Lee Swen Jean, 16

School: Anglican High School

Topic: Roadshows are the most effective way to engage, educate and encourage all age groups on organ donation

Award: High Distinction, Senior Category, 2025

Organ donation is a very meaningful act that can save lives. It gives patients with organ failure a second life. While organ donation can potentially save lives, its rates remain low in many countries as it is often clouded by uncertainty, lack of awareness, and even emotional hesitation. In order to push to the limelight a cause so serious, public education, engagement and encouragement must be dynamic and inclusive to a large group of people. Among the different approaches, roadshows in heartlands are one of the most effective ways to engage, educate and encourage residents on organ donation. 

Roadshows held in heartlands offer a powerful approach to advocate organ donation. Heartlands – main urban centres or housing towns – are home to a cross-section of society, making them ideal locations for public outreach. Hosting roadshows in these areas ensures visibility and accessibility, especially to those who may not actively seek information related to health. Unlike hospital outreach or forums, roadshows in heartlands do not rely on people to come to the cause; they bring the cause to the people. Public spaces like town centres, markets and void decks provide a mix of residents such as seniors on morning walks, youths heading home from school and families out for errands, making it easier to reach a broader age group. Their everyday environments foster spontaneous interest around organ donation, increasing their exposure to such topics. 

The friendly environment of roadshows in heartlands is also important as it helps dismantle psychological barriers. The topic of organ donation is often daunting if discussed in clinical or institutional settings. In contrast, community-based roadshows, which feature interactive booths, real-life testimonials and warm peer conversations, allows organ donation to not be seen as a medical issue, but rather a social gesture of altruism. They create a safe and comfortable environment where residents can learn and ask questions. In this way, roadshows in heartlands promote action from awareness, making organ donation not just a personal decision, but also a prevailing social culture. 

Moreover, roadshows in heartlands can be designed to reflect the multicultural identity of the community, making the message of organ donation more inclusive. For example, Singapore has a multi-racial society with ethnic groups of various languages, traditions and values. These differences may affect the perceptions of organ donation. By being respectful and sensitive to diversity, roadshows can deliver the message in a manner that resonates more with diverse communities. One way to achieve this objective is by offering multilingual resources. Pamphlets, posters and information boards in various languages such as English, Mandarin, Malay and Tamil can ensure that people of all backgrounds can understand the facts about organ donation. Visual and interactive elements can also be culturally inclusive. Booths could feature traditional music or culturally appropriate games and activities to attract a bigger audience while giving out the message of saving lives through organ donation. This builds not only an informative but representative community space for the targeted individuals, and a shared mission that binds the heartland community. 

To further extend the effectiveness of roadshows in heartlands, organisers can utilise digital tools and social media. QR codes can be placed at booths to lead visitors to web-based resources such as short explainer videos or donor registration portals that they can revisit later. Interactive kiosks could also be used to encourage organ donation as it allows people to explore myths and facts about organ donation through touch-screen quizzes. Such gamified learning can boost understanding, especially among young attendees. For elderly or those who are less tech-savvy, booth assistants can guide them through the process, ensuring inclusivity across all age groups. By embedding digital tools into roadshows, the campaign does not end when the booth closes. It continues throughout their daily lives through digital platforms, creating an ongoing conversation around organ donation, acting as a bridge connecting awareness and long-term participation. 

Roadshows in heartlands can engage, encourage and educate almost all age groups on organ donation. For adults and elderly, roadshows provide spaces to gain further knowledge on how organ donation is carried out. Seeing real life stories of donors and recipients can create a sense of empathy. Question-and-answer sessions with medical professionals can clarify misconceptions, giving them the confidence and reassurance they need to consider registering as organ donors. For youths, roadshows give inspiration especially to secondary school students. Although they are not yet eligible to register as donors, introducing them to the prospect of saving lives can plant seeds for the future. Through roadshows, they can gain a sense of ownership, turning awareness into advocacy. 

Beyond roadshows, school-based programmes can educate and influence younger generations about organ donation. By integrating organ donation into lessons, schools can introduce the concept to students in age-appropriate ways. These lessons could include real-life case studies, role-playing activities or storytelling sessions that highlight both donor and recipient experiences. Interactive and reflective activities can also help deepen students’ understanding regarding organ donation. Classroom debates on ethical dilemmas surrounding organ donation, group projects designing awareness campaigns or writing letters to anonymous donors can encourage critical thinking. These efforts go beyond surface level awareness as it helps to shape long-term attitudes towards organ donation. 

However, there are limitations. Primary school students and younger children are too young to comprehend the complexity of organ donation. They lack the cognitive maturity to grasp the medical aspects of organ donation. Discussions related to organ transplants may be overwhelming or inappropriate for their level. Although storytelling and creative activity can instill a positive attitude towards donation, young children are not decision makers in this regard. Therefore, any awareness efforts targeted at them would serve more as an indirect influence. 

In conclusion, roadshows in heartlands are indeed one of the most effective ways to engage, educate and encourage residents on organ donation. Undoubtedly, they carry important information directly into the community in a friendly and accessible manner. While they may not reach everyone, roadshows still play an important part in raising awareness. To make the biggest impact, other methods such as school programmes and social media campaigns need to work together to ensure that the objective is achieved. Together, they can help more people to find out, talk about, and eventually choose organ donation.

Disclaimer: Please note that the views and opinions expressed in the essays for the Live On Festival 2025 are those of the participants and are not endorsed by the National Organ Transplant Unit (Ministry of Health).

To learn more about organ donation and organ transplantation in Singapore, please visit www.liveon.gov.sg