National Day Sandbox Singapore 2025: Youth-Led Voices Take the Spotlight at First-Ever National Day Youth Conference

In a celebration of youth leadership and innovation, over 2,000 young changemakers gathered at *SCAPE The Ground Theatre for National Day Sandbox Singapore 2025, Singapore’s first-ever National Day Youth Conference. Organised by Invade with support from the National Youth Council (NYC), the one-day festival commemorated SG60 by empowering the next generation to lead, create, and shape the nation’s future.

A Milestone for Youth, A Moment for the Nation

Marking Invade’s 15th anniversary and Singapore’s 60th year of independence, the conference spotlighted 100 youth founders and changemakers across entrepreneurship, arts, social impact, and public service. Inspired by this year’s National Day Parade theme, “Majulah Singapura,” National Day Sandbox called on young Singaporeans to come together and lead with resilience, creativity, and purpose.

The event expanded on its 2022 pilot at Somerset, growing into a multi-zone experience with mentorship sessions, rapid-fire business pitches, interactive showcases, and a sunset celebration to remember.

Inspire to Empower – Voices of Leadership

The conference opened with a keynote by Ms Goh Hanyan, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth & Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment. She urged youth to lead with grit and grace, while influencer Darshen shared insights on authenticity and digital storytelling.

In a behind-the-scenes session titled “Behind National Day”, attendees got a rare glimpse into the making of NDP 2025, with speakers including:

• COL Edwin Chua (Chairman, NDP Show Committee)
• COL David Kwek (Chairman, Outreach and Heartland Celebrations)
• Mr Boo Junfeng (Creative Director, NDP 2025)

They unveiled the vision, symbolism, and effort behind the nation’s biggest celebration—extending the NDP spirit far beyond the Padang.

Be Part of the Conversation

From live advice sessions to startup exposure, interactive forums allowed youth to voice their ideas and challenges:

• The Hot Seat gave participants a stage to share personal or business hurdles, with mentors responding in real-time.
• SandPit, powered by e27, hosted rapid pitches that linked youth innovators with the wider Southeast Asian startup scene.

Discover, Connect and Create

A dynamic Exhibition Showcase featured youth-led ventures across food, fashion, sustainability, and tech—demonstrating how purpose-driven entrepreneurship can drive real change.

At the Media Corner, young voices took center stage through interviews and content creation, amplifying their stories to a national audience.

Sunset Celebration: Unity Through Music

The evening climaxed with a moving moment of unity as the crowd sang the National Anthem and recited the pledge. A birthday bash for Invade followed, complete with a lucky draw where winners walked away with prizes like an iPad 11 and Kindle.

Then came After Hours, a concert co-curated with Bandwagon, featuring:

• Shye – indie-electronic breakout star and Forbes 30 Under 30 honouree
• lewloh – heartfelt folk-pop singer-songwriter
• SuperSonic – beloved local cover band

A Call to Action

Powered by partnerships with the National Youth Council, *SCAPE, and the NDP 2025 Executive Organising Committee, the event signaled a united commitment to nurturing bold new voices.