The Role of Sports Volunteerism in Bridging Divides

Speech by Mr Edwin Tong, Minister for Culture, Community and Youth, And Second Minister for Law, at the Team Nila Awards Ceremony on Saturday 4 March 2023, At OCBC Lounge, Sports Hub.

1. Good morning to all of you. 
2. We are here today to celebrate Team Nila’s 8th anniversary. 
   1. When I first saw that it was the 8th anniversary, I was thinking to myself, “Has it only been 8 years?”
   2. Because you have been around for so long, made such a big impact, touched so many lives, that I can’t believe that it has only been 8 years.
3. Let me tell you what happened in 2022. 
   1. In 2022, Team Nila was involved in 700 events and programmes throughout our five giving platforms.
      1. In 2022, we still had COVID-19. So, it is amazing that you could be out there touching lives, giving back in so many different ways. 
      2. All our five platforms benefited from your volunteer work – Sport Centres, Sporting Events, Academies and Clubs, SportCares and Active Health.
      3. This also includes programmes at Sport Centres, such as Team Nila’s Active Farming Interest Groups. They have organised a Farmer’s Corner here today to proudly showcase the produce of over 20 of their active farmers. 
      4. Team Nila volunteers also supported major events like the FIBA 3X3 Asia Cup and WTT Singapore Smash, which is starting again soon, and I hope to see you all there. 
      5. I am really very proud of our Team Nila volunteers because you never shy away from stepping up – you always give your all, rain or shine, supporting Team Singapore events, and looking after Singaporeans and others who come to these events.
   2. This dedication is nothing but exemplary, and this is evident when I speak to event organisers and they tell me how much they rely on Team Nila to not just be there to support, but also in how you portray the team spirit behind Team Nila. 
   3. Recently, Team Nila also stepped up to support the Turkey earthquake relief efforts, making sure that you made your impact not just in Singapore but also for those in need outside Singapore, by packing and sorting donation items. And it is very heartening to see your contributions to society extend beyond Singapore and the realm of sports.

The role of sports volunteerism in bridging divides

4. What Team Nila stands for – what it means, who you are – is especially important for all Singaporeans.
   1. You have seen first-hand while supporting events, what a difference sports can make to bring people together – from different communities, races, religions, social backgrounds, it does not matter.
      1. Sports create that platform for us to interact with one another – your friends, your neighbours, fellow Singaporeans, people who live in Singapore, coming together as one community.
      2. It also helps to build resilience and strengthen our own identity as we rally together behind our athletes, as we share in their successes and empathise with them in their defeats.
      3. We are the voice behind these athletes, we lift them up when they are down, and I think that makes a tremendous difference to TeamSG.
5. In today’s world, it is easier to create and widen divisions, to fight about our differences, to accentuate fault lines.
   1. And that is why it is even more important that we have a force like Team Nila – regardless of ethnicity, nationality, religion, social background, age, or where you come from. It does not matter.
   2. The external stressors that come and try to tear our social fabric apart, the resistance is in a force like Team Nila. For example, during the pandemic, if it was not managed, could have become much more difficult for Singapore and those who live in it.
   3. But a force like Team Nila, as I said just now, during the pandemic in 2022, when we were still worried about our own health, Team Nila stepped out there to support our sporting events.
6. What Team Nila has been doing through sports volunteerism is particularly unique and especially important in fostering a sense of identity and belonging in this community.
   1. Team Nila volunteers give their time, energy, wholeheartedness, and spirit, to bring sports to different communities, making sports accessible, available, and inclusive for everyone in Singapore.

   Recognising our dedicated Team Nila volunteers

7. Over 305 Team Nila volunteers achieved the Gold, Silver and Bronze awards for their contributions last year.
   1. These awards are given to those who clocked more than 360, 180, and 90 volunteering hours, respectively.
   2. This is close to 1.5 times the total number of awards given out in 2022.
   3. We had the pandemic but this shows you that we have not just come back, but we have come back even stronger than before.
8. To name one of our many volunteers, we have Mr David Lawe. David is an avid runner and is one of our Gold Award recipients. He contributed 635 hours an inspiration.
   1. At the 2022 Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon, as the Team Nila leader, he was assisting in the operations, management, and engagement of Team Nila volunteers.
   2. At last year’s NDP, he volunteered weekly for close to 4 months as a member of the One Team Singapore Marching Contingent, representing Sport Singapore.
   3. Thank you very much, David.
9. Team Nila’s contributions in the fight against COVID-19 helped us pulled through as a country, as a society, and we are stronger after the pandemic than we were before. 
   1. And I am very proud of that because I know that it is not just the Government, it is also people like you – volunteers in the community working together, bringing people together, looking after them, and making sure they feel safe.
   2. For that, Team Nila was awarded the President’s Certificate of Commendation (COVID-19). Congratulations to all the Team Nila volunteers.
   3. In addition, four sport volunteers were also awarded the Public Service Medal (COVID-19). Congratulations to all of you.
10. This year, we will have a new Team Nila award – the Biggest Heart Award. This award will be presented to an individual who has gone out of their way to help someone in their time of weakness who needed assistance and stepping up to look after them.
11. Mr Naren personifies the Biggest Heart Award best. Naren has been the face of giving back through sports and his actions can be seen in not just sports but his various contributions to the community.
    1. Being part of the facilitator team for the Toa Payoh Family Sport Camp 2022, engaging Toa Payoh residents during a 2-day, 1-night family camp;
    2. Engaging residents weekly at Queenstown Sport Centre in a series of dance workouts and football fun for Queenstown Sporting Friday; and
    3. Regularly volunteering for Queenstown Active Farming, helping to grow and harvest vegetables from the community farm to give back to residents in need.
    4. So sustainably growing food, football, sports, volunteerism and dancing – I cannot think of a better winner of the inaugural Biggest Heart Award.
12. Not only are our Team Nila volunteers very generous with their time, and all of you are and for that I am very grateful. But you are also doing it wholeheartedly – you do not do it to clock the hours or because of the gold, silver or bronze awards, and you do not do it because there is an occasion like this to commemorate. You do it because you want to do it, and it comes from your heart.
    1. I understand that this year, we will also have a special award given to a volunteer with the Most Infectious Smile.
       1. This award will go to Gold award recipient Mrs Almeda Emmylou Malabanan.
       2. I think we can see why she deserves this award.

The future of sport volunteerism: growing a community of like-minded volunteers

13. I have named a few volunteers this morning, I would like to acknowledge more of you, but there are just too many for me to name, because we have grown Team Nila volunteers to about 39,000 volunteers.
    1. When I think back on the 8 years that we have had, we have done so because of a few things:
       1. We do it with a heart, we do it with a smile.
       2. We do it because people need us to be there.
       3. We do it because we have good, strong leaders thinking of what we need to be doing and organising us well. 
14. This year, we have come out of a difficult three years. In March 2020, we had COVID-19 and we were not sure what it was all about, and everyone would stay away from one another.
    1. Fast forward three years down, I think we are in a much better place because of our efforts collectively as a society.
    2. This year, as we begin to open up, as we begin to pick up with events, we can see the activities here at the Sports Hub has been tremendous. There will be more sporting programmes, more events – as I was walking in, I saw casual joggers, I saw families kicking a ball around. I am happy to see that because this is what the Sports Hub is all about. This is what we want our biggest sporting icon in Singapore to be for everyone.
    3. As we have more of these sporting events back at the Sports Hub and ActiveSG Sport Centres, I know that the energy that you bring will make a tremendous difference to all the participants coming back, to enjoy the events at our centres, and you will be there for our participants.
15. I have spoken about how sports and volunteerism can really be a force for good, and I think that all of you share that vision.
    1. I hope that we can also continue to encourage more people to do what you do: to give back, to contribute and to be that helping hand for the next person.
16. 16. Your efforts to ensure the sustainability and the vibrancy of the whole sport ecosystem,
    1. Bringing in volunteers from all backgrounds, all ages, all walks of life;
    2. and stepping up to be mentors for these volunteers, to train them to take up critical roles such as technical officials, volunteer coaches and event operators.
    3. All these are efforts that make Team Nila special.

Conclusion

17. As I conclude this morning, let me once again thank all of you from the bottom of my heart.
18. Team Nila has made a tremendous and meaningful difference – not just to Singapore’s sporting community, but to the Singapore society. You exemplify what it means to give more than you receive. You exemplify the Singapore Spirit, showcasing the power of what sports and volunteerism can do in forging new friendships and lasting bonds, and bringing everyone in Singapore together as we emerge from the pandemic.
19. As Team Nila expands its opportunities and continues to grow, I am very confident that we will see even more passionate individuals, like all of you here, stepping up as volunteers to inspire and galvanise our nation through sports and volunteerism.
20. Once again, congratulations to all the award winners. Thank you very much to every single one of you, every single one of the 39,000 volunteers. Thank you very much for making Team Nila so special.
21. Congratulations on your 8th anniversary and many more to come!