What is YHAP?

The Young Health Ambassadors’ Programme (YHAP) is a one month long programme that aims to cultivate our youth into Health Ambassadors, positively influencing their community to adopt healthy lifestyle practices. Through this programme, the youth will be empowered with the relevant health knowledge as well as the platforms to share with the general public, which enables them to become ambassadors of health for their friends, families and communities. This is achieved through exposing the students to various facets of medical knowledge including both the pathophysiological and social factors contributing to the challenges faced by our healthcare system today.

YHAP 2024

  • In order to maximise our youth’s innovation and deep thinking, PHS has decided to incorporate an innovation challenge into YHAP 2024, with a format similar to a “hackathon”, in line with our 2024 theme “Empowering Tomorrow’s Health Advocates”. We foresee that this new initiative will provide participants with a platform to expound on their ideas in great detail, all while fostering creative design, innovation, ideation and teamwork.

  • We will be piloting our ‘Medicine Made Informative (MMI)’ learning journey for YHAP 2024. Participants will learn essential skills for healthcare professionals such as History Taking and Basic First Aid. We will also be introducing games such as “How Well do You Know Healthcare Professionals” trivia and “What’s Wrong!” to make learning fun and interactive!

Interested in joining YHAP 2024? Sign up below! Sign ups close on 18 Feb 2024, 2359.

YHAP 2023

Our Theme 2023: “Inspiring wellness, one youth at a time"

Over the course of 4 days, YHAP 2023 welcomed a total of 202 students from 10 Junior Colleges and Polytechnics. In line with our theme: “Inspiring wellness, one youth at a time”, the event focused on improving the participant’s understanding on prevalent health issues in Singapore, through interaction with distinguished healthcare professionals and group discussions.

Key Events

  • Participants gained insights from a wide range of panelists after their respective talks on the various pertinent health issues in Singapore. Notable panelists included Assistant Dean of NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine A/Prof Chen Zhi Xiong, and Dr Derrick Lian, Senior Consultant from the Department of Pathology (National University Hospital), and our Guest-of-Honour Associate Professor Kenneth Mak, Director-General of Health, Ministry of Health. Students were able to actively participate in the discussion and draw valuable knowledge from the panel discussion segment.

  • Participants were given the opportunity to practice their interpersonal skills through communicating with simulated patients. This station aims to equip them with the necessary communication skills to interact with patients at a more empathetic level.

  • Participants were given a tour of the Anatomy museum of NUS and a games segment designed to summarise the key learning points of the event. Participants were able to appreciate human anatomical specimens and diseases associated with the various body systems found in the museum.

Our History

Our pioneer batch of YHAP students embarking on these health projects consists of 24 J1 students from Hwa Chong Institution. 

2016: 24 students from Hwa Chong Institution

2017: 42 students from Hwa Chong Institution and Raffles Institution (Junior College)

2018: 84 students from Methodist Girls’ School, Dunman High School, Hwa Chong Institution, Raffles Institution (Junior College), Anglo-Chinese School (Independent)

2019: 144 students from Anderson Serangoon Junior College, Anglo-Chinese School (Independent), Hwa Chong Institution, Nanyang Junior College, Ngee Ann Polytechnic, NUS High School of Mathematics and Science, Raffles Institution, Republic Polytechnic, Singapore Polytechnic, Tampines Meridian Junior College, Temasek Polytechnic

2023: 202 students from Anglio-Chinese Junior College, Anglo-Chinese School (Independent), Dunman High School, Hwa Chong Institution, Nanyang Junior College, National Junior College, Raffles Institution, Republic Polytechnic, Temasek Polytechnic and Victoria Junior College

Memories from Previous Batches!

YHAP 2021

The Team behind YHAP 2021!

Kwek Kylie, Foong Cai Ying Joycelin, Joie Teo Yi Yun & Lim Teck Qin, Ryan

Consisting of members from the Outreach Committee of the Public Health Service, the team worked together tirelessly from planning and coordinating with the various external partners to conducting facilitator training workshops as well as running the online programme with our 222 participants and 42 facilitators.

YHAP 2019

YHAP aims to cultivate our youth into Health Ambassadors, positively influencing their community to adopt healthy lifestyle practices. Through our programme, the youth will be empowered with the relevant health knowledge as well as the platforms on which to share with the general public, which truly enables them to become ambassadors of health for their friends, families and communities. This is achieved through two complementary stages - health talks and health projects.

Health Talks

In 2019, we conducted health talks on metabolic syndrome, educating the youth on managing risk factors for prevalent chronic diseases.

These health talks are conducted to educate and impart knowledge to these youth share important information about prevalent diseases in Singapore and the importance of regular health screenings. 

We hope to empower these students to be a driving force to encourage people around them to go for regular health screenings.

-2019

(YHAP 2019)

Health Projects

In 2019, we broadened the scope of YHAP. Our project consisted of 144 J1 and polytechnic students from various schools. Through various sessions, the YHAP participants underwent training and close mentorship where they learnt about different aspects of prevalent chronic diseases related to Metabolic Syndrome. The goal was for participants to present their projects at a booth in the exhibition area of our annual health screening, and share with the public about what they have learnt throughout their YHAP journey.

sTUDENTS’ REFLECTIONS

“Through this YHAP programme, I have learnt a lot more about the different diseases which are becoming more prevalent in Singapore. Despite being one of the countries with high life expectancy, Singaporeans are facing with diseases such as diabetes, dementia and hypertension ... THERE WERE MANY MISCONCEPTIONS the public have about the diseases and I FEEL THAT WE AS HEALTH AMBASSADORS SHOULD BE THERE HELP CORRECT THEIR UNDERSTANDING ... I also try to influence my family members to make healthier choices to prevent deterioration of their illnesses. I feel that being able to educate the people around me about health can at least help make a small  difference in their lives. Lastly, I have learnt other skills such as communication and presentation from the workshops and the carnival ... This has been a fulfilling journey for me.”

- Aleena, Group 23, Temasek Polytechnic (2019)

“...YHAP HAS TRULY BEEN AN EYE-OPENING EXPERIENCE. I have gained extensive knowledge on pertinent health issues ... as well as the serious consequences they can have and most importantly how to mitigate the onset of these health issues to the best of my ability. The entire process of planning, designing and actually creating the posters and exhibits was tiring and quite a challenge, but seeing the public, be it elders or children, enjoying our booths reminded me that I was doing this for a greater cause and that all the hard work was worth it. After getting the chance to talk to the members of the public at the health carnival, I have realised that more often than not, IT ISN'T AN ISSUE OF NOT KNOWING, BUT RATHER TRANSLATING THIS KNOWLEDGE ... INTO ACTION. I believe that the health carnival has done a great job in not only imparting within people the knowledge on health, but the motivation that they need to put this knowledge into action. I HAVE REALISED HOW REALLY ANYONE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE when it comes to educating others on health, and I will definitely continue to be an ambassador for health even beyond YHAP.”

- Serena Shih Yin, Group 4, Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) (2019)

“YHAP was a really fulfilling experience for me! In my journey with YHAP, my main takeaway was having a more comprehensive understanding about metabolic syndrome, especially how it impacts Singaporeans and their livelihoods. By interacting first-hand with the public, I also learnt to communicate in a way that is accessible and easily understandable by the layman. ONE OF THE MOST  IMPACTFUL MOMENTS was during the carnival, when I REALISED HOW MUCH OF AN IMPACT WE WERE MAKING via our activity, and it was really satisfying when they told me that they learnt something. After being a part of YHAP, IT SHOWED ME HOW PERTINENT A ROLE HEALTHCARE EDUCATION PLAYS IN OUR SOCIETY, because even with the quality healthcare that is around us, a lack of cognizance on everyday habits is still prevalent. I learnt that the first line of healthcare lies in our diet and daily habits, therefore it is of utmost importance to advocate that so that one can manage health conditions more effectively, improving Singaporeans’ quality of life as a whole.”

- Loh Pei Yi, Group 9, NUS High School (2019)

YHAP 2018

In 2018, we conducted health talks at our partner schools, reaching out to a large number of students to educate them about certain health topics and relevant diseases. The aim for these health talks is twofold; to educate and impart knowledge to these youth as well as to share with them important information about prevalent diseases in Singapore and importance of regular health screenings. These youth would then share this information with their parents and hopefully, be a driving force for their parents to go for regular health screenings and checkups. In the year of its inception, YHAP partnered with Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) and gave a health talk to the secondary school students there. According to the survey results gathered, both the parents and students found the programme useful.  

We conducted our health talks on the issue of Metabolic Syndrome - a cluster of risk factors (Obesity, High Blood Pressure, High Blood Glucose, Abnormal Lipid Profile) that increases an individual’s chance of Cardiovascular risk and Diabetes.

Metabolic Syndrome Talk at Choa Chu Kang Secondary- 2018

Metabolic Syndrome Talk at Choa Chu Kang Secondary (YHAP 2018)

Health Projects

The YHAP project, in 2018, comprised of:

  • An “Opening Workshop” where students are introduced to YHAP and the health carnival, and are given an introductory lecture on the chosen topic for the year, including talks from our partners in HPB. They will undergo a brainstorming session to further research on their chosen area of interest. The Opening Workshop concludes with an “Idea Pitch” session where participants present their initial ideas for activities to advocate healthy living and awareness for various conditions and receive feedback to further refine their ideas

  • A “Learning Journey” where participants are able to benefit with the exposure to various medical conditions and develop their perspective of healthcare in Singapore. The Learning Journey in YHAP 2018 will take place in the National Kidney Foundation Kidney Discovery Centre on 20th June 2018.

  • Two official “Group Discussion” sessions will be arranged for YHAP participants to receive feedback from their facilitator and plan their project forward, in line with a checklist. The sessions also serve as a check on their progress for the Planning Committee. Groups are encouraged to meet up amongst themselves in preparation for the formal Group Discussions as well as to develop their ideas.

  • A “Closing Ceremony” where groups will present their finished products of an interactive exhibit and poster to a panel of judges from external organisations such Health Promotion Board and National Kidney Foundation. A standardised set of rubrics will be used to assess the teams’ delivery, content and synergy. Prizes will be awarded to groups that communicate their ideas in an interactive and visually engaging manner.

  • The “Health Carnival” is the graduating event of the YHAP project, where participants will present their products, shown in the “Closing Ceremony”, to members of the public during our annual PHS health screening event. This fulfills their objective of serving as ambassadors of health to the public by providing an opportunity for them to step out of their comfort zone and take charge of actively educating the public through their own interactive exhibits. Participants would also be given a tour of the PHS Screening where they would gain a better understanding about the healthcare landscape in Singapore. They will then be awarded the PHS YHAP certificate

In 2016, our team decided to broaden the scope of YHAP and mentor students of our partner schools to work on health projects. Under the guidance of Dr. Keith Lim, a senior radiation-oncologist at the National University Cancer Institute, Singapore (NCIS), YHAP participants will undergo rigorous training where they will learn about various health topics such as cancer education as well as diet and exercise. The goal would be for them to share with the public about what they have learnt in YHAP through an interactive exhibit that will be presented at the PHS Health Carnival.

YHAP Partners 2018

  • Choa Chu Kang Secondary

  • Methodist Girls' School

  • Dunman High School

  • Hwa Chong Institution

  • Raffles Institution (Junior College)

  • Anglo Chinese School (Independent)

Looking ahead, Public Health Service is keen to have a diverse range of schools to be with us on board YHAP.  If you happen to be an educator and your school is interested in being a YHAP partner, please get in touch with us here.

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