The Sustainability Youth Festival (TSYF) has all the makings of a youth dialogue, launching on 1 August 2025 at The Capitol Theatre and Capitol Outdoor Plaza, the festival promises to empower young people aged 13 to 35 to shape Singapore’s green future. From funding youth-led solutions through its TSYF Challenge to hosting conferences and speed-networking with sustainability leaders, TSYF sounds like the kind of platform we desperately need.
But as the climate conversation in Singapore evolves, so does the need for more accountability, as tagged to the market leaders, Paul Polman’s missions and green future, to amplify a climate equitable future, as he is known to have codify the mission “people, planet, and profit” on a UN stage. Is it enough to rally youths to “be the change” when those leading the charge are not prepared to bite a pill, and move to ask tough questions of themselves.
The gaps in the puzzle
TSYF’s theme—“The Sustainability Puzzle – Every Piece Matters”—invites youths to see how their contributions fit into a broader, interconnected effort. Some puzzle pieces seem conspicuously absent: a clear stance on ethical funding, a covet way not to legitimise certain industries, or a genuine interrogation of what sustainable leadership looks like in practice.
Consider EB Impact, the charity spearheading TSYF. The organisation champions youth empowerment and sustainability and if we’re teaching young changemakers to drive systemic shifts, shouldn’t we also model accountability in positive associations and what values we endorse.
And then there’s the larger backdrop of Singapore’s sustainability scene—where the lines between advocacy and corporate interests often blur. Take a well-known local sustainability advocate who once vocally criticised industries at large, alleging that they undermined climate progress, only to move to such ranks. It is a move that would certainly spark debate: can you sit at such tables, whilst not undermining, contradicting beliefs, without compromising the mission nor mincing your own words.
A challenge beyond the Challenge
TSYF’s work is invaluable. Youth pitching ideas, building networks, and exploring careers in the green sector is crucial. Sustainability requires more than ideas and branded events, the ability to discern inconvenient truths or the soft power of industries that some had vehemently claimed greenwash them, yet with palms outstretched for the advantages that flow from them.
If TSYF wants to be more than a festival, it must check its own house first. And if we want our youth to drive real change, we owe them more than feel-good platitudes. We owe them honesty about the messy, complex puzzle we are seeking for them to solve.
Image Credit: SG Eco Fund
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