The PAYM-HP Make-A-Wish from the Heart 2005

By: Dr Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman, Parliamentary Secretary for Community Development, Youth and Sports and National Development

By: Dr Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman, Parliamentary Secretary for Community Development, Youth and Sports and National Development

30 November 2005, 12.15 pm at Sapphire Hall, Siloso Beach, Sentosa

Good Afternoon

Mr Tan Boon Huat
Chief Executive Director of People's Association

Mr Lee Hong Chuang, PBM
Chairman of the PAYM Central Youth Council

Mr Yeoh Chiek How
Chairman of the HP Community Activities Committee

Ladies and Gentlemen

Boys and Girls

1. It warms my heart to be with all of you here this afternoon to witness so many youth volunteers interacting with their charges. I am very happy to join all of you here in this meaningful project and I hope all of you have found the experience fulfilling.
   
   

   Introduction

2. We have been told repeatedly how much we have come from our early humble beginnings. We have had our fair share of struggles and difficult times. Yet, we have one of the highest income per capita in the world today. Many young Singaporeans have grown up in an era of prosperity, not experiencing or knowing the meaning of poverty, deprivation or uncertainty. We do not see homeless people on our streets. Nor do we see children begging suffering from malnutrition. The words 'poverty' and 'under-privileged' don't really strike a familiar chord, and the images we associate with them are consigned to what we see on television and newspaper reports of troubles in some far distant land.
3. However, as the participants and youth volunteers here will attest to, scratch beneath the surface, and those images are not as alien as what most people would imagine. They are real faces, real people, and living amongst us. There are Singaporeans out there who need our care and attention. They may be the elderly, orphans, children from needy homes, the handicapped, and people from lower income backgrounds.
   
   

   Make a Wish 2005

4. Even as our country develops and prospers, we should not forget our less privileged Singaporeans. I congratulate Make A Wish 2005 organizers with their tagline, 'Heart to Heart, We Serve the Community'. We should reach out to the less fortunate not only through our giving financially, which many Singaporeans do willingly and generously, but also with our hearts through our actions. To this end, I commend the youth volunteers here today for taking the time to participate in this event. I hope you will continue to invest your time and energy in such meaningful voluntary work. Certainly I hope you are not doing it for your CIP or CCA points. Instead I hope it will spur you on to want to develop your own programmes that will benefit the less fortunate in our community.
5. More importantly, I urge you to reflect on this experience and see how you can advocate for change that will ensure that the needs of the less fortunate continue to be met. For example, I understand that you were involved in transporting our wheelchair bound participants through various challenging situations. Reflecting on that experience, what can you do to help facilitate a better physical environment for these wheelchair bound participants? The point I am making is that voluntarism is also not just about serving but also about developing your passion towards the people you are serving. Pursue your passion and your experience will be even more enriching.
6. To the participants here, this may be the first time that you get to enjoy Sentosa, and participate in the fun activities on the island. I hope this experience has been a memorable one for you too.
   
   

   PAYM As Organiser of Event

7. This Make a Wish programme is the flagship programme of the People's Association Youth Movement (PAYM) which has been organising it since 1996. PAYM inculcates active citizenry in youth through direct participation in community service projects, and has a special responsibility to continuously bring this message of care and compassion to our people.
8. The PAYM provides platforms and initiates timely projects to engage youth to play a more active role in the community whenever an opportunity arises. PAYM's fund-raising efforts for the tsunami disaster that occurred last year is a case in point.
   
   

   Partnership Between PAYM and HP

9. Today's event also exemplifies the Many Helping Hand approach that we have taken in serving the community. I am also pleased to note that PAYM has been partnering Hewlett Packard (HP), since 2002 in a series of Make-A-Wish projects. I understand that HP believes strongly in instilling a sense of community and a spirit of volunteerism among its employees. Established in 1979, the HP Community Activities Committee has successfully engaged its employees in numerous volunteer activities and seen its number of volunteers increase over the years.
10. PAYM and HP have demonstrated that the various stakeholders in the community, be it profit or non-profit organisations, can come together to play a part for the community. I hope this meaningful collaboration will continue and that this project would continue to serve as an excellent platform for youth to interact with each other and with the less-privileged community, to be engaged in community service, to promote the spirit of volunteerism and at the same time, inculcate a sense of care and compassion in everyone.
    
    

    Conclusion

11. To the volunteers who took time off on a weekday to help out in this project, I would like to thank all of you again for the hard work that you have done. Looking at the faces of the people you have helped today, you would know it is all worth it. As I have suggested earlier, reflect on the experience and explore how you can take that experience to the next level where voluntarism becomes a passion for yourselves.
12. Lastly, I hope that all participants too would have gained from this journey, knowing that the spirit of caring is very much alive here in Singapore.
13. I wish you a pleasant day.
    
    MCYS Speech No: 63/2005
    Date Of Issue: 30/11/2005