaces for us to explore mental health from different perspectives and better understand diverse lived experiences. 💙

Come by to:
🐋 Meet Bloop the Wellness Whale in person
🎁 Discover the limited-edition Bloop Blind Box
🌳 Contribute to a collaborative Community Tree artwork
🫱🏻‍🫲🏼 Connect with community partners and discover mental health resources available to you and your community

📍 5 locations across Singapore
📅 Throughtout October 2026
🎟️ Free admission

Come join Bloop this October to take a moment to learn, connect and grow our understanding of mental health together. 🌱

@openjio @experiecejio

🎨 TEDxSingaporePlay: Art & Community

What happens when art becomes a way for communities to find each other?

At TEDxSingaporePlay, the Fireside Chat: Art and Community brings together Steve Lawler, Artist & Creative Director of EYEYAH!, and Lin Shiyun, Founder of 3Pumpkins & Head of Tak Takut Kids Club, to explore how art can bring people together, create connection and shape the communities we belong to. 🎨

But there’s more to play than just the conversation! Designed with youth in mind, and open to everyone young at heart, the afternoon brings together music, hands-on activities and play zones created by community groups, including:

🧱 LEGO Play by TEDxSingapore Youth
🖼️ Pixel Perspectives by GEN
🧵 Textile Weaving by senisini
🔮 Potluck Oracle by SQUAT! collective
🎶 Interactive music & play with Zee, Music Therapist & Founder of Latido Therapy

📅 26 September 2026, Saturday
🕒 3–5:30pm
📍 Esplanade Recital Studio
🎟️ $18, buy tickets here

@openjio @experiencejio

📢📢 Homelessness Learning Forum 2026

How is the whole-of-community approach so important and effective for supporting homeless persons and those at risk of homelessness?🏡

Organised by New Hope Community Services alongside other agencies, come SEE, HEAR and SHARE this year about Community Based Solutioning🙌🏻

📅 21 Oct 2026, Wednesday
🕑 Sign up for Main Forum (2-5pm) only, with lunch provided from 12pm. (Discovery Sessions 10am-12pm have been fully registered)
📍SMU Yong Pung How School of Law
💵 FOC

👉🏼 Sign up by 7 Oct: http://tiny.cc/homelessnessforum2026

@openjio @experiencejio

🍉 Wasl وَصْل: Many Histories, Connected in Solidarity

What if Palestine is closer to Southeast Asia than we think? Not geographically, but through arms, labour, law and a history of solidarity reaching back to Bandung🗺️

Different histories. Connected struggles. What do they ask of us today?🧐

This 10 October, Echoes of Gaza brings together three voices to trace the connections between Palestine, Southeast Asia and the histories shaping solidarity today.

🎙️ Dr Maung Zarni connects Rohingya and Palestinian experiences, examining how systems of exclusion are built and sustained.

🎙️ Saul J. Takahashi draws on years with the UN in Occupied Palestine to ask what documentation can achieve when accountability remains elusive.

🎙️ Dr Walid Jumblatt Abdullah brings the conversation home, asking what these histories mean for us in Singapore and Southeast Asia.

📅 10 Oct 2026, Saturday
🕑 8pm-10pm
📍 Google Meet
💵FOC

👉🏼 Sign up: http://tiny.cc/EchoesofGaza10oct

@openjio @experiencejio

25 Hours: Time & Stories That Matter. A Playback Theatre Experience

What would you do with one more hour in your day? ⏳

"25 Hours" is an exploration of individual stories around the idea of maximising their day for the sake of productivity⌛.

Optimisation of time might be a blinding, endless goal that we all need to re-examine. Through their show, they aim to shed light on the burnout that is so often experienced in Singapore and give some respite to those who need it🔥

Her Playback Theatre is a Playback Theatre group that is made up of women from diverse backgrounds. They want to provide a safe and non-judgmental space to playback stories, and encourage conversations through stories to promote dialogue on social issues.

📅 17 Oct/24 Oct, Saturday
🕑 7.30pm-9.30pm
📍Grandstand @ Nest Block, Enabling Village, 20 Lengkok Bahru, Enabling Village, S(159053)
Singapore
💵$17(General Public)-$25 (Caregivers and PWD)

👉🏼 Sign up: http://tiny.cc/25hours

@openjio @experiencejio

Brave New Words, Not Without Us

What does a genuinely accessible and inclusive future look like, and what can words, stories and collective action do to help us get there?🤝

Brave New Words and Not Without Us bring together essays, stories and critical perspectives that ask us to rethink disability across Philippines and Singapore.

In this conversation, editors Angeli Lacson (Brave New Words), Victor Zhuang (Not Without Us) share the stories behind and in these two books: why they were made, whose voices they wanted to bring together, and what they hope the books might make possible📖

They will explore how disability studies and disability justice can open up new ways of understanding exclusion and inequality, including experiences that are often left outside of conversations due to prevailing politics💖

📅 5 Oct 2026, Monday
🕑 7.30pm-8.30pm
📍Book Bar
💵FOC

👉🏼 Sign up: http://tiny.cc/BraveNewWordsNotWithoutUs

@openjio @experiencejio

La Kopi Liibrary at ELDEX Asia 2026☕️

ELDEX Asia is Singapore’s leading platform dedicated to ageing well through community, connection, and action.✨

In this Human Library section, they invite you to have a conversation, ask questions and hear stories first hand from a care partner or caregiver💖

📅 2-4 Oct 2026, Friday & Saturday
🕑11am & 2pm
📍Suntec Hall 406- Mind Forward Commons
💵 FOC

👉🏼 Sign up: http://tiny.cc/lakopilibrary

@openjio @experiencejio

🟣 Beyond Labels: Our Families, Our Stories

What happens when we look beyond the labels and make space for people’s stories, experiences and perspectives?

This October, Beyond Labels: Our Families, Our Stories returns for a day of stories, conversations and connection, bringing together persons with disabilities, families, caregivers and the wider community.

Come by to:
💬 Hear lived experiences from persons with disabilities, families and caregivers
🫱🏻‍🫲🏼 Meet exhibitors and hear different perspectives and experiences
💜 Discover what inclusion can look like in everyday life
👥 Listen, explore and connect at your own pace

📅 10 October 2026 (Saturday)
⏰ 9AM–5PM
📍 The Plaza, Level 1, National Library Building
🎟️ Free admission — no registration required

Drop by anytime and stay for as long as you like.

@openjio @experiencejio

🌏 IATSS Forum: Fully-Funded Leadership Programme in Japan

What if you could spend 8 weeks in Japan learning alongside young leaders from across the region, and tackling some of the challenges shaping our future?

IATSS Forum is a fully-funded leadership programme that brings young adults together for active discussions, problem-solving and cross-cultural learning around current issues facing ASEAN, Japan and the wider world.

Participants will develop practical knowledge and approaches to better understand and respond to complex social challenges, while building connections across the region. 🇯🇵🤝🌏

Eligibility:
🇸🇬 Singapore Citizens
🎂 35 years old or below as of 30 September 2026
💼 Minimum 2 years of full-time work experience
📅 Application deadline: 31 October 2026 (extended)

🔗 Find out more & apply here

Questions? Email iatssforum@nuss.org.sg.

Take your ideas beyond Singapore and grow alongside future leaders from across Asia. 🌱

@openjio @experiencejio

🤍 The Weight of the Unspoken: Grief & Caregiving

Caring for an ageing parent or loved one can be an act of profound love but it can also come with a kind of grief we rarely talk about.

As caregiving changes our roles, routines and relationships, we may also find ourselves grieving identities, independence, expectations and different versions of the future, even when no one has died.

The Weight of the Unspoken explores these lesser-recognised forms of grief and asks: what happens when caregivers don’t have the language to name what they’re feeling? Could being “grief illiterate” leave caregivers feeling even more isolated?

The conversation will feature caregivers Bertha Henson and Sharon Lim, who will share how they navigated the transition from established careers and identities into caregiving, and what helped them through it.

📅 15 October 2026, Thursday
🕢 7:30–9pm
📍 Proud Spaces, 243 Alexandra Road, #05-03
🎟️ Get tickets here

@openjio @experiencejio

📣 Share Your Experience: AWARE’s Consent Education Survey

What impact does sex education have beyond the classroom?

AWARE is conducting a survey to hear from young adults in Singapore about what you learnt, and whether it helped you seek help, step in when someone else needed it, or ask for consent. Your experiences will help shape sex education that bridges the gap between knowing and doing.

Share your experiences if you
👤 Are 21–35 years old
🏫 Have experienced some form of sex education in school in Singapore

⏱️ The survey takes around 12–15 minutes.

Your experiences can help inform how future consent and sex education is designed in Singapore. Share your perspective and help shape what comes next.

👉🏼 Take the survey: AWARE’s Consent Education Survey⁠

@openjio @experiencejio

🌱 Connecting Narratives for Change Festival 2026

What do we need third spaces for?

Join a one-day public festival bringing together conversations, interactive workshops and shared experiences led by organisations and practitioners working across different social issues in Singapore.

Explore how third spaces can create room for connection, dialogue, learning and collective action, whether for a cause you already care about or one you’ve never thought about before.

Choose from two parallel breakout tracks or stay for the whole day, and connect with others at Lunchtime Circles

📅 17 October 2026, Saturday
🕘 9am–6:30pm
📍 Common Ground Civic Centre
👉🏼 Register: http://tiny.cc/CNCF2026Tickets

‼️🎟️ 20% off single-session tickets for OpenJio subscribers with code JIOEVERYONE

ℹ️ Programme information: https://ourcommonground.com.sg/cnfc26-festival#programme-overview

@openjio @experiencejio

10 Dimensions of Wellness Exploration

What are the different dimensions of mental wellness?

Across 7 Saturdays, you will explore different dimensions of wellness through talks and hands-on activites which covers (but not limited to):

📱Parenting, mental health, technology and social media as the speakers share about practical perspectives on building a healthier relationship with our digital world.
❤️‍🔥 Expert panel on Occupational Wellness as they explore workplace stress, burnout, fulfilment and what it means to build a healthier relationship with work in Singapore’s fast-paced work culture.
🐶 Explore animal-assisted social wellness with furry friends.

📅 24 Oct - 5 Dec 26, Saturday(s)
📍64 Club Street, except 31 Oct event at Hillview MRT
💵 $14-$18

👉🏼 Sign up: http://tiny.cc/10dimensionsofwellness

@openjio @experiencejio

IMPACT, IRL! 💖

Ever wondered how you can make a difference, but weren't sure where to begin? Explore Singapore's First Youth Action Marketplace, brought together by NVPC and NYC💪

Join Impact, IRL to explore different causes, meet like-minded people, discover volunteering and project opportunities, and hear from inspiring changemakers, all in one place🌟

💡 Got an idea? Come prepared! Eligible youths can apply for the Microgrant on-site, with successful applicants receiving same-day approval to kickstart their ideas.

📅 31 Oct 26, Saturday
🕑 10am-6pm
📍Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre
💵 FOC

👉🏼 Sign up: http://tiny.cc/impactIRL26

@openjio @experiencejio

🌟BEACON 2026

Since 2023, Better.sg has brought changemakers across tech, government and civil society together at BEACON conference to ask one question: how can technology enhance social impact?

This year, for their 4th edition, they are connecting the dots across three tracks:

🎤 Main Stage- from AI safety to AI × mental health
🛠️ AI - Build with Intent, a hands-on workshop with 65 Labs
🤝 Charity Forum with The Digital Capital Collective- Where pioneers in the social sector share how they're using tech to deepen their impact.

📅 14 Nov 26, Saturday
🕑 10am-6pm
📍Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre
💵 $5-$15

👉🏼 Sign up: http://tiny.cc/BEACON2026

@openjio @experiencejio

Walking In Their Shoes 👣

Step into the stories of five individuals whose life journeys have been shaped by youth mental health challenges and suicidality.

Join then for an immersive physical exhibition, followed by small group conversations and a debrief to allow space for listening, reflecting and better understanding the experiences behind the stories.

This event is only for youths aged 18-35 y/o.

📅 31 Oct 26, Saturday
🕑 2pm-6pm
📍Marymount CC, MPH
💵 FOC

👉🏼 Sign up: http://tiny.cc/walkingintheirshoes

@openjio @experiencejio

New Life Youth Forum - UnTrashing Nature: How Can It Be Done?

What if the things we throw away could tell us something about the world we’re building?

Inspired by New Life by Bordalo II, a new art landmark sustainability initiative centred around a large-scale sculpture at Gardens by the Bay, this inaugural New Life Youth Forum brings young people into the conversation on waste, biodiversity, conservation, climate change and sustainability.

♻️ Can we rethink our relationship with consumption?
🌏 What does Singapore’s waste problem have to do with nature and biodiversity?
🎨 Can art change the way we see environmental issues?
💼 What responsibility do businesses have in creating a more sustainable future?
🌱 And where do young people fit into all of this?

📅 24 Oct 26, Saturday
🕑 10am-12pm
📍Central Library, National Library Building B1, Programme Zones 1 & 2
💵 FOC

👉🏼 Sign up: http://tiny.cc/NewLifeYouthForum26

@openjio @experiencejio

CHOPE by Tzu Chi Youth Humanistic Youth Centre

What if you had a space to try something outside of the usual routine?🤔

*CHOPE* is an open call for young adults (20 to 35) to take over a space at HYC and bring an idea to life💡

You will join an Enabling Workshop, meet others building their own ideas, and have an opportunity to bring your idea alive to the public showcase on 28 Nov 🤩 Selected ideas will get up to $3,000 funding.

Ideas can revolve around things you care about in our world such as sustainability, environment, urban farming, food resilience, biodiversity,social issues or community action🙌🏻

🗓 Submit by 21 Oct 26, Wednesday

👉🏼 Sign up: tiny.cc/Chope21oct

@openjio @experiencejio