Amid a ‘friendship recession’, some young Singaporeans are building bonds through shared interests

Those in school often have their time taken up with classes, tuition and extracurricular activities, he says. Meanwhile, youth transitioning from school to work face “an abrupt drop-off in relational health once they step outside institutional safety nets”, he adds, such as the natural common spaces schools offer.

Finding a community

Outside of school, helping others is how Secondary Four student Nathaniel Chan met several of his close friends.

The 16-year-old teaches kids how to play ukulele at a student care centre every Wednesday as part of The Resonance Project (Reso).

Reso is a youth-led and volunteer-run non-profit collective founded in 2021. It brings music education to underserved seniors and primary school pupils, providing music lessons at places like active ageing centres, student care centres and family service centres.

Chan joined in 2024 after attending one of Reso’s outreach concerts. He has been one of two co-presidents of the group since July 2026. He considers many of his fellow volunteers his close friends.

Volunteer teams at each centre are fixed, he explains. “You do debriefs, planning calls and generally spend a lot of time with (the same people). Naturally, you’ll get to meet and find people that way.”

Nearly 80 per cent of youth surveyed by NYC say they want to do good and take action, but 43 per cent are unsure how to start.

“I think for people who are a bit hesitant (about volunteering), my advice would be to bring a friend along,” says Chan. “It’s more comforting to go through the experience with someone you already know.”

What keeps them going once they start? Young people value genuine contribution, says Narasimman, but they tend to become disengaged if they feel their involvement in a cause is tokenistic.

“Youth derive a sense of purpose only when they possess authentic agency; the knowledge that their choices directly shape real-world outcomes,” he says.

It is this sense of agency that has kept Chan active in Reso, an entirely youth-run project. It currently has more than 350 active volunteers, most of whom are aged 12 to 18.

“The fact that everything is run by us – that gives us a lot of ownership, in the sense that we know we’re the ones making real impact,” says Chan.

Like Chan, volunteering is a part of Wee’s life. The competitive Scrabble player – ranked third in Singapore – helps to run Scrabble workshops, sessions and tournaments for community centres as a member of Singapore’s Scrabble Association since 2014.

“If they need someone to liaise with participants during a tournament, or they need a slightly better player to show new players the ropes, I volunteer to teach people,” he says.

Competitive Scrabble has not only earned Wee tournament titles, but also a diverse group of friends he says he would not have found otherwise.

He met one of his close friends – a fellow player in his 50s – through Scrabble. They meet regularly to train and sharpen their skills, and Wee visits his home every Hari Raya.

It would have been hard to befriend somebody at such a different life stage in any other context, he adds.

“I would not have known him if not for Scrabble,” says Wee.

• In Perspective is a research-led content programme by SPH Media that combines insight-driven storytelling with expert perspectives on key issues shaping society.

In partnership with the National Youth Council

Source: The Straits Times © SPH Media Limited. Permission required for reproduction

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