A life-long journey in inspiring and helping fellow Singaporeans

Mr Paschal Dike, JCI World President,
Dato' Seri Dr Derek Goh, BBM, JCI Singapore Patron & Chief Adjudicator,
Mr Dainial Lim, JCI National President,
Distinguished Guests, 
Ladies and Gentlemen

1. Good evening. I am delighted to join all of you here.

2. Tonight, we are recognising a group of outstanding young Singaporeans. Close to 100 nominations were received this year, and I hear that the judges had a hard time narrowing down the choices to just ten due to the talents in our midst. A round of applause please, to all the nominees!

3. For almost five decades, JCI Singapore has been giving out this annual Ten Outstanding Young Persons (TOYP) award to empower our youths to create positive change. What's special about this award is that, the nominees are from diverse categories, including Cultural Achievement to Medical Innovation. You have all shown exceptional achievements in your field, and have taken that first step in making a difference for Singapore.

4. Tonight can be the start of a life-long journey in inspiring and helping fellow Singaporeans, as past recipients of TOYP can attest to. You will be hearing from 2013 TOYP recipient Josephus Tan later this evening. A former teenage rebel with a drinking habit, Josephus would often get into fights and end up sleeping in the back alleys of Boat Quay. But he managed to quit drinking and turn his life around when he saw how he had been hurting his loved ones. Now he's a lawyer who has contributed over 5,000 hours of pro bono work, and inspired many others to follow in his footsteps.

5. Josephus' example shows that each of us has the ability to give back to society and contribute toward making Singapore a better home for all. One of the ways in which the Government is supporting you in this area is through Youth Corps Singapore. As part of the National Youth Council, Youth Corps Singapore will provide you with training and opportunities to volunteer with greater confidence and in a more meaningful way. As a Youth Corps leader, you will be able to carry out projects that address community needs and social challenges that matter to you and to other Singaporeans. These could include issues such as mental illness, environmental conservation, care for the elderly, and so on. So do consider joining Youth Corps Singapore.

6. When we celebrated SG50 last year, we reflected upon the sacrifice and dedication of our pioneers. The next 50 years will depend on how we work together in co-creating a shared future.  The journey to SG100 starts now, and here. I would like to thank JCI Singapore for organising the awards, and acknowledge your continued success in spurring our youth to give back to society. Together, we can work towards a better, brighter Singapore we are all proud to call Home.

7. On this note, let me wish everyone a pleasant evening.