*Frasers Property to award S$2,000 to the Singapore-based winning team and execute the winning pitch proposal in a Frasers Property mall *People with physical disabilities to work with teams to drive solutions
Singapore, 22 March 2019 – Frasers Property Limited today announced the launch of its inaugural solution-agnostic hackathon, Inclusive Spaces in Singapore. Kicking off this week, tertiary students in Singapore are invited to come together to form teams with people with physical disabilities from various disability-focused organisations including the Disabled People’s Association, to co-create and co-design strategies and resources to transform its shopping malls into inclusive spaces for persons with disabilities. Inclusive Spaces, which was created in support of Company of Good and the National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre (NVPC), will see two teams will walk away with cash prizes. The winning team will also get the opportunity to work with Frasers Property to refine and implement their idea at one of Frasers Property’s malls.
“All of our customers’ experience matter to us. Hence, diversity and inclusion is an on-going corporate priority for Frasers Property. Not only will this inaugural project enable us to open design as a conversation for people with disabilities, but more importantly, it encourages us to continue our progressive efforts at building inclusive communities. As a business, we need to strive to create spaces that allow for physical, functional and social inclusion,” said Chia Khong Shoong, Group Chief Corporate Officer, Frasers Property Limited.
“It is inspiring to see such efforts from a Company of Good member. This hackathon embodies the spirit of SG Cares, which is all about creating a more caring and inclusive home for all. Corporates have a critical part to play and by involving their employees, partners, students and persons with disabilities, Frasers Property is indeed a role model as we journey together to build a City of Good,” said Tony Soh, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre.
The competition targets Singapore-based tertiary student participants from ages 18 years of age. The participants are encouraged to form teams of two to three tertiary students and each team will journey with a person with disability to understand their challenges and experiences when visiting the malls. Each team will then identify and create a solution to address a specific challenge over a two-week period. These proposed solutions include but are not limited to Product Design, User Experience Design, Software Development, Embedded Systems, Architecture, Urban Planning/Place-making, Service Design and/or Marketing/Communications.
To help equip the teams to develop the solutions, Frasers Property and disability experts will mentor 12 shortlisted teams by conducting two days of talks on 6 and 7 April. The programme will include knowledge-sharing on “Creating inclusive shopping malls” by Lee Choon Li, EVP & Head of Development & Property, Frasers Property Singapore, and “Thought process mental models & challenges of visiting shopping malls” by persons with disabilities, as well as workshops on topics such as design thinking, how to ace a hackathon and empathy building. After the mentorship, the teams will embark on an experiential journey at Northpoint City to gain inspiration for accessibility enhancement solutions before their two weeks of independent hacking. They will have access to Frasers Property and accessibility specialists to develop the solutions.
A panel of industry experts will select two winners on 20 April. The judging criteria will include design/innovation/originality, solution effectiveness/practical implementation, level of inclusivity, community interaction, quality of presentation pitch and commitment to implementation.
Registration for the Inclusive Spaces competition is open from now till 12noon on 29 March. For more information, visit frasersproperty.com/who-we-are/sustainability.
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Company of Good
NVPC’s Company of Good looks to build a community of givers and ignite a giving movement through corporates. We inspire and activate companies to give strategically, sustainably and with impact, benefitting both businesses and the community. Companies can tap on opportunities to acquire knowledge, build capabilities, network and collaborate through our various programmes and initiatives. Company of Good is brought to you by the NVPC.
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