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Enabling Hawkers to Go Digital: SUSS Recognised for Supporting the Digital for Life Initiative

SUSS received a certificate of appreciation for our support in the Digital for Life initiative by Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) in November 2022.

SUSS representative Ms Chia Ming Huei (Specialist, Office of Service-Learning) receiving a certificate of appreciation from Mr Lew Chuen Hong (Chief Executive Officer, Infocomm Media Development Authority) during the Digital for Life Appreciation Dinner.
SUSS representative Ms Chia Ming Huei (Specialist, Office of Service-Learning) receiving a certificate of appreciation from Mr Lew Chuen Hong (Chief Executive Officer, Infocomm Media Development Authority) during the Digital for Life Appreciation Dinner.

SUSS representatives Ms Chia Ming Huei (Specialist, Office of Service-Learning, seated fourth from left) and Ms Cynthia Chang (Assistant Dean, College of Interdisciplinary and Experiential Learning, and Head, Office of Service Learning, seated fourth from right) at the Digital for Life Appreciation Dinner hosted in November 2022.
SUSS representatives Ms Chia Ming Huei (Specialist, Office of Service-Learning, seated fourth from left) and Ms Cynthia Chang (Assistant Dean, College of Interdisciplinary and Experiential Learning, and Head, Office of Service Learning, seated fourth from right) at the Digital for Life Appreciation Dinner hosted in November 2022.

The Digital for Life (DfL) movement was launched in February 2021 to aid the community in building a digitally inclusive society for Singaporeans. Since October 2021, SUSS has collaborated with IMDA in the SG Together Alliance for Action (AfA), supporting the nationwide effort to educate hawkers on digitalisation skills.

Together with the Development Bank of Singapore and Rotary Club of Singapore, SUSS stepped forward in the Digital Support for Hawkers (DSH) initiative to support three participating NEA hawker centres, namely the 20 Ghim Moh Road Food Market & Food Centre, Clementi 448 Market & Food Centre, and Boon Lay Place Market and Food Village. The initiative aimed to enhance the hawker centres' digital presence through content creation, menu curation, photography and social media techniques. 

20 SUSS students from different programmes readily stepped up to support this year-long project with various hawkers. With support from IMDA and Federation Merchants' Associations Singapore (FMAS), students worked closely with the SG Digital Office Digital Ambassadors to set up an official Facebook page and educate the hawkers on business digitalisation. Despite the rapidly changing safety management measures and COVID-19 outbreaks in the community, the students worked creatively with the hawkers and ensured the timely launch of their digital marketing efforts.

The project successfully increased the hawker centre's digital presence, as seen from Ghim Moh Market and Food Centre's Facebook account. The account, which had 327 total page likes before the student’s efforts, has now nearly tripled to 904 total page likes and 995 followers.

The efforts of our students did not go unrecognised, with the Minister for Transport and the Member of Parliament for the West Coast division of West Coast GRC, Mr S. Iswaran, sharing his appreciation in a Facebook post on 24 September 2022.

SUSS students Lye Zi Yin (Year 3 Social Work), Ang Jing Ern Amanda (Year 2 Finance), and Shayna Tien Xin Yi (Year 2 Human Resource Management), who worked closely with the Digital Ambassadors of Ayer Rajah Food Centre & Market were invited on stage to celebrate the official launch of the digital support group for Ayer Rajah Food Centre & Market on 24 September 2022.
SUSS students Lye Zi Yin (Year 3 Social Work), Ang Jing Ern Amanda (Year 2 Finance), and Shayna Tien Xin Yi (Year 2 Human Resource Management), who worked closely with the Digital Ambassadors of Ayer Rajah Food Centre & Market were invited on stage to celebrate the official launch of the digital support group for Ayer Rajah Food Centre & Market on 24 September 2022.

Maverick Toh Gim Lin, Year 2 Marketing student reflected on his experience, “Communication is the key to a successful collaboration for a multi-stakeholder project. I learnt the importance of reciprocity in relationship building (with the hawkers and IMDA) and that effective communication was crucial throughout the project implementation. “

Ng Hui Min Lydia, Year 2 Business Analytics student shared her experience working on the Hawkers Go Digital project in an interview featured on SG Digital Office’s Facebook page. She learnt about the stories and struggles faced by the hawkers, and how she could be the voice to share these stories and reach a wider audience.

Currently, a group of SUSS students are working with Adam Food Centre, with their engagement ending in June 2023. Want to help our hawkers go digital? We are looking for student volunteers who can create social media content and educate the Empress Food Centre hawkers on the benefits of going digital. Interested individuals can sign up here.

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