Unlabel Campaign on campus

Have you ever considered how a casual comment or passing label can stay with someone for years? 

The UnLABEL campaign made a powerful mark across Raffles University this September, featuring a major campus-wide event on Thursday, 3 September 2026 for staff and students at the Atrium, followed by a vibrant special feature booth during Club Promotion Day on 9 September 2026. Supported by My Starfish Foundation, this student-led initiative brought our entire university community together to challenge casual bias, explore interactive experiences, and celebrate genuine diversity across campus.

The Vision: Moving Beyond “Just a Joke”

Everyday racial stereotyping amongst youth is often normalised as humour or a casual habit. Remarks like “You must be good at maths” or assumptions based on physical appearance can seem small, but their emotional impact can reduce empathy, increase social distance, and leave a lasting mark on a person’s sense of identity.

Conceptualised by Visual Communication students Emberlynn Lee En Ling and Lim Yan Shan, and supported by psychology students Jewel Drishadvathi Nathan and Tan Ding Jay, UnLABEL was born out of personal experiences with casual stereotyping. The project was specifically designed to turn abstract concepts of diversity, equity, and inclusion into an experiential, youth-led movement.

“We do not realise we are stereotyping until we experience being labelled ourselves.”

— UnLABEL Campaign Insight

From Main Event to Club Promotion Day: Experiencing UnLABEL

The campaign brought its immersive setup directly to the Raffles University Atrium on 3rd September, welcoming both staff and students to move through structured stations designed to turn curiosity into shared empathy. Upon entering Labellia, participants received wearable wrist labels featuring everyday phrases and assumptions to feel the emotional weight of carrying a label. Scanning these labels unlocked Augmented Reality (AR) visual stories, bringing the hidden perspectives behind common stereotypes to life. Participants then engaged in the original UnLABEL board game, facing scenario challenges and gaining empathy tokens to work together to remove labels. At the “One Word, Many Ways” and Chinese Calligraphy booths, participants explored cultural connections and appreciated diversity through shared artistic expression. The campaign momentum continued through to Club Promotion Day on 9th September, where a dedicated special booth engaged students across campus to write down assumptions on custom labels, attach them to the UnLABEL Wall, and sign the unity pledge.

Creating Lasting Impact Across Campus

The goal of the UnLABEL campaign extends far beyond a single event. By offering a repeatable model for cultural understanding, the campaign toolkit is designed to be integrated into future university initiatives, MPU civic learning modules, and community outreach programmes.

When we choose understanding over assumptions, we build a university environment rooted in respect, empathy, and genuine inclusion. A heartfelt thank you to My Starfish Foundation, our student facilitators, advisors, and all the RU staff and students who joined us at the Atrium and visited our special booth during Club Promotion Day to stand as one.

Beyond Labels. Stand As One.