The 200-plus Volunteers Who Made Tzu Chi’s SYNC. Festival Possible
As a non-profit organisation, Tzu-Chi Foundation (Singapore) organises numerous events and undertakes charitable initiatives that serve the community. These efforts would not be possible without the support of its 3,000 volunteers. One such event is the annual SYNC. Festival, with the 2026 edition held on Sunday, 26 July 2026.
Tzu Chi volunteers lending support to the eco-conscious Zero Market, one of the activities at SYNC. Festival.
SYNC. Festival 2026, which brought together close to 1,000 participants, shone a light on the seven types of rest — Physical, Sensory, Emotional, Social, Mental, Creative and Spiritual — and their roles in enhancing well-being. Because rest is more than simply getting enough sleep, easing fatigue also means recognising the different ways the body and mind need to rest. The festival invited participants to explore these seven types of rest and discover what they need to truly recharge.
The main highlight was a 6-kilometre walk dotted with seven stations, each inviting participants to experience a different type of rest. Before setting off, participants took a rest quiz to discover which type of rest they might need most, and then made a beeline for the specific stations. At the Mental Rest station, they wrote their worries in sand and erased them. Over at the Spiritual Rest station, representatives from various NGOs shared their experiences of volunteerism — what inspired them to begin and what keeps them going.
Since 1993, Tzu-Chi Foundation (Singapore) has worked relentlessly to relieve suffering and inspire compassion. On 26 July 2026, that compassion took the form of Tzu Chi volunteers offering their attention and time to empower participants to explore new concepts of rest and intentional living. After all, rest is an act of self-compassion — something everyone could all use amid the demands of life in busy Singapore.