HOL in May: Building Community as Introverts
May was fun and tiring for us! We got to meet loads of you during our meet up and pitch HOL to the public during Vesak!
Greetings Sponsors, Writers, Readers, and Supporters,
We hope your 1st half of the year was meaningfully filled!
May’s Community Get-Together
It fills us with great joy to reflect on the recent May’s community event we organised which saw more than 40 of you coming down to say hi!
It was refreshing to see subscribers on our Telegram & Instagram in real life!
We covered why and how we started. In addition, we had mini breakout sessions that centred around crowdsourced topics on Work, Mental Well-being, and Relationships.
It was heartening to witness the energy and enthusiasm that filled the venue as we connected with one another, sharing ideas, and experiences, and forging new friendships.
The lively discussions and interactive sessions reminded us of the strength we possess when we come together with a common purpose. Check out the event’s reels here!
Vesak Day Booths
Additionally, we had the privilege of celebrating Vesak Day with the Singapore Buddhist Federation and Buddhist Fellowship.
Vesak is a significant occasion that holds deep spiritual meaning for many of us and we were happy to have a space to share about HOL!
Setting up booths at various events allowed us to engage with a broader audience and share the teachings and principles that guide our lives.
Interestingly, we had many fun interactions! This included some asking us ‘How much to join HOL?’ and also some people waving us off thinking we were selling insurance.
For a mainly introverted team, it was a gruelling but fun experience!
What you may have missed in May.
May was not short on saucy topics! We covered topics centred around marriage, porn, and sex!
From speaking to Venerable Damcho about Sex in Buddhism to talking about Interfaith marriage between a Christian and a Buddhist, it was a slew of exciting articles that we barely kept up with!
We also covered how we can help a friend who got laid off, and how Buddhism helped someone out of porn addiction.
Reflecting on May as we walk into July
May showed us that by nurturing these bonds and maintaining a strong sense of purpose, we can create lasting positive change within our community and the broader world around us.
These events serve as a constant reminder of the incredible potential we hold when we come together.
We express our deepest gratitude to each of you who participated and contributed to these memorable occasions.
Thanks for reading HOL & supporting our journey! If you wish to support us financially as we scale you may do so here!
With Joy,
Heng Xuan
Write for us on these topics (or any other stuff!)
For the upcoming months, we are looking at:
Topics around ghost month
Suicide prevention
Grief & Death
Halloween
Kathina Buddhist Festival
Check out the writer’s brief here or email us directly for any queries/submissions.
Wall of Gratitude
Tonight (community event), I saw many new faces I have never seen before in the Buddhist community. This shows how HOL is reaching out to many beyond the common circle of Buddhists. Thanks for organising this and giving me hope for the future generations of Buddhists. - A veteran volunteer in the Buddhist Community
HOL helped me through the hardest time when I was contemplating moving out of my parent’s home for my mental health. The podcast is a truly great resource! - A Gen Z reader