*SCAPE relaunch

1. Dear friends, partners and youths, it’s a great day to be at *SCAPE! First of all, let’s give it up for our most beautiful pair of lions from Nanyang Girls High School, as well as our Samba Masala from SMU!

A New Chapter Begins

2. *SCAPE was started almost 20 years ago to reflect the importance of giving our youths a voice and to support them to explore their interests and creative pursuits.

   1. During my time, we didn’t have a *SCAPE. The youths would end up going to Far East Plaza or Centre Point.

   2. But now at *SCAPE, you have a purpose-built place, curated offerings to support you in whatever you are thinking of, dreaming of and hoping to realise. The *SCAPE building – where we now stand – was developed and officially launched in June 2010 as a community space for youth, and more importantly, this is a tangible representation of the importance this government places on youth – all of you.

   3. Over the past two decades, we have continually refreshed and revamped *SCAPE to keep up with the dynamic and changing interests that you have.

   4. For example, *SCAPE used to run the HubQuarters, which housed, nurtured, and supported numerous youth organisations.

   5. Access Singapore was one of them, and I am happy that it has grown together with *SCAPE and now makes an even larger impact in the lives of our youths.

   6. Access Singapore has now graduated to a much larger space, Trampoline@*SCAPE and I was happy to witness this earlier this year.

   7. But amidst the changes, one thing stayed the same — *SCAPE is, and will always be, a space for youths, by youths and with youths.

3. Since November last year, MCCY and NYC have been engaging youths and stakeholders to develop an SG Youth Plan – a five-year blueprint to support all of you, our youths, to be the best versions of yourselves.

   1. From these engagements, it is clear that you are driven by a strong sense of purpose — you are eager to chart your own paths and redefine what it means to succeed.

   2. These are often paths that are less taken, and you also tell us that you want more safe spaces — more physical and metaphorical spaces — to try, to experiment, to fail fast and to bounce back even stronger.

   3. We want to support you in what you do  — so you can be bold, you can take the road less travelled, and you can chase your dreams.

4. Today, *SCAPE’s latest refresh is a new chapter in our commitment to support you to pursue your dreams.

   1. *SCAPE is now bigger, better, and bolder than ever before.

   2. Through *SCAPE and the surrounding Somerset Belt, we aim to reach more than two million people each year and welcome them here.

5. So, what will this new chapter of *SCAPE look like?

Space for Youth Aspirations

6. First, *SCAPE will be a space for you to grow.

   1. From our SG Youth Plan engagements, close to 60% of you wish for a Singapore that celebrates non-traditional paths to success, encourages risk-taking, and embraces failure.

   2. This resonates with what we heard in the Forward SG exercise — the aspiration of a Singapore where we value every Singaporean, support them in their dreams, and celebrate their achievements and successes together.

7. In line with this vision, the refreshed *SCAPE will provide opportunities for 40,000 youths each year to explore their aspirations and interests.

   1. Opportunities in areas such as the creative arts, film, content creation, urban sports, careers and entrepreneurship and wellness and sustainability run by *SCAPE and its growing network of partners.

8. For example, if you are passionate about the creative arts, you can participate in *SCAPE’s residency programmes, such as the Street Art Residency Programme.

   1. I met Song recently, one of our mentors and the aspiring young artists he is nurturing on this six-month programme to hone their talent in street art, and gain hands-on experience in urban art.

   2. It culminates in showcases where the resident artists and mentors can feature their murals at the COMMA Creative Arts Festival. More importantly, this builds relationships between the mentors and artists, which can pave the way for future collaborations and a lifelong friendship.

   3. The next run of residencies will begin from August 2026. If any of you are interested, please sign up.

9. The tenants at *SCAPE will also play a key role in this, by creating opportunities, running programmes, and building communities that help young people turn their dreams into passion. For example:

   1. SM Universe offers workshops that support youths to hone their dancing and singing capabilities. As part of *SCAPE’s relaunch, they ran free K-pop dance classes, empowering youths to pursue their interest in this area.

   2. Krafer’s Paradise, an arts supply store, is celebrating its grand opening this weekend as well. Their space will also serve as a creative hub for young people – championing local artists, nurturing creativity, and inspiring youths through workshops, open studios and artist residencies.

Space for Communities

10. Second, *SCAPE will be a space where you can connect.

    1. At a time when all of us are hyper-connected online, we want to support you to be connected offline — especially outside of school and work — to connect, to create, and to contribute in your communities together.

11. There are currently more than 50 communities of interest at *SCAPE, in diverse areas such as Creative Arts, Urban Sports, and Wellness & Sustainability.

    1. These communities are led by youths, and supported by *SCAPE, to organise activities and programmes for like-minded youths.

    2. For example, *SCAPE has always been associated with a vibrant and exciting dance community.

    3. These young dancers were the last to leave *SCAPE before the refresh, and the first to come back.

    4. If you come to *SCAPE on any evening or night, you will see many groups of aspiring dancers on Levels 4 and 5 at *SCAPE.

12. *SCAPE will build up more of such communities and bring together youths who challenge, support, and inspire one another.

    1. Another community is the Fixed Gear Trick Cycling Community.

    2. This community has grown into a tight-knit group of youths who train, perform, and push each other to hone their craft.

    3. Now, they also mentor newcomers, organise competitions, and run training workshops for those interested in learning how to perform cycling tricks.

Youth-Led, Youth-Owned

14. Third, *SCAPE will be a space that empowers you to turn your ideas and dreams into reality.

    1. As one united people, we must be active citizens in shaping our shared future together.

    2. This is the space where all of you can take the lead and make decisions.

15. This event for example – organised with youths, for youths – demonstrates the incredible capability, creativity, and vision that all of you possess.

    1. The façade mural that you see over here, titled “Tampal / Tampil”, led by a youth curator, Zane Motalif. This mural consists of works by 60 visual artists who have been involved with *SCAPE across different generations.

    2. It’s a symbol of *SCAPE’s creative, intergenerational DNA — where past, present, and future come together to tell the story of youth identity and imagination.

16. We will continue to support and empower all of you to make an impact at *SCAPE.

    1. For example, *SCAPE introduced the Grant for Good earlier this year, to support youth-led projects that positively impact Somerset Belt and *SCAPE.

    2. One project that *SCAPE is supporting is Calm Against Chaos, a youth-designed card game that promotes emotional regulation and mindfulness through play.

    3. The game uses humour and real-life scenarios to spark conversations about stress, coping, and mental well-being.

    4. *SCAPE will support up to 60 such projects under the Grant for Good, in line with SG60.

The Chapter is Yours to Write

17. To conclude, we are, today, embarking on the next chapter of *SCAPE.

    1. In this new chapter, *SCAPE will be a bigger, bolder, and better for all of you to grow, to connect, and to be empowered to make an impact.

    2. This new chapter will be written by youths, for youths, and with youths.

    3. This commitment to our youths is encapsulated in *SCAPE’s vision to be the space for boundless possibilities.

18. In fact, the space that we are giving to our youths will be even bigger, physically.

    1. We are currently partnering youths to develop the whole Somerset Belt as a vibrant, inclusive youth precinct.

    2. *SCAPE will take on the role of precinct manager for the entire Somerset Belt.

    3. With this, *SCAPE will be able to extend their programmes and communities beyond the *SCAPE building, to include Youth Park, Somerset Slopes, as well as the Skate Park.

    4. When completed, Somerset Belt, with the *SCAPE building as a key node, will be a canvas for all of you, right in the heart of Singapore.

19. As we officially re-open *SCAPE today, this moment represents a new chapter to support and empower all of you.

    1. Once again, this is a time for all of you to be bold, take the road less travelled and chase all your dreams. Your journey of boundless possibilities starts today!