Pioneer batch of Youth Corps aspirants pledge their commitment to serve

     Youth Corps aspirants

1. I am glad to be here this evening to see all of you completing this Induction Programme. We talk about the Youth Corps – it has been something we have been working on for more than a year. I initiated this to provide a platform for young people, like yourselves, to come together to volunteer because we believe the power of young people. We believe that all of you can be a force of good in society to make Singapore a better place, and so we wanted to provide you with a platform. We have been working on this for more than a year and it is very good to see the first batch come together. 
   

2. I wasn't around for the past few days as I was overseas in Qatar on a work trip. But I have been following all the progress you all have been making through social media and through the updates from the staff. I flew overnight last night and I just arrived in Singapore this afternoon so that I can catch all of you in your final ceremony.
   

3. All of you came as strangers – you didn't know one another. However, you all made the commitment to volunteer. Some of you came with a bit of uncertainty and fear, not knowing what to expect. But I think after all these days of coming together, working together in Outward Bound Singapore (OBS), you all have become friends as you all have bonded together. And for that, I believe we must thank the National Youth Council (NYC), and particularly the OBS trainers and the Youth Corps mentors. So I think we must give all of them a big round of applause.
   

4. OBS trainers and mentors are an incredible bunch. That is why we are bringing them to the restructured NYC as an important part of NYC. I am sure you will agree with me that they have done a lot for you during these past few days.
   

5. As we look at it, you have completed your induction programme. However, this is only the beginning of your journey of service. This is not the end; this is the start of a journey of service, not just for one year, but in fact for a lifetime. And as you begin this journey of service, I am sure there will be difficulties, challenges and bumps along the way. I cannot guarantee you an easy ride or smooth sailing along the way, but what I can assure you is that we will give you all the support that we can in order for you to pursue your cause to do things that you are passionate about. And that's why we are working not just among ourselves – the NYC and the Youth Corps team, but we are bringing in community partners. These community partners will guide and mentor you in your overseas and local projects. So that's the first thing we can assure you – to give you support, mentoring and guidance through your journey. And in fact we will give you support in all sorts of ways. If you want to take time-off from work or from school, and you want to do service full-time, we can even give you support in the form of stipends. The support will be there for you to commit to service.
   

6. The second thing I can promise you is that even if it's not going to be easy going, I can assure you that if you give your heart out to serve or make a difference in another person's life, I can promise you that your rewards will be tremendous and you will find it extremely fulfilling yourselves. So even though the journey may be challenging and you may face difficulties, so long as you commit to serve, I know that your own lives will be fulfilled and you will find happiness in the process of serving others. I am sure you have heard this from other speakers, so take it from all the other people who have had their lives of service; and when you look at their lives, I think you will tell that because they have made that commitment to serve the community in different ways – whether it's children, elderly or environment, their lives have become more fulfilled. So it is not about material success, becoming famous or accumulating wealth, but when they have made that commitment to serve, in their lives they found it tremendously fulfilling. And I promise you that if you do that as well in your own life, if you take that journey of service seriously and you look at how you can serve the larger cause other than yourself, how you can make a difference to the community, you will also experience tremendous fulfilment in your own lives.
   

7. So I hope you will take that commitment and pledge seriously, which is what I like about your pledge just now when you all recited it – “Once a Youth Corps, Always a Youth Corps”. This is the pledge of service that should extend beyond your commitment that you have for the Youth Corps alone, it should be a pledge of service that you take for life. 

8. I want all of you to take heart that you are our pioneer batch of Youth Corps. You are the first to step forward. The Youth Corps has not even started and we do not have anything to show you all, and yet you ventured into the unknown, you decided that it was worth your while to make the commitment. I salute you for taking this step forward and I hope you will continue to lead the way of volunteerism in Singapore. Beyond the Youth Corps tenure, continue to serve and make a difference – go forth and change the Singapore society for the better, and help us make Singapore a better place for everyone.
   

9. Thank you very much and I wish all of you a good lifetime of service.