A Word From Our Founder:
Hello, it's Shan!
If you told younger me — the girl who was content spending her afternoon with nothing but a notebook and pen — that she would be able to spread her passion with the world, she would have nodded very seriously... and then asked if she could design the logo!
I started TheWriteChance because writing quite literally changed my life. Writing gave me a voice before I fully understood what I wanted to say. And most importantly, it made me realise that imagination is not an escape from reality, but a way to reshape it.
I used to joke that I could literally design a whole world with just a paper and pen. But now I really do believe it. As a writer, I drew inspiration from the world around me, as my pieces began to delve deep into the much more intricate layers of society. I wrote about the social issues I saw, and shared these pieces with those around me. Slowly, my stories began to spark small ripples of change. Recycling drives across the community, and friends stepping up to volunteer. Writing is certainly a powerful tool for education. More importantly, it functions as a catalyst for change.
What started as a small initiative has since grown into something far beyond what I could have imagined. We’ve mentored students across schools and communities in Singapore, supported rental-flat neighbourhood programmes, launched book drives, built a publishing arm, and expanded our literacy curriculum internationally. I’ve had the privilege of standing in classrooms in Cambodia, watching students light up when they realise they can tell stories in a language they’re still learning. Those moments never get old.
Looking ahead, my vision is bold and simple:
I want TheWriteChance to become a platform where youth voices don’t just participate in conversations — they shape them. I hope we continue expanding across borders, publishing more young writers, and building an ecosystem where literacy becomes empowerment, not a privilege.
And none of this — absolutely none — would have been possible without the people who walked this journey with me.
To our earliest team members: thank you for believing in an idea that was, at the time, powered mostly by sheer optimism and Google Docs. Even if you’re no longer on the team today, you are permanently woven into our foundation.
To our current members: thank you for being the heart of this organisation. Your patience, creativity, and relentless belief in our mission are what keep this work alive. You turn plans into programmes, drafts into books, and ideas into impact.
TheWriteChance has never been about one founder. It has always been about a collective belief — that words shape worlds.
With lots of love,
Shan
