About
Every youth deserves a second chance at education.
Before Starfish Singapore was founded in 2015, school dropouts in Singapore had limited options to continue with their education. Returning to education meant costly private schools, with fees upwards of $5,000. It was also assumed that those who dropped out simply weren’t “meant for academics”. Short-term vocational courses were often their only path forward.
A ground-up initiative started by a multiracial trio (Siti, Andy and Ritu), Starfish Singapore set out to provide N(T)-level academic coaching in English, Math, and Science, at no cost. What began with just three students has now expanded to a thriving cohort of 60 students in 2025.
To date, Starfish Singapore has empowered over 350 out-of-school youth. Our flagship programme opens doors for them to pursue further education and/or secure better-paying jobs. Our classroom isn’t just about academics; it’s a supportive community that offers a safe space for these young individuals to connect with peers who are also navigating their own unique journeys.
The youth we support share multi-faceted challenges: low-income households, family complications, involvement in criminal activity, mental health struggles and/or young parenthood. Despite the various labels pinned on them by society, they have goals and aspirations like every other youth.
Hear from our alumni!
Be part of our journey in 2026
Project Starfish comes at no cost for our students. It is a 9-month programme, with weekly tuition classes every Monday at the Tzu Chi Humanistic Youth Centre. Students also benefit from consultations outside of regular class time. Since 2015, our entire teaching operation has been run by dedicated volunteers.
Your donations will power over 400 hours of student engagement in 2026, covering essential activities like academic coaching, programme coordination, lesson planning, and crucial follow-ups with students, parents and social workers. Every dollar you donate will directly benefit our cohort of 60 out-of-school youth next year.
This is how the funds raised will be used
We have a goal of raising $10,000. Your donations are critical for us to sustain our impact.
Straits Times Feature (May 2025)
“Starfish gave me the only hope to fix my life and succeed….I would never have got to where I am now without Starfish.” – Nur Syafizan, alumni and now volunteer at Starfish, featured on Straits Times.
Donations
Thank you for giving out-of-school youth a chance to dream again. Your contribution will definitely make a difference and we will keep you posted on the progress of the 2026 batch.
As a token of our heartfelt appreciation, donors contributing $100 or more will receive a special gift. For those who generously donate $500 or more, we’ll be sending you an additional personalised gift! All gifts will be delivered as an end-of-year surprise, and we’ll reach out beforehand to confirm your details.
Sincerely, Starfish Team
FAQ
Over the last decade, we have developed a mailing list of social workers, school welfare officers, probation officers, who will receive an email about our admissions opening in October. They will then refer their youth clients to us. We also get applications through word-of-mouth i.e. our students/alumni sharing with their networks.
For any further enquiries, do write to us at hello@starfishsingapore.org.
We regularly update our socials! Particularly Instagram and LinkedIn. Follow us for more information on our day-to-day! You can also view our latest annual report: https://tinyurl.com/StarfishAnnualReport2024.
Donations are currently non tax-deductible. Starfish Singapore is working towards achieving charity status.