{"id":343972,"date":"2026-03-13T09:32:10","date_gmt":"2026-03-13T09:32:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/343972\/"},"modified":"2026-03-13T09:32:10","modified_gmt":"2026-03-13T09:32:10","slug":"from-consulting-to-teaching-aqua-fitness-our-singapore-fund-awardee-aims-for-sg-partnerships-fund","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/343972\/","title":{"rendered":"From consulting to teaching aqua fitness: Our Singapore Fund awardee aims for SG Partnerships Fund"},"content":{"rendered":"

SINGAPORE –\u00a0 In late 2019, Ms Yu Poh Leng\u2019s aspirations of teaching her newfound favourite sport aqua fitness, came to an unexpected halt when she was diagnosed with breast cancer.<\/p>\n

Following her recovery in 2020, she stepped into the role with renewed motivation, pursuing the sport in a purposeful way. <\/p>\n

After four years into teaching affluent seniors in private clubs like Chinese Swimming Club and Tanglin Club, the 60-year-old decided to expanded her reach to a different group of seniors.<\/p>\n

Upon turning 60 in 2025, Ms Yu wanted to celebrate the milestone with a project: to give 60 seniors free aqua fitness classes.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to reach out to the seniors in the heartland. My idea was if I can do a class that\u2019s free for them, they will come,\u201d said the ex-public relations consultant.<\/p>\n

However, as she faced difficulty securing venues and sponsors, she decided to seek support from the Singapore Government Partnerships Office (SGPO). SGPO serves as a first-stop for citizens and interest groups who want to work with the Government.<\/p>\n

With guidance from SGPO, Ms Yu successfully applied for the Our Singapore Fund (OSF). Through this support, her project received funding of about $5,500, primarily used to provide starter kits for participating seniors. These kits include swimsuits, towels, swim bags, and bottles of sunblock and shampoo.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The \u201860-for-60 aqua fitness project\u2019 is one of over 800 initiatives that have been awarded the OSF since its launch in 2016.\u00a0<\/p>\n

OSF was meant to partner citizens and turn their ideas for the community into reality, said Acting Minister David Neo during a Committee of Supply speech in Parliament on Mar 5.<\/p>\n

Addressing Parliament for Budget 2026 on Feb 12<\/a>, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong explained how the government has heard feedback on how OSF can be improved, including the need for larger grant amounts, longer funding horizons, and broader eligibility.<\/p>\n

As such, the government will be launching a new $50 million SG Partnerships Fund (SGPF)<\/a> to replace the OSF.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur ambition is to build a vibrant and thriving democracy of deeds, where more Singaporeans can contribute to build Singapore together,\u201d said SGPO\u2019s director Hasliza Ahmad.<\/p>\n

The new SGPF provides stronger support to citizen-led projects across all domains and sectors, from nascent ideas to longer-term initiatives with larger impact, she added.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to lower barriers and create more opportunities for Singaporeans like Ms Yu to step forward to contribute.\u201d<\/p>\n

The new fund introduces three tiers to support citizen-led projects at varying stages of growth.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Ms Yu Poh Leng coaching during her aqua fitness class at Delta Swimming Complex on March 10.<\/p>\n

ST PHOTO: JASEL POH<\/p>\n

The Seed tier \u2013 the lowest \u2013 enables quick activation of pilot or small-scale projects via a simplified application and approval process, said Ms Ahmad.<\/p>\n

It also provides up to $5,000 of funding to cover up to 100 per cent of supportable programme costs, over a maximum of a year\u2019s implementation.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the Sprout tier and Scale tier will nurture ideas that have already demonstrated success, to enhance their social impact, she added.<\/p>\n

The Sprout tier and Scale tier provide up to $50,000 and $1 million in funding respectively.<\/p>\n

Ms Yu has expressed interest in applying for the SGPF under the Seed tier. She plans to enhance her aqua fitness programme by introducing fitness goal-setting and assessments of seniors\u2019 fitness levels pre- and post-programme.<\/p>\n

She also noted that fitness data could serve as a great motivator for seniors, saying it allows them to share progress with friends, such as comparing muscle mass improvements after exercising<\/p>\n

Besides connecting Ms Yu with SportSG that provided venue sponsorship, SGPO also connected her with other partners to meet the project\u2019s varied needs.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I taught the seniors, I realised that they like to be photographed and videoed so that they can show their children,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

SGPO, along with the National Youth Council, engaged four volunteers from youth photography initiative, Project Obscura, to capture photos and videos at two sessions.<\/p>\n

Teaching seven classes from Tuesday to Friday, Ms Yu now works as a full-time aqua fitness instructor.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The \u201860-for-60 aqua fitness project\u2019 is one of over 800 initiatives that have been awarded the OSF since its launch in 2016.<\/p>\n

ST PHOTO: JASEL POH<\/p>\n

Having been keen on water water sports since her youth, Ms Yu was quick to enroll in aqua fitness classes after chancing upon it in early 2019. <\/p>\n

Just four months in, she realised her love for sport and aspired to become an instructor.<\/p>\n

However, this was when she received her early stage breast cancer diagnosis.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter I had breast cancer, I realised that life is really very short\u2026 and there\u2019s a finite time,\u201d she recalled.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, I wanted to do something different. I didn\u2019t want to go back to the corporate world to enrich my clients and to waste my time earning money. I thought, why don\u2019t I pursue my passion and teach exercise?\u201d<\/p>\n

She recognised the value of aqua fitness in providing seniors with a way to stay active without causing joint pain\u2014an issue she noticed often discouraged many from participating in traditional land-based exercises. <\/p>\n

Why not try it in a pool, where there\u2018s no impact but still enough resistance to work your muscles? You can have fun, stay active while learning a new sport, she recalled thinking.<\/p>\n

SGPO connected Ms Yu with Fei Yue Community Services\u2019 Active Ageing Centres to invite Fei Yue attendees to participate in her free aqua fitness lessons.<\/p>\n

Some seniors enjoyed the sessions so much that they later separately enrolled in Ms Yu\u2019s aqua fitness classes under ActiveSG.<\/p>\n

Among them is a pair of sisters, Ms Yew Poh Leng and Ms Yew Poh Yok.<\/p>\n

Ms Yew Poh Yok said she was on the lookout for physical activities to help her stay mobile.<\/p>\n

\u201cI went for those chair zumba classes, but I couldn\u2019t coordinate. Then I felt very dissatisfied and very demoralised,\u201d the 69-year-old recalled.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Sisters Yew Poh Leng (left) and Yew Poh Yok participating in an aqua fitness exercise at Delta Swimming Complex on March 10.<\/p>\n

ST PHOTO: JASEL POH<\/p>\n

Upon attending Ms Yu\u2019s aqua fitness class, she was delighted to discover what she had been searching for.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I came to aqua fitness classes and found that I could follow all the exercises easily, and that it makes me more mobile, I was very happy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ms Yew explained feeling lighter and able to move around easily since she started doing aqua fitness.<\/p>\n

For Ms Yew Poh Leng, who developed aquaphobia after falling into a drain as a child, Ms Yu\u2019s aqua fitness classes helped her enjoy being in water again.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The 68-year-old recalled when she got leg cramps mid-lesson, Ms Yu assigned a volunteer to watch over her, and encouraged her to participate as she was able to.<\/p>\n

She said she felt looked after and appreciated Ms Yu\u2019s attentiveness.<\/p>\n

Applications for the SGPF will open in April. Singaporeans can find out more about and apply at www.sgpo.gov.sg\/sgpf<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"SINGAPORE –\u00a0 In late 2019, Ms Yu Poh Leng\u2019s aspirations of teaching her newfound favourite sport aqua fitness,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":343973,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[499,103,61,60],"class_list":["post-343972","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fitness","tag-fitness","tag-health","tag-ie","tag-ireland"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/343972","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=343972"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/343972\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/343973"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=343972"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=343972"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=343972"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}