30 Years of Inspiring Hope: From YGOS Youth to CRC Lead

As YGOS marks our 30th anniversary, we’re looking back at the people and stories that have shaped our journey over the years, including those who first came through our doors as young people themselves.

Today, Seng Hong leads YGOS’s Community Rehabilitation Centre (CRC), where he and his team work with first-time young offenders, supporting them through rehabilitation while helping them continue with school or work. It is a role that carries significant responsibility, and one that Seng Hong understands from a perspective few others can.

Twenty-six years ago, he was a youth who needed guidance himself.

When Seng Hong first walked into YGOS’s Drop-In Centre in 2000, he was in Secondary 3 and going through a difficult period in his life. He had joined a gang at 13, was arrested for rioting a year later, and by 15, was frequently skipping school. While he was still under police investigation, a change in leadership at his school led to him being referred to YGOS for counselling.

It was there that he met Wilson, a youth worker who would become an important part of his life. Seng Hong was guarded at first and wasn’t used to having an adult take a genuine interest in how he was doing.

“But over time, he earned my trust. I started to realise that I could trust this person, and maybe I didn’t have to keep living this way.”

His life did not immediately turn around after completing the programme. Seng Hong drifted away from YGOS and returned to his old ways, but Wilson continued checking in on him.

Then in 2007, Seng Hong attended a birthday celebration for a friend who had gone through the programme with him and unexpectedly ran into Wilson again. He remembers feeling ashamed about where he was in life and unsure of how Wilson would react. Instead, Wilson welcomed him without judgement and simply wanted to know how he was doing.

That encounter eventually brought Seng Hong back to YGOS. He started volunteering and, three months later, took on a six-month internship. What began as an opportunity to help out gradually became something he could see himself doing for the long term.

“Honestly, working here full-time was never something I had planned. But during the internship, I realised, actually, this is what I want to do.”

Seng Hong joined YGOS with an N-Level certificate and spent the next six years working full-time while pursuing his studies part-time, with the organisation supporting him along the way. Over the years, he grew from someone who had once needed the support of a youth worker into an experienced youth work professional entrusted with supporting young people through some of the most challenging periods of their lives.

Today, as the lead for YGOS’s Community Rehabilitation Centre, Seng Hong oversees work with young people who have come into conflict with the law. CRC provides a structured residential environment where first-time young offenders can undergo rehabilitation while continuing with school or employment, with the goal of helping them rebuild their lives and reintegrate into the community.

For Seng Hong, this work is deeply personal. He knows what it is like to be a teenager who has made mistakes, to feel uncertain about where life is heading, and to have someone continue believing in him even when change does not happen immediately.

“So for me, it really has come full circle. I was once one of the youths who needed someone to believe in me. Today, I get to be that person for someone else.”

As YGOS celebrates 30 years, Seng Hong’s story shows how that impact can carry forward. The support he once received helped shape the youth work leader he is today, and through his work, he now has the opportunity to do the same for others.