Neo Tiak Hiok Isaac, 16

School: Fuhua Secondary School

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

Award: Merit, Senior Category, 2025

One hundred thousand. That is the number of people who are in need of immediate organ transplants. Every day, this number of people increases, yet few know how to help them. Despite this, several people are taking action to raise awareness about this detrimental matter. They organise roadshows and help to bring light to these people. Roadshows in heartlands are one of the few ways to make such a somber matter colourful and memorable. However, having considered the progress that society has made and other generational shifts, I believe that this is not the most effective way to make the public aware of organ donation. Other methods that I believe will be more efficient and effective include social media advertising campaigns to attract younger generations, as well as creating movies and shows to emotionally engage audiences and invoke their sense of empathy, which compels them to become organ donors. 

Roadshows in the heartlands aim to connect with residents, provide information, and promote community participation. They could include interactive activities like game booths where they physically engage people so that they can better understand the situation. Such activities allow individuals to learn while having fun. One example is the financial literacy event held in Yishun, attracting about 800 attendees. The initiative, Your Neighbourhood Carnival, allowed children and families in the Nee Soon GRC to learn more about topics ranging from budgeting to money management skills through interactive experiences. One of the activities at the carnival was the POSB Mini Mart, where children learned how to budget with a certain amount of money. They could also visit a series of interactive ATMs to learn about money management skills via gamified experiences. Similarly, such activities could also be implemented in roadshows promoting organ donation to better engage and allow individuals to have fun while participating in the activities. This can lead to better understanding and awareness of the situation as it provides the individuals with a memorable experience. 

While roadshows do have a limited degree of effectiveness, I believe that social media advertising campaigns can better attract the younger generation. As society progresses, more and more younger people have access to the internet and are becoming addicted to it. They might not browse through or read about organ donation around the world. Furthermore, they might not even step out of their house and take notice of such roadshows. Ignorance amongst the younger generation can lead to lesser awareness towards such situations. Therefore, using social media to spread and promote awareness on organ donation is effective. When youngsters browse through the internet, they might chance upon videos or posts talking about such a topic. However, such videos or posts may seem unattractive and repetitive, and the individual will just scroll past the post. Therefore, humour and jokes should be added to lighten and make the video more colourful. This can attract the attention of younger audiences and help spread the message. An example of such posts is the “uscspeakyourmindchallenge”. This challenge requires people to pour water over their heads and nominate their friends to do the same. While this act may seem foolish, the message is brilliant. The main purpose of this challenge was to help spread awareness on mental health issues amongst youths. The challenge garnered tremendous results, and social media has seen more posts about mental health because of this trend. Similarly, posts requiring people to engage in fun challenges while sharing an important message about organ donation can be encouraged and promoted. More individuals will then become aware of the need for organ donation, which may spur them to sign up as organ donors themselves. 

Finally, a movie can be created about the sad and damning truth of the organ donation crisis in the world. Movies are a great way to emotionally connect and engage with the viewers, to get them to relate to the issue hidden throughout the film. It is about hitting the viewers in the right spot to really make them ponder about their own actions and how it affects other people. By getting more people to be emotionally impacted by the film, we will be able to invoke a greater sense of empathy and compassion for the patients who are suffering from organ failure. As the saying goes, “To feel intensely is not a symptom of weakness, it is the trademark of the truly alive and compassionate.” To feel empowered to become an organ donor or an advocate for organ donation is only human. One example is the movie titled, “How To Make Millions Before Grandma Dies”. It tells an emotional and sombre tale of a university dropout, low on money, who volunteers to take care of his terminally ill grandmother in the hope of pocketing an inheritance. The story underscores the necessity of planning for the future. Whether it's through setting up trusts, writing wills, or discussing end-of-life care, proactive planning ensures that a family's legacy is preserved and respected. Akin to this ideology, a film about the lack of organ donors in the world creating trauma and suffering in the patient universe can be told. This will, in the same way, moves viewers profoundly while increasing awareness on organ donation. 

In light of the growing need for organ donors, it is increasingly important to explore which methods are most effective in raising public awareness. Roadshows in heartland areas certainly have their merits — they offer opportunities for face-to-face interaction, tangible experiences, and community engagement. However, as society becomes more digitally inclined, especially among the younger generation, it is reasonable to question whether such traditional methods can keep pace with changing times. Social media campaigns and emotionally engaging films present promising alternatives. These modern approaches have the potential to reach wider audiences, spark meaningful conversations, and invoke a deeper sense of empathy. While some may argue that humour or entertainment risk trivialising the issue, when done thoughtfully, these tools can transform public engagement from passive observation into active participation. Ultimately, raising awareness about organ donation should not be limited to one method. Instead, it should be a multifaceted approach — one that respects tradition while embracing innovation. By combining the emotional resonance of storytelling with the expansive reach of digital media, we may stand a better chance of turning awareness into action, and compassion into life-saving decisions.

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