Changing behaviour is hard. But, it plays an important role in bringing about transformational societal change. Climate change, for example, will need systematic informed actions to mobilize responsible parties to do the right things. However, responsible parties will not move by themselves. It is up to us to pressure corporations, governments, and other actors to take action.
The success of the behaviour change process boils down to an understanding of how human behaviour works. For example, Megan Call (2020) suggests that identifying the stage of change individuals are in can help us customise strategies to promote change.
Therefore, WISE designed the Behaviour Change Hackathon to empower organisations and individuals to address societal and environmental issues through a behaviour change lens, by putting together tools that people will find useful, including stages of changes, to design effective behaviour change strategies.
The Behaviour Change Hackathon is a comprehensive programme that guides participants through the journey of designing behaviour-focused solutions to the environmental or social issues around us.
Intergenerational gaps have formed between youths and seniors due to limited interactions. This has led to stereotypes of seniors, such as being forgetful, weak or not “modern” enough, which may hinder communications between generations. Team LinkAges proposed a platform for young people and seniors to engage in meaningful activities together. Not only can youth benefit through skill sharing but the older generation will also have the opportunity to talk about their life stories and give advice.
Ill-treatment of immigrant workers in Singapore by their employers is still happening. With the guidance from the Humanitarian Organization for Migration Economics (HOME), the team proposed to launch an awareness campaign called Maid for More. They propose to change the narrative by empowering teenagers to treat their domestic workers better. Outreach programs in schools will encourage more young children to empathize and treat domestic workers more respectfully.