Ground-Up Initiative - Connecting People, Connecting Earth. Healing the Community

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About Us

Ground-Up Initiative (GUI) is a non-profit society, with a mission to connect people with Nature, Self & Others.

By creating a space to nurture connectedness, creativity & risk-taking, we aspire to build a 21st Century Kampung Culture that cultivates holistic solutions for a happier and more sustainable future.

Ground-Up Initiative (GUI) is a non-profit society, with a mission to connect people with Nature, Self & Others.

Kampung Chief, Tay Lai Hock

In loving memory, 1964 - 2018

Why was GUI created?

Singaporeans needed to be more daring and creative — a finding from the Remaking Singapore Committee in 2002.

Our late Kampung Chief, Tay Lai Hock, was 39 years old when he came across the news while backpacking around the world. It made him wonder: “How could creativity and risk-taking be nurtured when the very people who teach are risk averse, and when the environment does not allow these attributes to flourish?”

Lai Hock returned to Singapore, with a determination to do something about it. In 2008, his evolving answer to that recommendation took the form of Ground-Up Initiative (GUI).

Singaporeans needed to be more daring and creative — a finding from the Remaking Singapore Committee in 2002.

Lai Hock returned to Singapore, with a determination to do something about it. In 2008, his evolving answer to that recommendation took the form of Ground-Up Initiative (GUI).

Singaporeans needed to be more daring and creative — a finding from the Remaking Singapore Committee in 2002.

Lai Hock returned to Singapore, with a determination to do something about it. In 2008, his evolving answer to that recommendation took the form of Ground-Up Initiative (GUI).

Care, Initiate, Create

Ground-Up Initiative (GUI) nurtures environmentally conscious and socially responsible citizens through experiential education, community-building, and sustainable living practices. We empower individuals to care for the Earth and one another - cultivating a resilient, values-driven society ready to shape a better future

our mission

Care, Initiate, Create

our mission

Care, Initiate, Create

our vision

Connectedness

To build a sustainable and compassionate world where people, communities, and nature thrive in harmony.

our vision

Connectedness

To build a sustainable and compassionate world where people, communities, and nature thrive in harmony.

our vision

Connectedness

To build a sustainable and compassionate world where people, communities, and nature thrive in harmony.

our purpose

Creativity & Risk-Taking

To rekindle the human spirit by nurturing a deep connection with nature, self, and community – empowering people to live meaningfully, act responsibly, and co-create a sustainable future from the ground up.

our purpose

Creativity & Risk-Taking

our purpose

Creativity & Risk-Taking

Living the 5G Way – The Heartbeat of GUI

At GUI, we believe that real change begins with how we live and relate to one another. The 5G values aren’t just words – they are a way of being that shapes our culture, our relationships, and the world we want to build together.

Gracious

We honour each person’s journey. In a diverse world, we choose kindness, empathy, and the courage to listen with an open heart.

Green

Green is more than eco-practices - it’s a mindset of awareness, respect, and responsibility for all life and the earth we share.

Giving

We give not out of abundance, but out of love - our time, attention, care, and space to grow - knowing that giving strengthens community.

Grounded

We stay rooted in humility. We don’t just dream - we do, learning with our hands in the soil and our hearts in the right place.

Grateful

Gratitude keeps us joyful. By appreciating people, nature, and even challenges, we find deeper meaning in the everyday.

Meet the GUI Team

We’re an unusual bunch - different ages, different stories, sometimes even different ideas on how things should be done. But somehow, it works. What unites us is a shared belief : if we each work on being a better people, the world around us gets a little better too.

We listen, we learn, we laugh (a lot), and we find joy in growing - not just plants and skill sets, but also as a community that supports, challenges, and uplifts one another.

GUI Core Team

Bingyu

President

Mei

Chief Operating Officer

Khin Boon

Craft Lead

Lynn

HR Representative

Kwa

Sales Representative

Priscilla

Volunteer Manager

Gwen

Volunteer Manager

Mrs Tang

Farm Manager

Chin Hui

Farmer

Kho Khoon

Farmer

Luin

Farmer

Hui Fang

Retail

Uncle Lee

Touchwood Team

Yumei

Touchwood Team

Ray

Touchwood Team

Daniel

Touchwood Team

Be Part of the Solution

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Be Part of the Solution

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