Harnessing Play to Transform Communities
Yvonne Siow is a community developer, placemaker, and changemaker. She has reframed her restlessness and constant motion as a source of creativity, energy, and social impact. Today, she co-founds social movements like PlayPan, collaborates across sectors to uplift communities, and works with individuals and corporations to reimagine philanthropy and create human-centered impact stories.
Quotes
“Movement and flexibility are key. Instead of forcing myself into stillness, I embrace action as a way of sustaining focus and energy.”
“Once ADHD folks learn how to harness this superpower, we can tap into the creativity that is mostly inherent — becoming the ones who bring innovative ideas and fresh perspectives”
Early Awareness
For me, ADHD is an impetus and catalyst to spring into action. I am aware of it when I notice I cannot sit still. Either my mind or my body needs to be in constant motion.
It was only in the last 10 years, with greater awareness about ADHD, that I began to identify with the symptoms and give a name to what I had been experiencing. Putting a label to it gave me a language to explain why I needed movement, stimulation, and variety in my daily life.
Challenges and Turning Points
The key challenges were in school. We were expected to sit absolutely still, which was impossible for me. Teachers were not equipped to deal with ADHD students then. We were either punished with extra work or banished to stand outside the classroom.
The turning point came later in my career, when I held a senior role and began to leverage my ADHD traits to generate creative solutions. What once felt like a weakness became a strength. Once ADHD folks learn how to harness this superpower, we can tap into the creativity that is mostly inherent — becoming the ones who bring innovative ideas and fresh perspectives.
Strategies That Help
I perform at my best by working with my natural rhythm. I allow myself to do intense focus work in short spurts, knowing that sustained focus over long periods does not work for me. After that, I move around, even shifting my furniture or décor, to reset.
Movement and flexibility are key. Instead of forcing myself into stillness, I embrace action as a way of sustaining focus and energy.
Achievements and Strengths
I am most proud of co-founding a social movement called PlayPan with my best friend Gary Hong, another ADHDer. PlayPan harnesses PLAY to make a difference and create positive impact. Metaphorically, it is a pan or melting pot to bring diverse stakeholders and communities together. By doing so, we build trust, solutions emerge, and co-creation becomes easy and efficient.
This project was born out of my disillusionment with how social impact and philanthropy often relied heavily on volunteers and donations. With PlayPan, I wanted to reimagine giving, bringing communities together in playful, collaborative ways to co-create solutions.
Our Peace Centre placemaking project surfaced many human impact stories and showed us that the market and society are ready for a different way of giving back. That momentum led to Glass Dome, our latest initiative. an impact hub designed for social change.
Previously, I headed the EssilorLuxottica Foundation for ASEAN. Quitting my corporate job last year to focus on these passion projects was heart-wrenching and difficult, but necessary. Leaving a high-ranking position in the world’s largest optical group allowed me to dedicate myself fully to building a purposeful life.
Gary’s encouragement to “go big or go home” pushed me forward. I have learned to harness my ADHD traits to help me get ahead, and for that I am extremely thankful.
Where I Am Today
I am living the best version of myself on a daily basis. My placemaking work keeps me fulfilled, and every day I work with individuals and corporations to build more human impact stories.
I continue to travel overseas — to Denmark, Australia and beyond — to study how other countries approach social impact and philanthropy. Learning from the best, I hope to adapt these insights into a uniquely Singapore framework that uplifts and empowers communities.
Looking ahead, I remain committed to building spaces where people feel empowered to contribute. By combining creativity with play, I hope to spark movements that show giving can be joyful, collaborative, and transformative.
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