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Yuhua Secondary School

Yuhua Changemakers (ALP)

Discover how YHSS's Applied Learning Programme uses Design Thinking to shape students into Yuhua Changemakers who contribute meaningfully to their community and beyond.

Last updated on 23 October 2026

Yuhua Change Makers: Applied Learning Programme

At Yuhua Secondary School, we are committed to nurturing students who Care, Connect, and Contribute. Our Applied Learning Programme (ALP), "Yuhua Changemakers", focuses on Design Thinking to develop 21st Century Competencies (21CCs) and create holistic learners ready to tackle future challenges. We aim to cultivate innovative mindsets and analytical thinking skills in our students, preparing them to make meaningful contributions to society.

Our Commitment

Through the Yuhua ALP, we strive to develop students who:

  • Have a heart of empathy

  • Connect knowledge and insights across disciplines

  • Ideate and act on innovative solutions

By focusing on Design Thinking and nurturing these competencies, we aim to prepare our students to be responsible citizens who can make meaningful contributions to Singapore and the world.

Our Approach: The Design Thinking Process

Through the course of the programme, students learn and apply the five stages of Design Thinking:

Five-step design thinking cycle: Empathise, Define, Ideate, Prototype, and Test, shown with icons and arrows.

The Design Thinking process is selected as the main applied foci in our ALP as it forefronts empathy, developing the “Heart” of our students as we nurture ‘Care, Connect, Contribute’ through the school values of Above All, CARE3. It also challenges our students to put on inter-disciplinary lenses when exploring different problems to construct a more comprehensive understanding of issues at hand. Finally, it enables our students to generate more feasible solutions to the problems of an increasingly complex world.

Programme Structure

Tier 1: All Students

Each cohort (Sec 1 – Sec 4/5) focuses on specific areas aligned with Singapore's major growth sectors:

Three circular icons with labels: Secondary 1 Environmental Sustainability, Secondary 2 Social Innovations, Secondary 3-5 Design for the Future, grouped as Tier 1.

Secondary 1: Environmental Sustainability in School

Using environmental sustainability as a core focus area, students will learn the 5 stages of the DT Process and employ DT towards innovative solutions for greater sustainability and green awareness in school.

Students in red shirts and a teacher in black sit clapping in a school hall with more students standing behind.

Secondary 2: Social Innovations in Community

At Secondary 2, students will be embarking on a journey into Design Thinking for Social Innovations to the community around school. Partnering with local stakeholders, students will be exposed to more complex social issues that we face in our neighbouring community and engage them in using the DT process to care-connect-contribute towards better outcomes for social good.

Students in school uniforms present an "Anger Free" project poster to a teacher in a school library.

Secondary 3-5: Design for the Future

At Upper Secondary, students are now more ready to initiate their own DT projects and make a difference to a core issue that is close to their hearts. Working in alignment with the Social Studies curriculum, students will take responsibility to champion for different projects of their passion, with an encouragement to consider DT projects that may fall within Green, Care and Digital growth areas.

Students in red and green uniforms present project boards to seated peers in a school hall with blue bleachers.

Design Thinking Festival

The Tier 1 ALP across all cohorts culminates in a Design Thinking Festival held annually in the last week of Term 4, where students will present their projects to different members of the school.

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Tier 2: Targeted Student Groups

At Tier 2 ALP, students will further deepen their development of 21CCs and to grow DT skills at the forefront. We aim for our Tier 2 students to be role models who can truly embody the spirit of Yuhua Changemakers in the school and the community.

The Tier 2 programmes are divided into 2 main strands:

  1. Exemplary Leadership Strand: Developing servant leadership skills

  2. DT Innovations Strand: Creating innovative solutions for school and community


Tier 2 diagram showing two strands: DT Innovations for school solutions and Exemplary Leadership for servant skills.

Tier 2 students will also attend the annual Yuhua Changemakers Summit and have opportunities for real-world experiences through volunteering, job shadowing, and internships.

 Programme Key Features

  • Integration with Student-Initiated Learning (SIL) and Values-in-Action (VIA) programmes

  • Interdisciplinary approach

  • Annual Design Thinking Festival

  • Yuhua Changemakers Summit for Tier 2 students

  • Opportunities for external attachments and internships

 Partnerships

We collaborate with various organisations to provide authentic learning experiences:

  • Singapore Design Council

  • Bold@Work

  • School of X

  • Green Collab @ SG

  • Southwest CDC

  • Jurong Spring grassroots

  • Tasek Jurong

  • Promisedland Community Services

  • SGCares

  • St. Joseph's Home

  • Loving Heart Jurong

  • Food Citizen Pte Ltd

  • Centre for Community Wellbeing

  • SG Cares Volunteer Centre @ Jurong East

  • Kampung Senang

  • Loving Hearts Aging Centre