SG Youth Forum 2025

Distinguished guests,

Ladies and gentlemen,

• Good afternoon.

• It’s a great day to be at the SG Youth Forum!

SG60: Time for an SG Youth Plan

• Last month, we celebrated SG60, our Diamond Jubilee. It’s a significant milestone for our young nation.

  • The journey to SG60 was not easy. Many of you know that we were not a nation of choice, but no choice.

  • We faced challenges – racial riots, financial crises, Covid – but we held on to our dream.

  • And each generation of Singaporeans played its part as One People to get to where we are here today.

• Your generation too, will play your part to overcome your challenges. The world around us grows increasingly complex and uncertain, defined by fundamental changes and deep-rooted challenges.

  • First, the rules-based global order that we know and that we have thrived in is under severe strain, with more countries pursuing their own interests over shared progress.

  • Conflicts are ongoing in many parts of the world. How many of you here would have believed just five years ago that there would be at least two different wars happening in the world around us? It’s a stark reminder that we can never take peace for granted.

  • These, and other challenges like climate change, are challenges that no one country can handle alone. But, ironically, the resolve globally to address these challenges together is weakening.

  • Politics and society are fragmenting in many countries, with many different groups in their own echo chambers. This creates division and strife, and global unity is melting away.

• The good news is that Singapore has never shied away from any of these challenges. We were an improbable nation, and we were forged through unity, will and grit.

  • This has made Singapore exceptional. But whether or not we can remain exceptional depends on all of you seated in this room today.

• You will shape what Singapore becomes beyond SG60.

• And as many of you have always reminded me in our conversations, you are not just leaders of tomorrow. You want to take an active role in leading today.

• Therefore, a key priority for MCCY is to support you to pursue your dreams to build our Singapore together.

What you(ths) have told us

• Together, we will develop the SG Youth Plan, to support you to be the best versions of yourself, and to thrive in a better Singapore that you will create.

  • Since the start of the year, we have engaged youths from all walks of life and stakeholders with the passion to play a part. Many of you spoke about your aspirations and concerns, and also your ideals and your fears.

  • I thank you for your trust in sharing these with us. We have gathered over 200,000 responses from more than 50,000 youths and stakeholders to help shape the SG Youth Plan.

  • Since joining MCCY, I have also had the opportunity to meet many of you. I thank you for sharing with me your aspirations, the good work that you are doing in our communities, and the challenges that you face in harmonising work, life, and purpose.

• One question that many of you have asked is: how would this generation like to be remembered?

  • Our Pioneer and Merdeka Generations were remembered for their hard work, sacrifice and toil that built the Singapore that we have today.

  • How will this generation be remembered? How will you like to be remembered for the rest of the history of Singapore?

  • From the 200,000 responses we have heard thus far, there were a few things that stood out.

How will this generation be remembered?

• First, this is a generation with purpose. You are pragmatic. You are concerned about bread-and-butter issues like careers, finances, and housing.

  • You would like more career guidance, work exposure, better financial literacy, so that you can go through transitions in life better empowered.

  • But you also place great emphasis on living life with a purpose.

• Because of this sense of purpose, you want to chart your own path and you want to redefine what it means to be successful.

  • Close to 60% of our youths wish for a Singapore that celebrates non-traditional success, encourages risk-taking, and embraces failure. This is similar to 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.

  • You challenge us to rethink what it means to be successful. You take the road less travelled. You take ownership of your aspirations. You make time for learning opportunities, and you actively seek out new skills and knowledge.

  • And we will better support you to chart this new path forward, so you can take the road less travelled, and you can make bold decisions.

• Second, this is a generation that wants to contribute. At last month’s National Day Rally, our Prime Minister Lawrence Wong spoke about building a “We First” society – a society where Singaporeans look out for one another, and not just self-interest.

  • I am proud to say that against a global backdrop of increasing individualism, you tell us that you want to contribute back to the community and to the nation.

  • More than half of you seated here – our youths – desire to make a positive impact on the community, and you hope for Singapore to have more platforms for you to contribute. More than 1 in 2 youths want to volunteer and contribute actively.

• The youth groups and projects showcased here today right behind you, illustrate this. Some of you just cast your votes for projects from the National Youth Council (NYC)’s Young ChangeMakers (YCM) initiative, which supports ground-up projects. This year, YCM has supported more than 150 projects involving almost 1,400 youths.

  • Earlier this year, NYC also concluded the sixth edition of the Youth Action Challenge, where we supported close to 50 different youth teams to tackle challenges that you are concerned about, such as navigating careers, building a society for everyone, and tackling climate change and sustainability.

  • I am greatly encouraged by the movement that you’ve started to be the change that you want to see. And we will support and empower you to do more.

• Third, this is a generation that values connections and relationships. You are digital natives, and you live a life where technology is integrated into your lives. Social media, connectivity, and devices have shaped the way you grow up. You understand the opportunities that come with technology, but you are also critically aware of the downsides.

  • Against, or perhaps because of this backdrop, you recognise that your connections and relationships with friends and family are important, especially as a source of support and care. You want to be surrounded by people and communities who care.

  • You want Singapore to be a society with strong bonds across generations – a cohesive society that fosters care and welcomes other cultures and nationalities.

  • And you yearn for the “kampung spirit” that old people like me like to talk about. You see this as being a close-knit community of neighbours and friends with genuine and authentic connections and relationships.

  • We need to rekindle this “kampung spirit”, and be a more cohesive and connected society that is resilient to fractures and divides that we see so often everywhere else.

We can, and must, do more

• We can, and we must, do more. The Government will do more to support and to empower you.

  • Here at MCCY, we will continue to do more to support you to pursue your dreams, whether it be in arts or sports, and to make these viable and meaningful career options in Singapore.

  • To support you through life transitions and choices, we have also launched the Mentoring SG movement in 2022 to build up a stronger mentoring ecosystem in Singapore. Since then, more than 20,000 youths have joined this movement.

  • We will also continue to increase opportunities for you to play your part in shaping our future. Our first run of the Youth Panels which concluded earlier this year saw more than 120 youths ideate and co-create policies with government agencies in areas that they were passionate about.

• The SG Youth Plan is also a collective effort involving all of society to nurture, partner, and to empower our youths.

  • NYC brought together over 80 partners from across public, private, and people sectors for the SG Youth Plan, and to offer workshops and programmes to support your growth.

  • One such example is Access Singapore, a social mobility charity dedicated to providing career exposure opportunities for disadvantaged students. Access introduces them to different career pathways and serves as a bridge between professionals and disadvantaged students, fostering meaningful connections and relationships.

  • MCCY too has partnered Access over the past two years, to mentor students and to give them the chance to experience a role in the Public Sector.

  • We will continue to work with such partners to expand opportunities to meet your interests and needs, be it career preparation, mentoring, or volunteering.

Join us to co-create the SG Youth Plan

• Join us to co-create the SG Youth Plan! This Plan is a work in progress and I invite more of you to join us to develop this Plan together, and to make it a Plan for youths, by youths, with youths.

  • So bring your friends to the SG Youth Plan engagements to share your views, to make new friends, and to develop this Plan together.

  • To all our, like me, not so young but young-at-heart stakeholders, especially those who are working with youths, please partner us to bring more opportunities to our youths.

• As we continue the conversations and dialogue today, I hope to hear more from you about:

  • How do you want your generation to be remembered?

  • How can we help you to be the best version of yourself?

  • How can we make the SG Youth Plan better?

  • And how can you play your part, most critically, for the SG Youth Plan? How can you help us build a better Singapore?

• I look forward to hearing from you.

• Thank you.