Happiness Initiative’s Well-Being Circles to conclude after 5 years

The five-year mental wellness programme, Well-Being Circles, run by Singapore-based social enterprise Happiness Initiative, will conclude after reaching over 1,000 participants aged 18 to 80. The initiative, which involved small groups of strangers sharing personal experiences and discussing practical ways to improve mental well-being, has been running for nearly a decade.

Co-founder Sherman Ho revealed that participants nowadays find it more difficult to commit to the eight-week programme, leading to the decision to end the initiative in November. The final batch of 84 participants, ranging from ages 18 to 80, will undergo the programme before its end. The initiative's success in smaller, more intimate settings during the pandemic prompted the organisers to rethink the programme's structure.

Ho believes that participants need intimate settings to fully grasp the concepts and skills taught, as they are unique and valuable individuals with personal experiences to share. The programme, which shifted online due to the pandemic, has emphasized teaching skills participants can apply in their own lives. Despite the closure of Well-Being Circles, Happiness Initiative will continue to run other well-being programmes for schools and workplaces.