How To Make Multi-Session Engagement Virtual And Inclusive

How To Engage Diverse Singaporeans Online

When COVID-19 hit and stricter safe distancing rules came into play, face-to-face engagement sessions for 93 participants in the Citizens’ Workgroup for Singapore Citizenship Journey had to be overhauled to go virtual. Here’s how the organising team did it.

93 citizens came together virtually over seven months to discuss and create content on what it means to be Singaporean, which will be used to enhance the Singapore Citizenship Journey.

When Ms Sonja Wong from the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) joined the organising team for the Citizens’ Workgroup for the Singapore Citizenship Journey (CWSCJ), she never imagined she would be helping citizen-participants learn how to use web video platform tools as part of citizen engagement.

The Citizens’ Workgroup for the Singapore Citizenship Journey (CWSCJ) convened virtually during the circuit breaker in April and concluded in November. Over nine sessions, 93 Singaporeans from all walks of life discussed what it means to be Singaporean. Their discussions will create content that will be used to update the Singapore Citizenship Journey.

Helping New Citizens Integrate

The Singapore Citizenship Journey (SCJ) is a mandatory programme for new citizens. It enriches new citizens’ understanding of Singapore’s history and development, deepens their appreciation of Singaporean norms and values, and provides opportunities for interaction with the local community.

Publicly announced in January 2020 and planned initially to start in March, plans for the engagement sessions for the CWSCJ had to be overhauled after the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus and stricter safe distancing rules came into place.

A timeline of events leading up to the CWSWJ citizen engagements, from August 2019 to November 2020.

Overcoming Challenges and Concerns

At first, there were discussions within the organising team about whether to continue the engagement:

It is important that we create a safe space to talk about what it means to be a Singaporean.

The importance and relevance of the topic, especially in a period of national crisis, and a determination to demonstrate the tenacity of Singaporeans made it clear to the team that the Workgroup should proceed.

Once that was decided, other concerns had to be overcome to make the engagement sessions inclusive:

Participants’ needs and tech skills: Not all participants were tech-savvy or had a laptop. As the first session was held during the circuit breaker period, it was also not possible to loan equipment to participants. The CWSCJ organising team had to balance the use of online collaborative platforms to enhance the discussions, while ensuring that the discussions remained accessible to all.

Multiple platforms to connect: The Secretariat used Zoom, Mentimeter and Padlet to facilitate conversations and groupwork during the virtual meetings. Participants also kept in touch via WhatsApp, Telegram and a closed Facebook group outside of these meetings. The organising team provided technical support to ensure that participants would be comfortable using these tools.

Applaud the little gestures used to make Zoom an easier format of discussion.

What the Organising Team Did

Made step-by-step guides for installing apps and navigating platforms
Created a hotline for participants to call before and during the sessions
Offered optional “orientation sessions” to participants prior to the first session, to help those who were less familiar with the platforms prepare for the actual sessions
Established rapport and trust by working closely with facilitators to ensure that participants' needs and challenges were surfaced and promptly addressed

Forging a common language: With such a diverse group of citizen participants, another challenge was to use everyday language that everyone could understand. The organising team took pains to ensure that the topics were jargon-free and relevant to everyday life.

For example, one of the topics the participants wanted to discuss was on the desired values and norms of Singaporeans. Dr Jared Poon from the MCCY organising team shared that the team “worked very hard to frame the context setting, the overarching question, and the facilitation prompts in ways that got participants to see how values and norms were not just conceptual, but deeply relevant to their lives”.

Find out more about what the organising team did to enable both Workgroup participants and facilitators to engage effectively with one another.

Seizing Opportunities

The organising team from the MCCY for the Citizens’ Workgroup for Singapore Citizenship Journey, including Jared (top row, fourth from left), Sonja (fifth from left) and Lewis (second row, fifth from left).

Given that physical, face-to-face interactions were not possible, the organising team had to manage their expectations about the potential outcomes.

Mr Lewis Liu, also from MCCY, said: “Initially, we felt that a virtual engagement wasn't going to be as efficient or productive as a face-to-face discussion, so we made a deliberate choice to be realistic in what our potential outcomes could be.”

The team split the engagement process into two phases: Phase 1 to familiarise participants with the topics and with one another, and Phase 2 for content creation, with the hope that the COVID-19 situation would improve later in the year.

While it took some time for everyone to get used to the virtual format, the engagement sessions were well-received by participants. The participants also expressed the desire to meet their fellow workgroup members in person.

“The online format was great! I enjoyed it, probably more so if it were face-to-face meeting.”

Jared added: “The digital format did make things a little difficult because it’s harder to notice when someone isn’t getting what you’re saying.

But the period helped, I think – the social isolation from the circuit breaker and safe distancing measures made some people more eager to have this experience with others, even if it was only online.”