VIA & Service-Learning Redesign for Schools in Singapore
Redesigning VIA and Student Leadership Through Sustainable Impact Systems
Little Changemakers partners with secondary schools and junior colleges to strengthen VIA and service-learning through structured, sustainable impact systems.
Grounded in real-world design thinking and Open Village, a Ministry of Health-supported intergenerational initiative, our programmes help schools move from one-off volunteering to meaningful, student-owned impact.
Where Student-Led VIA Projects Often Need Stronger Structure
Student initiatives are frequently driven by enthusiasm and creativity. However, without structured guidance, projects may move quickly into solution mode before clarifying the real problem.
A common pattern is defaulting to a digital solution, such as developing “an app,” without first establishing whether it addresses a clearly defined need, fits the beneficiary context, or can be sustained beyond a presentation milestone.
Common structural gaps include:
Undefined or overly broad beneficiary groups
Limited problem validation before ideation
Weak stakeholder ecosystem mapping
Unclear ownership and sustainability planning
Minimal iteration or field testing
Impact that is difficult to measure meaningfully
These gaps are not due to lack of effort, but lack of a structured systems framework.
Our Approach for Schools
Little Changemakers has supported a wide range of community groups and settings, including seniors, children, families, persons with disabilities, and community organisations. This cross-context experience helps schools design VIA and service-learning projects with clearer beneficiary focus, stronger outcomes, and more realistic pathways for adoption and sustainability.
We strengthen student-led projects by guiding teams to align beneficiaries, outcomes, and feasibility rather than jumping into solution mode.
Our Method (Impact Systems Design)
Rather than starting with solutions, we guide students through a disciplined sequence:
Needs Discovery & Gap Validation – Identifying validated gaps using structured discovery, observation, and feedback
Problem Definition – Forming a clear problem statement with defined beneficiaries, scope, and constraints
Outcome Design – Defining what meaningful change looks like before proposing solutions
Feasibility & Sustainability Assessment – Evaluating ownership, resources, and continuity
Implementation Thinking – Structuring cadence, roles, and iteration cycles
Impact Reflection & Measurement – Embedding reflection and simple tracking frameworks
This approach reduces guesswork, strengthens student ownership, and supports teachers with a repeatable structure that can be applied across cohorts and VIA cycles.
Choosing the Right Engagement Format
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Impact Systems Masterclass (60–90 Minutes)
Best when your school:
Wants to introduce a structured, needs-first approach before students begin projects.
Is seeing repeated patterns of solution-first proposals (for example, “another app”).
Needs a common framework for a leadership cohort, VIA committee, or service-learning group.
Has limited time but wants high-value, case-based learning grounded in real community contexts.
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VIA Redesign Lab (Half-Day or Multi-Session)
Best when your school:
Is reviewing or refreshing its VIA and service-learning framework.
Wants stronger student ownership, clearer roles, and continuity across cohorts.
Needs practical templates for problem statements, outcomes, feasibility, and reflection.
Wants a structured process that reduces guesswork and improves proposal quality over time.
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Open Village Immersion Experience (On-Site, Taman Jurong)
Best when your school:
Wants applied learning beyond classroom case studies.
Is developing deeper student-led initiatives and implementation thinking.
Wants students to experience stakeholder complexity, operational constraints, and ethical trade-offs in real settings.
Would like students to test and refine ideas through grounded observations and feedback loops.
What Your School Will Receive
Depending on the engagement format, schools may receive structured tools that can be reused across future VIA cycles.
These may include:
Needs discovery and gap validation prompts
Problem statement and outcome design templates
Stakeholder ecosystem mapping guides
Feasibility and sustainability assessment checklists
Implementation planning structures
Reflection and simple impact measurement frameworks
All materials are designed to be practical, adaptable, and aligned with real classroom constraints.
Institutional Impact
Beyond individual sessions, schools that adopt a structured impact systems approach often observe:
Greater clarity in student proposals and project scope
Stronger alignment between VIA intentions and measurable outcomes
Improved student ownership and accountability
Reduced coordination ambiguity for teachers
Clearer documentation for reporting and reflection
More sustainable initiatives that continue beyond a single cohort
Our goal is not to increase activity volume, but to improve structural quality and long-term impact.
FAQs
Can you customise based on our VIA theme?
1
Yes. Proposals are developed based on your school’s VIA focus, student level, and intended outcomes.
What if students tend to propose digital solutions?
2
We guide students through structured needs discovery and feasibility evaluation before ideation, helping them consider adoption, sustainability, and real-world constraints.
Is this aligned with MOE frameworks?
3
Our approach supports authentic learning, student agency, structured reflection, and meaningful service-learning outcomes within school contexts.
Is this focused on DSA preparation?
4
No. Our focus is authentic service-learning and meaningful student leadership development. Any portfolio strength that emerges is a byproduct of structured and genuine work.
Explore a Structured VIA Engagement for Your School
If your school is reviewing its VIA framework or seeking greater depth in student-led projects, we would be pleased to discuss your objectives and recommend a suitable format.