he arts is an influential tool. The different forms — theatre, dance, music and poetry — each reveal various facets of human creativity. While each is appreciated for its different artistic expression, the arts is also a powerful tool to connect and do good.

In this issue, we FOCUS on how the power of the arts connects communities across diverse cultures to promote cross-cultural understanding, forge friendships and enable meaningful collaborations to champion worthwhile causes for positive change.

We look at how Singapore artists and social enterprises use the arts to address social issues and uplift lives.

Read about the abiding friendship between Tan Kheng Hua and Joe Sidek, ‘father’ of George Town Festival, who partnered to celebrate Singapore and Penang’s shared multi-cultural heritage at this year’s SIN-PEN Colony, a pop-up festival-within-a-festival.

Celebrity musicians Jeremy Monteiro, Dick Lee and Ramli Sarip have not only energised the local music scene, they also introduced Singapore sounds to foreign audiences. Singapore Idol 2004 winner, Taufik Batisah has cut albums in English and Malay, reflecting this nation’s rich multi-cultural heritage.

Meanwhile, Eunice Olsen, former Miss Singapore- Universe 2000 and the 2008 recipient of the ASEAN Youth Award, continues to make a social impact following her successful campaigns to educate women in Cambodia on feminine hygiene and cervical cancer.

On the business of doing good, underprivileged women and youth-at-risk undergo training to be Southeast Asia’s best baristas at Bettr Barista Coffee Academy.

I hope the stories in this issue will inspire us to take a new look at good business, the arts and the role they play in empowering people.

Enjoy the read and be inspired this season. Wishing you a 2015 filled with peace and goodwill.

The Singapore International Foundation (SIF) brings world communities together to do good. We do it in many ways, from sending teams of Singapore volunteers into developing communities to share relevant skills, to organising exchange programmes to build greater cultural understanding amongst diverse communities. This means sharing ideas, skills and experiences, and in the process, building relationships between Singaporeans and the world and harnessing these friendships to make a positive difference.

SINGAPORE, a quarterly publication of SIF, is one of the ways we help build a better understanding of our country with the international community. Here is where we share stories, anecdotes and insights about the heart and soul of our country and its people, and turn the spotlight on a Singapore that is not immediately evident.