Project Law Help holds PDPA workshop for youth-run groups

The Pro Bono Group’s Project Law Help (PLH) concluded its work for the Academic Year on Saturday, 11 March 2023. PLH students conducted an in-person presentation on the Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA) by sharing their yearlong project, “A Little Handbook”, with their beneficiaries on that day. Students had been working with beneficiaries virtually throughout the year, so the presentation on campus was the first time that project members were able to meet their beneficiaries in person.

PLH’s target audience is the Singapore Student Support Network (SSSN) – a coalition of nine youth-run, non-profit organisations (SGExams, ALittleChange, Glean, Skilio, backtogroundzero, Impart, Smarter Me, SG Psych Stuff, and Add One More), led by SGExams.

For the past six months, members of PLH have been working on “A Little Handbook”—an initiative aimed at explaining the essentials of the Personal Data Protection Act to youth-run non-profit organisations. This area of law was selected by the beneficiaries because it is extremely relevant to their day-to-day administration and operations.

During the presentation, a total of twelve individuals representing the SSSN listened to project members elaborate on different sections of the Little Handbook. The beneficiaries were apprised of topics such as: “When and How Do I Collect Personal Data?” and “What Do I Do in the Event of a Data Breach?”. After the presentation, beneficiaries posed questions and had a discussion with PLH members.

A statement from one of their beneficiaries, David, from ALittleChange, reads:

“I found the session very informative and helpful, and I appreciate the hard work that went into the session by Harold, Sophia, and the rest of the team! We will try our best to implement the policies which have been suggested, in order to comply with the PDPA. This will allow us to focus on serving our beneficiaries.”

PLH and its members are glad to have been given the opportunity to use their legal knowledge, and as well newly acquired skills of simplifying technical legal information gained in the project, to promote access to justice and give back to the community.

PLH’s Project Directors, Harold and Sophia, would like to thank their members for their dedication and hard work in making the project a successful one. They would also like to thank Project Supervisor, Associate Professor Helena Whalen-Bridge, for her support and advice. Finally, they would also like to thank their beneficiaries from SSSN, for their input and the trust they have given PLH.