Building bridges, not walls

Mr Alex Low (centre), co-founder of Interfaithsg, donating blood at his first interfaith blood donation drive at Khalid Mosque in 2018, when he was 16.

Seeing people from all races and religions donating blood at an interfaith blood drive deeply moved Alex Low, who was then 16. He was struck by how the community came together to help those in need, proving that shared bonds are stronger than their differences. Inspired by this experience, Alex embarked on a path of championing interfaith initiatives.

Today, Alex, 24, is a youth leader at the Heart of God Church and co-founder and director of Interfaithsg, a youth-led group that advocates for interfaith harmony through action.

“My first experience into interfaith work was through an interfaith blood donation drive held at Khalid Mosque, co-organised by my church, the mosque, and Geylang United Temple. It was my first time donating blood, and my first time inside a mosque.

What I saw that day left a mark on me. People of different faiths, all donating blood together.”

The 2024 Interfaith Blood Donation Drive, organised by youths from Interfaithsg, Heart of God Church (Singapore), Khalid Mosque, and Geylang United Temple.

From participation to ownership

Eager to encourage other youths to participate in interfaith activities, Alex began planning his own interfaith initiatives with his friends from both the church and mosque. Together, they started Interfaithsg, a youth-led initiative that partners religious and community organisations to create platforms where young Singaporeans of different faiths can build friendships and find common ground as they serve the community.

In 2024, the Interfaithsg team organised a youth-friendly blood donation drive, this time built around a carnival, with food stalls and games. Their goal was to provide their fellow youth with opportunities to make connections across faiths and to show that youths can take charge in championing racial and religious harmony.

From a blood drive to a stadium

It was at the 2024 interfaith blood donation drive that the team noticed something that would shape their future plans.

People came to give blood alongside with those of other faiths. But the giving was only the first step – the team had built everything around it, the food, the games, the space to hang out, for what came after. And it worked: young people who donated stayed. They sat down together over a plate of satay, played arcade games together, and made conversations with new like-minded friends they would otherwise have never met. The blood donation drive got them through the door, but what they found on the other side were the new friends they left with.

That sight guided the team’s next big idea.

Block Party: Interfaith Harmony at scale

Block Party at Our Tampines Hub, featuring an interfaith football tournament played on the Town Square.

Block Party, held at Our Tampines Hub on 23 May 2026, drew over 10,000 attendees, many of them young Singaporeans. The event was built as a community festival combining live music, food, games, and Block Soccer, an interfaith football tournament played on the Town Square pitch.

The football tournament brought together more than 190 youths aged 15 to 25 in 24 teams. Alongside the usual goalscoring, referees were given white cards to present to players who demonstrated kindness, sportsmanship, or good character.

Light Ughojo, a 20-year-old of mixed Chinese and Nigerian descent, won the Individual Harmony Award for being awarded the most white cards. In Light’s own words, the white card idea made "everyone strive to do better for one another."

Beyond the pitch, the festival gave young Singaporeans the chance to step up not just as participants, but as creators and entrepreneurs. A large marketplace put youth-run stalls front and centre, giving young vendors a platform to showcase their craft and nurture their entrepreneurial spirit.

Across the rest of the festival, the team built in ways for young Singaporeans to engage with racial and religious harmony. One example: an interactive personality quiz, "Which Hawker Hero Are You?", designed and developed by the youths from Interfaithsg. Presented up as a fun personality quiz, it slipped in fun facts about harmony while participants chased their food spirit-animal.

Trust, mentorship, and “Why Not?”

Alex speaking about his interfaith work at the International Conference on Cohesive Societies (ICCS) 2025.

Alex is the first to say that none of this would have been possible alone. Behind the blood drive and Block Party stood a group of older leaders who took the youth team’s ideas seriously and gave them the room to lead.

"When we first pitched the idea of a carnival-style blood drive, the response from our older leaders was a simple: 'Why not?'" Alex recalls. "But the support didn't end with the green light. They offered advice from years of experience, and guided us through the complex parts of the process. That same trust carried to Block Party. We had the freedom to design it as we believed it should be, and the wisdom of older leaders alongside us when we needed it."

He also highlights the importance of trusting youths with freedom to execute their own ideas and take ownership of their initiatives.

“Empowering young people begins with trust. By letting us plan, mentoring us through the process, and helping us run our ideas, young leaders are then shaped through real opportunities where we practice harmony-building. Youths do not only bring creativity and passion; we bring continuity to interfaith harmony.”