What is Youth Circles: Stories Across Cultures?
Youth Circles is a youth-led intercultural dialogue programme managed by Empathy StudioSG that is designed for young people navigating a diverse and interconnected society. The pilot run of this programme is made possible through the Youth for Peace: UNESCO Intercultural Leadership Programme (2025/2026).
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While youths often interact across differences in everyday life, they rarely have the opportunity to slow down, reflect, and truly listen to one another. Youth Circles creates a safe, creative environment where young people can explore identity, culture, and belonging through photovoice, story circles, and guided dialogue.
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Over the course of the programme, participants take photographs of their lived experiences, share stories in small groups, and co-create photojournals that reflect everyday moments of connection, difference, and harmony. These works are later shared with the wider community through exhibitions, where youths become facilitators of dialogue.
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Youth Circles is not about having the “right answers.” It is about curiosity, empathy, and learning together.
Mission
Youth Circles empowers young people to build intercultural understanding and meaningful connections through dialogue, story circles and creative expression.
Vision
We envision a society where young people lead with empathy, engage confidently across differences, and strengthen social cohesion through everyday acts of understanding and dialogue.
Founder
Youth Circles Singapore and Empathy StudioSG are founded by Sharon Chen, who has more than 15 years of experience as a museum educator and is one of 50 selected from 8,250 international applicants to be part of the inaugural Youth for Peace: UNESCO Intercultural Leadership Programme (2025/2026). To give back to the community she has lived in, the pilot Youth Circles: Stories Across Cultures programme will give priority to the development of youths in the Braddell Heights precinct.
About the logo
Designed by Kerin Soh, currently a 16-year old student with Naval Base Secondary School, the logo embodies the vision of young people of diverse backgrounds coming together in meaningful connections through dialogue.