“The support from the Shared Gifting Circle gave us the wings to create impact at a level I could only have dreamed of then,” said Asher Low, founder and Executive Director of Limitless, a non-profit organisation for youth empowerment.

The organisation was in its infancy when it received funding from the Tote Board Shared Gifting Circle for Children and Youth Mental Health in 2019, to conduct school-based mental health awareness programmes. “That was a time when young people were still unaware about mental health. Building awareness and encouraging help-seeking behaviour was a necessity,” said Asher.

The Shared Gifting Circle was a novel participatory grantmaking approach where grant partners were empowered to make funding decisions to spur collaboration and innovation based on collective groundup needs.

Asher’s project was named “It’s OK to be not OK”, which is also his personal core belief. Over three years, Limitless conducted school outreach activities such as assembly talks, exhibitions and training of mental health ambassadors.

“The Shared Gifting Circle supported the programme and helped lay the foundation for many of our services today.”

Asher’s project was named “It’s OK to be not OK”, which is also his personal core belief. Over three years, Limitless conducted school outreach activities such as assembly talks, exhibitions and training of mental health ambassadors.

Over 28,000 students participated in the programme, of which nearly 85% reported an increase in awareness. Over 1,000 youths and school personnel were also trained in understanding common mental health conditions, treatment and supporting persons with mental health challenges.

Five years on, Limitless now reaches thousands of youth through counselling, training and outreach. “The Shared Gifting Circle helped lay the foundation for many of our services today,” added Asher.

Asher Low, a mental health advocate, started Limitless with the aim of empowering youths to be changemakers and helping them cope with life issues.