Youths can be the force that drives social good in Singapore

Distinguished guests,

Ladies and gentlemen,

1. A very good evening to all of you. Today, I am excited to be here among so many inspiring young people who have dedicated themselves to making contributions to our community.

2. My congratulations to Cohort 2 and 3 Youth Corps. After this ceremony, you will be known as Youth Corps Leaders – this marks a new milestone in your journey to serve the community.

Role of the youth in building a cohesive and caring Singapore

3. Indeed, our Youth Corps Leaders have shown that youths can and have an important role in building a cohesive and caring Singapore.

4. Many Singaporeans take pride in our social harmony and cohesiveness. But there are many challenges for Singapore. Our economy will not grow as fast as it did before. Our population is ageing; and more Singaporeans, including the younger ones, are venturing overseas. We are also seeing more instances of extremism and terrorism around the world. Tensions exist between ourselves, foreigners and local communities, and between the haves and have-nots.

5. All these can create tensions in our society and divide us along the lines of socio-economic status, race and religion, and so on. Against these challenges, can we still retain a strong sense of national identity and belonging? Will we remain united and stay rooted to Singapore?

6. Our youths have a key role to play in meeting these challenges. Our Youth Corps Leaders, in particular, are role models. In your community projects, you engage community partners, mobilise volunteers, and reach out to beneficiaries, more than 6,000 in total. Through your efforts, you have touched the lives and hearts of people from all walks of life. You can be the force that drives social good that will bind our society together.

7. Allow me to share two of your projects that have made a positive impact on the lives of beneficiaries. Team Doraemons (from cohort 3) partnered with MINDS to conduct a gift exchange during last Christmas and this Chinese New Year. The Team engaged residents in Tampines to contribute a gift item to MINDS, which serves people with special needs. The residents received a handmade gift from MINDS clients in return.

8. The Team also rallied over 50 volunteers to distribute socks, a symbol of support for Down Syndrome, in an awareness campaign along Orchard Road. Through this project, Team Doraemons has bonded us with persons with special needs, and showed us how we can be a more inclusive society.

9. Team Meraki (from cohort 3) came up with a financial literacy programme for vulnerable families living in temporary shelters under Lakeside Family Services. The Team conducted workshops to share basic financial knowledge and encouraged the families to take up good savings habits. Through this project, the families are now better able to save for their future, and build a more permanent home.

Creating opportunities and supporting our youth leaders

10. The Youth Corps Leaders programme shows how much the youths in Singapore can and want to serve the community. So we are continually creating opportunities to support you and other young leaders in your endeavours.

11. Earlier this year, we opened The Red Box. I am glad many of you have been using this open space to gather and exchange ideas. Through the 'Teh Tarik Sessions', you have explored community issues and hatched project ideas.

12. We also started the “Common Space for Common Good” initiative, where you can tap on public spaces such as hawker centres, parks and void decks, to develop projects that benefit the local community.

13. If you want to turn your project ideas into reality, we have a variety of funds and grants to help you, such as the Pay-It-Forward Award, which is specifically for new community projects.

14. We have also been enhancing the Youth Corps Leaders programme, to better meet the needs of aspiring youth leaders and the community. We have introduced a few new components, including a series of insights lectures and activities, where youth leaders can look forward to more immersive activities to get deeper exposure to Singapore's social and community issues.

15. We have also opened new ways for more youths to enter the leaders programme through partnership with institutions. The Youth Corps Leaders programme started from an annual intake of 200 youth leaders, comprising good mix of youths from students of different Institutes of Higher Learning, National Servicemen, and working adults. The desire is to grow this to 1,000 youth leaders by 2018.

Start of a new journey to contribute and inspire

16. As its name suggests, this commencement ceremony is not the end, but the start of a new journey to make a positive difference and inspire others. Let me share four ways you can contribute immediately.

17. Initiate new community projects to benefit the community. The Commencement video just now talked about Owen (from Cohort 2) and his community project as an Aspirant. As a newly–minted Youth Corps Leader, Owen has kick-started a new project, which he has affectionately named “Project Jiak Simi”. He has put together a team of volunteers, and they are visiting seniors in Thong Teck Home, befriending them and taking them out for meals regularly. To many of us, this eating out may not be something special; but for the seniors at the Home, being able to go out to enjoy their favourite dishes means a lot to them.

18. Be a volunteer coordinator and be empowered to facilitate volunteering experiences for Youth Corps Members. Xiaolong (from cohort 2) took on this role, and together with fellow volunteers, brought children from low-income families on The National Heritage Board's SG50 Jubilee Walk in a “A Walk to Remember” project. Abbas and Serene (from Cohort 1) are also leading fellow volunteers in the Yolden Programme, a regular service programme under Youth Corps, to befriend seniors through physiotherapy sessions.

19. Mentor the future cohorts of youth leaders, and share your learning with your juniors. Kenneth and Ching Siang (from cohort 1) completed their Leaders Programme last year, and are Assistant Mentors with cohort 3. Five more Leaders from cohort 2 are also now Assistant Mentors with Cohort 4.

20. Join various interest-based groups, such as the Youth Corps Ambassadors team, and reach out to new Youth Corps members.

21. Importantly, stay in touch with one another and with Youth Corps. You have all shared a unique experience and forged strong friendships during the programme.

Conclusion

22. Finally, I would also like to thank the parents and friends, the Youth Corps staff, mentors and community partners. You are the support pillars who have made it possible for our youths to embark on this journey. I am sure all of you are proud of what the Leaders have accomplished.

23. As we celebrate Singapore's 51st birthday, we have entered the first year in the next lap towards SG100. I invite you, Leaders, to lead your peers to build a stronger and better Singapore for the next 50 years.

24. I would also like to paraphrase a quote that a gentleman has shared with me. Singapore can be a very small red dot, we are a small country, but let's show the rest of the world how big our visions can be, and how big-hearted we can be.

25. As we look forward to our 51st birthday, you are the pioneering generation for the next 50 years. When we celebrate SG100 you will look back and say, “These are my legacies, it is with my effort that Singapore has become what it is today. It has become a much better Singapore, and this is my contribution to my beloved country.”

26. Congratulations and once again, keep in touch with Youth Corps Singapore and hope to see you around in the community soon.