Senior volunteerism makes meaningful impact on the community

Mr Koh Juay Meng, President, RSVP Singapore,
Ladies and gentlemen,

1. I'm happy to join you this afternoon for the opening of Senior Volunteer Week.

2. It is heartening to see so many of our seniors are finding it meaningful to contribute and stay involved in the community. Many active volunteers here with us today are also members of the Pioneer Generation. Indeed, one of the highlights of this year's Senior Volunteer Week is the RSVP Pioneer Generation Event. So let me start by recognising and paying tribute to all our pioneers and pioneer volunteers. You have helped to build Singapore to what it is today – a thriving, successful and vibrant nation. Thank you for your unrelenting spirit of giving to the nation.

3. Sometimes when we talk about seniors, we think of them as people who need help. But in fact our seniors are assets in our society. You are helping others by volunteering, and giving back to the community. You show that one's golden years can be rich and fulfilling, a time when you can share your wealth of life experiences, and serve those who are in need.
   

Our senior volunteers

4. And so it is not surprising that senior volunteerism in Singapore has been on the rise in recent years. In 2010, the participation rate was 10 per cent, according to a survey by the National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre. This increased to 17 per cent in 2012. The trend is very encouraging and I believe that we can continue to do better.

5. RSVP has been a strong driver of this growing participation rate for volunteerism among our seniors. Over the last 15 years, RSVP has been providing platforms for seniors to give back to society and to make volunteering a way of life.

6. It does so by tapping on the strong capabilities of our very able seniors, to involve them in programmes like mentoring and inculcating moral values to at-risk children, befriending the elderly to just lending a listening ear to the sick and disabled.

7. More than 50,000 lives are uplifted each year through your efforts. It is a testimony to the dedication and commitment of the 400-strong network of volunteers. I would like to thank and show my appreciation to RSVP and all its volunteers for your commitment and dedication.

8. There are many RSVP volunteers who have incredible stories to tell. A good example is 67-year-old Mr Cyril Ong, one of RSVP's Pioneer Generation volunteers. He used to be Marketing Director for an MNC based in the U.S., and oversaw markets in Southeast Asia and the Asia Pacific. His job required him to communicate with people from different ages, cultures and backgrounds. He also had to train many sales and operations teams, in building rapport with clients, how to listen, and understand needs.

9. Mr Ong has retired for more than 10 years, but he's put his professional experience to work by volunteering. He's now a trainer for RSVP's Senior Volunteer Training Centre, where he trains volunteers on programmes such as “How to be an Effective Volunteer”, and “How to be an Effective Befriender”. He also conducts workshops for the volunteers who manage RSVP's reception and telephone lines, teaching them communication skills. So through Mr Ong, many of RSVP's volunteers have learned how to build relationships and connect to people better, which I'm sure has made them better volunteers.

10. So this is a very good example of someone who is a professional, retried but still active and giving back to the community, sharing his skills and experiences. There are also many others who volunteer to help those who are in need.

11. Here, I would like to mention 68-year-old Ms Lim Geok Pee, who was inspired to start volunteering by her mother-in-law, who was bedridden and needed full-time care. Her dependence on others made Ms Lim realise the importance of serving and making the lives of seniors more comfortable and meaningful.

12. Ms Lim volunteers at the Toa Payoh Care Corner to befriend less privileged seniors. She likes talking to them, and feels joy and satisfaction when they reciprocate her friendship. Another aspect she enjoys is how volunteering lets her express herself, and make good use of her time. She also likes knowing that she is still able to help others and give back to society.

13. Ms Lim and Mr Ong are examples of how you can serve the community with your experience, and find joy and meaning through volunteerism. I am sure many of you also have your own stories of why you started volunteering.

14. I hope you will be able to share these stories with one another this week, and inspire one another, and even your friends and family to volunteer. And over time, I hope that more of our seniors will become volunteers in Singapore.

Encouraging senior volunteerism

15. Senior Volunteer Week is now into its 3rd year, and it's been very successful in promoting volunteerism among our seniors.

16. We have also seen greater support from the community in engaging senior volunteers. For example, RSVP is working with more than 50 VWOs and NPOs, including the National Arts Council, Singapore Kindness Movement in a concerted effort to broaden senior volunteering opportunities.

17. In addition, Senior Volunteer Week will showcase how our seniors can partner VWOs and NPOs to drive their initiatives. I hope this will encourage more community organsiations to come forward, to train, to recruit and retain more seniors as volunteers.

18. One of our priorities at the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth is to promote volunteerism and active citizens in Singapore. So we are looking at ways to improve the volunteer experience for our seniors. For example, we want to make volunteering opportunities more accessible, strengthen volunteer management capabilities in the community organisations and improve the job scopes for volunteers.

19. We want to hear from you, to understand how to enable and prepare more seniors to volunteer. We're working closely with different government agencies such as the Ministry of Health on this and we will be conducting Focus Group Discussions. I hope you will join in and be part of these conversations. 
    

Conclusion

20. Finally, I thank all our senior volunteers, our Pioneer Generation volunteers and RSVP, for your service to society.

21. Next year is a major milestone for all of us and for our country. We celebrate our Golden Jubilee -50 years of independence next year. It's not just a time of celebrations and parties. I think it is also an important occasion for us to ask ourselves how we can take Singapore forward to have another successful 50 years to make Singapore better than today. 

22. One thing we can definitely learn from our seniors and pioneers is that willingness to give of ourselves to contribute to a larger cause and purpose. When we do so, our communities will be stronger and we will be able to make Singapore a good home for all generations.

23. So I hope that we can continue to work together to uphold this spirit of service and volunteerism in our society. On this note, I am pleased to declare Senior Volunteer Week open and I wish you all the very best for the week ahead!