2 May 2025
Dear Freshmen
SMU CORE CURRICULUM: COMMUNITY SERVICE PROGRAMME
Welcome to SMU and greetings from the Centre for Social Responsibility (C4SR)! Our heartiest congratulations on your acceptance to SMU!
Community Service Graduation Requirement
Community Service has been an integral part of SMU’s DNA since our university’s inception in 2000 and is a graduation requirement under the Communities pillar of the SMU Core Curriculum. Every student is required to complete a minimum of 80 hours in community service.
• Students (except Bachelor of Laws) will be awarded 1 course unit (1 CU) upon successful completion.
• Bachelor of Laws students must complete this graduation requirement, but it is non-credit bearing.
Getting Started
Before you embark on your community service efforts, you must complete five mandatory online units on SMU’s eLearn portal (https://elearn.smu.edu.sg):
✅ Reflective Practice Unit (RPU): Develop skills for deeper, more meaningful reflection.
✅Four Community Service Units (CSUs): Learn key service concepts - service learning, needs analysis, asset mapping, and sustainability. These units will help you better understand and apply your learning so as to provide more impactful and sustainable service to the community.
These units must be completed within your first academic year. Access will be available from 3 June 2025. We encourage you to complete them early so that you can apply for your community service projects without delay. If you encounter access issues, please email elearn@smu.edu.sg for assistance.
Please ensure that you seek the University’s approval via OnTRAC before starting any Community Service Project. For more information on the CS procedures and guidelines, refer to the e-Guidebook available on eLearn together with the CSUs. Do note that backdating of service hours is not allowed.
Finding a Community Service Project
To get you started, C4SR has curated exclusive projects led by your seniors.
📌 Choose ONE project and sign up via the webform links by 31 July 2025:
• Inspirar – https://smu.sg/Inspirar2025
• Kidleidoscope – https://smu.sg/Kscope2025
• starringSMU – https://smu.sg/starringSMU_2025
Beyond these projects, you can also
• join other projects organised throughout the year by your seniors.
• volunteer individually with a registered non-profit/community organisation, social service agency, or social enterprise near your home.
Complete Your Community Service Early!
We urge you to complete your community service within your first two years. Many non-profits cannot accommodate last-minute volunteers, as they prefer volunteers who are engaged over a longer period to create meaningful impact. Securing a project late may also be challenging due to limited availability and may result in delays to your graduation. Plan ahead and start early!
For a quick overview of the Community Service procedure, please visit https://smu.sharepoint.com/sites/oasis/SitePages/C4SR/Community-Service-and-You.aspx.
If you have any other enquiries, please email to commsvcs@smu.edu.sg.
Best Wishes
Devi (Ms)
Head, Centre for Social Responsibility (C4SR)
Singapore Management University
Inspirar 2025
Established in 2008, Inspirar is a student-led Community Service Project (CSP) with the objective of promoting intergenerational bonding to bridge the gap between the youth and the elderly. The programme also aims to promote active ageing and to encourage elderly to adopt a healthy lifestyle in today's greying society.
Join us if you are passionate about this social cause and keen to explore creative ways to promote active ageing and encourage more elderly to adopt a healthier lifestyle.
Required Commitment:
- Your project leaders will curate a series of training workshops to help you familiarise with the social cause and to know more about the beneficiaries that you will be serving. It is compulsory for you to attend all the training workshops held throughout the duration of the project. More details will be shared closer to the date.
- You are also required to attend at least 15 beneficiaries’ engagement sessions which will be held between August to December 2025/ January 2026.
How to Sign-Up:
Get ready for a meaningful community service journey from August to December 2025/ January 2026. For more information, please visit Inspirar’s Instagram page or contact the following Project HR Directors:
• Joshua Cher (joshua.cher.2024@computing.smu.edu.sg)
• Natalie Yeow (natalieyeow.2024@socsc.smu.edu.sg)
Kidleidoscope 2025
Kidleidoscope is a local SMU Community Service Project (CSP) that aims to inspire children from less privileged backgrounds to pursue their dreams and to provide opportunities for the children to maximise their potential by tapping on their creativity.
Join us if you are passionate about this social cause, have boundless energy and patience to engage the children and keen to organise activities to bring these children closer to their dreams.
Required Commitment:
- Your project leaders will curate a series of training workshops to help you familiarise with the social cause and to know more about the beneficiaries that you will be serving. It is compulsory for you to attend all the training workshops held throughout the duration of the project. More details will be shared closer to the date.
- You are also required to attend at least 15 beneficiaries’ engagement sessions which will be held between August to December 2025/ January 2026.
How to Sign-Up:
Get ready for a meaningful community service journey from August to December 2025/ January 2026. For more information, please visit Kidleidoscope’s Instagram page or contact the following Project HR Directors:
• Tan Geok Jia (geokjia.tan.2024@computing.smu.edu.sg)
• Shyann Tan (shyann.tan.2024@business.smu.edu.sg)
• Xavier Ou (xavier.ou.2024@computing.smu.edu.sg)
starringSMU 2025
Established in 2007, starringSMU is the longest-running student-led community service project (CSP) in SMU. starringSMU aims to raise awareness and support efforts to improve the quality of life of persons with disabilities.
Join us if you are passionate about this social cause and interested to be a champion for persons with disabilities. Be part of the ecosystem to support persons with disabilities and explore how you can use your talents to empower and enable persons with disabilities to be appreciated, respected and live with dignity in the community.
Required Commitment:
- Your project leaders will curate a series of training workshops to help you familiarise with the social cause and to know more about the beneficiaries that you will be serving. It is compulsory for you to attend all the training workshops held throughout the duration of the project. More details will be shared closer to the date.
- You are also required to attend at least 15 beneficiaries’ engagement sessions which will be held between August to December 2025/ January 2026.
How to Sign-Up:
Get ready for a meaningful community service journey from August to December 2025/ January 2026. For more information, please visit starringSMU’s Instagram page or contact the following Project HR Directors:
• Darren Loh (darren.loh.2024@business.smu.edu.sg)
• Qiu Yingfei (yingfei.qiu.2024@computing.smu.edu.sg)
• Wai Hoi (Hoi.wai.2024@computing.smu.edu.sg)
