Diversity by Default
A conversational card game that intersects various forms of diversity while making dialogue more accessible
We help organisations
bridge social sustainability
with interfaith, interracial,
and intercultural diversity.
We help organisations bridge social sustainability
with intercultural, interracial, and interfaith diversity.
WHAT WE MAKE
We develop award-winning
DEI products and programmes
that nurture social cohesion.
WHAT WE OFFER
We consult on community-driven
and sustainable ESG projects
that contribute to social harmony.
WHO WE HELP
We support corporate organisations, government agencies,
educational institutions, and faith-based communities
seeking harmony amidst interpersonal diversity.
We support corporate organisations, government agencies, educational institutions, and faith-based communities
seeking harmony amidst interpersonal diversity.
WHO WE ARE
We are a Singapore-based
social enterprise and consultancy
with expertise developing practical community-building interventions
around issues of diversity and social cohesion.
We are a Singapore-based social enterprise and consultancy
with expertise developing practical community-building interventions
around issues of diversity and social cohesion.
WHY ENGAGE US
NATIONAL PUBLIC CREDIBILITY
ICCS2022 Industry Recognition
Our sensitive work in Singapore has been formally recognised
at the prestigious International Conference for Cohesive Societies,
with some of our projects honoured with public accolades by
leading government officials at the industry-wide gathering.
Our sensitive work in Singapore
has been formally recognised at the prestigious International Conference for Cohesive Societies, with some of our projects honoured with public accolades by leading government officials at the industry-wide gathering.
President Halimah Yacob opening the ICCS conference with praise for Basil Kannangara, founder of Being Bridges, and Nicholas Pang, creator of the award-winning Smol Tok conversation cards, for our collaborative project designing Diversity By Default, a card game for social cohesion.
MCCY Minister Edwin Tong commending Being Bridges founder, Basil Kannangara, at the ICCS closing address for our innovative interfaith VR tours project, Being Guests, which was awarded the top prize at the international 'Mission: Unite' hackathon for social cohesion.
CONTENT MATTER EXPERTISE
Global Interdisciplinary Specialisation
Diversity is a wide field especially when it comes to race, religion, and nationality.
We are certified with formal training from renowned secular and religious institutions,
mentored by leading global experts in multiculturalism and community development.
Leveraging research from the fields of anthropology, psychology, and philosophy,
we are used to troubleshooting and customizing strategic projects and programmes
around concerns of culture-based, ethnicity-based, and faith-based diversity.
Diversity is a wide field especially when it comes to race, religions, and nationality.
We are certified with formal training from renowned secular and religious institutions, mentored by leading global experts in multiculturalism and community development.
Leveraging research from the fields of anthropology, psychology, and philosophy, we are used to troubleshooting and customizing strategic projects and programmes around concerns of culture-based, ethnicity-based, and faith-based diversity.
CONTEXT-SPECIFIC RELEVANCE
Practical On-the-Ground Experience
With over a decade of hands-on experience building up the space of
diversity and dialogue in different parts of the world, we understand the need
to engage at different levels for different segments of the community.
Our ground-up work advancing the international goals of social harmony
chartered by the UN enables us to adopt what works from other cultural contexts
and adapt them aptly in ways that are beneficial to specific local contexts.
With over a decade of hands-on experience building up the space of diversity and dialogue in different parts of the world, we understand the need to engage at different levels for different segments of the community.
Our ground-up work advancing the international goals of social harmony chartered by the UN enables us to adopt what works from other cultural contexts and adapt them aptly in ways that are beneficial to specific local contexts.
HOW WE HELP
We consult on diversity-related projects for the social sustainability aspect of ESG goals, running both long-term large-scale initiatives as well as short-term ad hoc engagements for clients and community partners. We also offer specially curated customisations of our main projects for short-term programmes configured to the needs of your organisation.
3 WAYS TO ENGAGE US
We create products
that tweak the dialogue of diversity for the specific needs of a particular community, whether it’s widening the dialogue, simplifying it, or deepening it.
We conduct programmes
that facilitate conversations around diversity, supporting the dialogue with tools and training that enable communities and individuals to do the same, whether they're from the government, corporate, educational, or religious landscapes.
We customize processes
that cater to the local contexts of particular communities, building up their capacity for dynamic versatility and resilience, whether it’s interfaith, interracial, or intercultural diversity.
HOW PARTICIPANTS FEEL
We interact with many people in the course of our work - participants, volunteers, and clients. Who are they and what do they say about their experience of our products and programmes?
I think it has the potential to break boundaries of what is deemed sensitive. Many shy away from issues that really matter/should matter to us because they're worried of bringing up 'sensitive', difficult topics. This should never be the case.”
~ Christine May Yong, participant for Diversity by Default (DBD) gameplay dialogue session
This volunteering activity got me interested in the different houses of worship - some I may not even know before! I think it's helped me want to spread the awareness [of religious diversity].”
~ Mathilda Choo, Youth Network (YN) volunteer for Being Guests at Racial Harmony Day (RHD) festival
We were looking for a speaker to share about How To Enact Change, and Basil [from Being Bridges] really went above and beyond. Pulling in a range of examples from his experience in diversity dialogues and beyond, his sharing was clear, relevant, and convincing.
He was warm and friendly towards our students, creating a conducive environment for them to buzz and ask questions as well. The response for the event was great, and we’re definitely looking forward to working with Basil again!”
~ Rachel Wong, NUS High School Senior Council President, Organising Committee, Student Leadership Summit
HOW WE APPROACH
This is complex, sensitive, and very hard work. How do we approach or even touch these important issues in our multicultural society? We offer unique angles for the work of diversity and community building. Get in touch with us to hear more!
Doing diversity and dialogue differently.
Diversity is not a fault - it's our default. It's not our end point, but our starting point. So then dialogue isn't the solution - it's the organic consequence of our natural human foundation.
Building bridges for being bridges.
We make tools that are not ends in themselves, as they in turn make us. The external bridges we build serve a purpose - so that internally we may be bridges; and serve our purpose.
Connecting communities through the catalyst of their own conversations.
We curate conversations that are contextualised to the lived realities of each community that works with us. Every community has a distinct context, so our engagements are never identical as our conversations are always collaborative. Crafted by communities themselves, this approach has deep potential for connecting with participants and catalysing them for the greater good.