National Youth Council strengthened to empower and inspire youths

1. 2015 will mark a new beginning for the National Youth Council (NYC). On 1 January 2015, NYC will begin its operations as an autonomous agency （自治机构） and will house two key institutions: Outward Bound Singapore (OBS) and Youth Corps Singapore. Together, they will drive youth development and broaden outreach to young Singaporeans and youth sector organisations. NYC will be an agency under the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY).
   

2. Mr Lawrence Wong, Minister for MCCY and Chairman of NYC said, “We are investing in our youth, who will be shaping the future of Singapore. The revamped NYC along with its partners will support youth aspirations, mentor them, and empower them to give back to society. Each of our youth can help to build a better society and make tomorrow better than today.”

3. The restructuring of NYC will ensure greater coherence in our youth development efforts. As the lead agency for youth development, the NYC will serve as a bridge between government agencies, community partners and youth sector organisations, both large and small, established and new, to drive holistic youth development. NYC will be guided by three key pillars of action:

A) Support youth aspirations

4. NYC’s priority is to support youth aspirations in diverse fields, and opportunities for the realisation of talent and creativity amongst our youth. 

5. NYC will enhance the SHINE Youth Festival, which marks its 10th anniversary in 2015, as a national platform for youths to showcase their talents and passion. It will revamp *SCAPE to make it a more effective platform to support youth aspirations in Orchard Road and beyond. NYC will also develop more youth spaces and programmes to reach out and engage youths throughout Singapore.

B) Prepare youths for new challenges

6. We recognise that our youth live, work and play in an increasingly diverse and fast-paced environment. Better preparation and support will benefit our youths who may face new challenges in their studies, work or other issues, not experienced by the previous generation.

7. The NYC will strengthen its focus on youth mentoring programmes. The OBS will also provide more opportunities for young people to develop themselves through outdoor adventure, beyond the 20,000 youths it is already training annually today. NYC also launched the Youth Corps Singapore this year to develop youth leaders. Through these efforts, NYC aims to develop more young people as resilient, discerning and active citizens.

C) Amplify youth action for the community

8. NYC will step up efforts to inspire our youths to serve the community both locally and abroad. We do so through national programmes like the Youth Expedition Project (YEP) and the Youth Corps Singapore, which provide meaningful volunteer experiences so that youths are inspired to continue serving the community after they leave school. NYC will strengthen the Youth Corps and the YEP, by working with community partners and Institutes of Higher Learning to build up a corps of spirited youths and youth leaders.

9. The NYC will also support more ground-up initiatives by youths who want to pursue good causes through the $100M National Youth Fund.

10. Mr Ng Chun Pin, presently Director of the Youth Division at MCCY and concurrently Director of NYC, has been appointed as Deputy CEO and will help to lead NYC until the CEO is appointed.

Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth
29 December 2014