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Speeches

Encouraging youths to be bold and pursue their dreams

Sectors

Youth

8 July 2017

Speech by Ms Grace Fu, Minister for Culture, Community and Youth at ROMP 2017

Reverend Bernard Foo

Athletes and volunteers for ROMP 2017

Ladies and gentlemen

Introduction

  1. Good afternoon to all of you! It's great to see so many young people here at the 6th edition of ROMP, hosted by We Are Different (W.A.D.) Club. I am sure all of you are excited and looking forward to the sporting activities lined up for you.

  2. There are 1,700 youth athletes and volunteers participating at ROMP 2017 at three different locations. I encourage all of you to play fair and give it your best. More importantly, I hope all of you have fun and take away some key lessons in being resilient and working as a team.

  3. I would like to especially thank the volunteers for contributing your time and effort. Volunteers make a huge difference to any sporting event. While your work may not be always visible to the public at all times, it is essential in creating a good experience for all participants. So I'd like to thank all the volunteers. Can we all give the volunteers a big round of applause?

Be bold and pursue your dreams

  1. The theme for today's event is “Dream it Bigger”. To steer Singapore forward, we need our youth to be innovative, compassionate, and able to turn challenges into opportunities. We need our young people like you to dare to dream. So I urge you to be bold and pursue your dreams. With determination, perseverance and a can-do attitude, you can overcome the obstacles that stand in your way.

  2. Many of our Team Singapore athletes embody this quality of dreaming big. They are all hard at work at the moment, preparing for the upcoming SEA Games and ASEAN Para Games in August and September respectively.

  3. I'd like to make a special mention of our para-archer – Nur Syahidah Alim. She's a Team Singapore Archer, she was born with cerebral palsy. However, she did not want to let her disability limit her aspirations. She picked up archery for leisure at the age of 18. Syahidah then transitioned from a recreational sportswoman to a competitive one in 2014, in the hopes of representing Singapore at the 2015 ASEAN Para Games. She trained hard and eventually won two gold medals for Singapore at the Games. In 2016, she dared to dream even bigger, and she went on to become Singapore's first para-archer to compete at the Rio Paralympics, reaching the quarter finals. This year, she hopes to once again fly our flag high in KL at the ASEAN Para Games. She also has her sights set on a podium finish at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. I wish Syahidah all the very best in her sporting pursuits.

  4. Her journey inspires us, because it's all about the values of perseverance and resilience. In fact, I'd let you in on a secret. She actually wanted to compete against the able-bodied athletes this round. She wanted to be there not as a para-archer, but to compete against able-bodied archers as well. But unfortunately in KL, she couldn't get that, so she's competing with the para-athletes. But deep in her heart, I think she knows that she is as good as any able-bodied archer. I really wish she will pursue that dream, to show us that we are bringing people of all abilities together, and we shouldn't be limited by what people say we can or cannot do.

Sports has the power to foster greater inclusivity, cohesion and community involvement

  1. Building on the success of previous ROMPs, I am very happy to see that the organisers have continued to focus on social inclusivity. This year, ROMP will go a step further than just para-sports. In partnership with the Singapore Disability Sports Council, games will be played by teams comprising athletes of varying abilities for a truly inclusive sporting experience. By playing in mixed teams and working together, I hope all of us will come away with a stronger awareness and appreciation of one another's strengths.

  2. Sport is also a potent vehicle for social good. I am glad that W.A.D. Club has been working with SportCares to inculcate values of discipline, passion and resilience in our youths. I urge you to continue to volunteer through W.A.D. Club.

  3. At the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY), we believe in inspiring and empowering Singaporeans to do good. To promote a strong civic culture, we work with our agencies and partners to provide a diverse range of sports and volunteering opportunities for everyone. For example, there are many regular sporting opportunities facilitated by ActiveSG. We also provide sporting opportunities for persons with disabilities through the Disability Sports Master Plan across a variety of sports, such as swimming, badminton and goalball. Do check out ActiveSG's website if you're keen on signing up. For those of you passionate about volunteering, I encourage you to explore opportunities through Youth Corps Singapore, Team Nila and NVPC (Giving.sg).

Conclusion

  1. Finally, I would just like to wish all of you a very fun-filled weekend, knowing that what you're doing here makes a difference in your life, and in other people's lives. You're making an impact and making Singapore a better place for everyone. Have a good time, enjoy yourselves, thank you very much for being here.

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