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28.04.2011 Youths in Singapore
This may be the last long note that I will post before the heat goes up further as we press on in our campaign, and I hope to return to this scene thereafter. And because of the competition for time, here are some of my brief thoughts about youths which I hope to share with you.
*Before I begin, I would like to thank my friends who have shown and offered your support, especially to the group, whom I knew in my past involvement at National Youth Forum and grassroots. Thank you for walking with me on the ground day and night. As youths, we believed in the power of action and that through our actions on the ground, we will create real and positive impact on the community, on Singapore.
******
In my own experience on the ground interacting with different groups of youths, what concerns the youths most is our future. We have our aspirations. We want to be dreamers of the day, not just the night. We want to look at our future and not ask why but why not?
When I was part of the youth organizing committee of the 5th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Youth (AMMY V), I proposed the 4 “E”s which formed the themes of the youth caucus that followed. The 4 “E”s were “Education”, “Employment”, “Environment” and “Engagement”. Whilst these were proposed based on what I observed to be the top concerns and interests of youth back in late 2006, I think these still remain largely true today. Allow me to share a little more.
Education
Considering that a large proportion of our youths are still schooling, education is naturally a key area of interest to youths.
Education is a critical enabler for our young and a leveler for all Singaporeans. It equips us with the skills and knowledge necessary to excel and stay competitive, wherever we may be and in whatever we may be doing. It is also a leveler as it serves to empower children, regardless of their family backgrounds, to learn and compete fairly with their peers.
While I believe Singaporeans generally will agree that education is important, some may find pursuing an education in Singapore difficult. I couldn’t agree more. Some families simply do not have the means, financially or otherwise, to send their children to school. The problem is multi-faceted.
Just to share my personal experiences, when I was still serving in Ulu Pandan, I was part of the PCF education sub-committee. Children’s attendance at the PCF was monitored very closely and children who have been missing classes would be identified. We do so as we want to make sure that our children are able to have good access to education since young, so that they can enjoy an equal head start. Following up on some of these children who have been missing classes, we conducted regular house visits to find out the reason(s) for continued absence and to ensure that the families understand the importance of education for their young ones. One of my own observations was that these children were mainly from low income families and they were not prevented from school because of fees (some were paying as low as $2 on average after subsidies such as ComCare Grow and PCF HeadStart Fund), but that there was simply nobody who can fetch them to and from school. The direct solution to this is to find social support to help bring the children to school (e.g., childcare centres or getting volunteers to help fetch the children). However, more importantly, the parents need to believe in education for their children – in one family’s case for instance, the mother is not working but she would rather spend time on herself than to send her child to school. There is much we can provide to assist, but more fundamentally, the families need to also believe in education.
Through the course of volunteering at Meet-the-People Sessions, I had met with residents who approached for financial help to put their children through tertiary education. The families pinned their hopes on their children. They hoped that once their children have graduated, they will be able to fetch higher income than the parents’ did and therefore, raise the quality of life for all in the family. In such instances, it is important that we provide financial assistances and bursary awards to help them cope with the cost of education. We must provide such support in a timely manner so that the children can focus on their studies and make the best out of it. So far, the government, institutions and various self help organizations (e.g., CDAC, Sinda and Mendaki) have been proactively offering financial assistances to children from needy families and financial awards to deserving children with good academic performances. However, while these provide much relief to low income families, those from middle income families may still feel the pressure. This is a difficult consideration – where do we draw the line in terms of who is considered low income and who is considered middle income? At some point, the line needs to be drawn and assistance to these two groups needs to be calibrated differently. For those below the “line”, they can be sure that they have strong social assistance to fall back on; for those above, they can get some relief from other indirect government initiatives such as personal income tax rebates and Edusave top ups, which would alleviate some of the pressures they face.
Therefore, in my opinion, education remains a critical area that we must focus on for our youths. It is our key to our future and we need to make sure that our youths, regardless of backgrounds, have fair access to good education.
Employment
For youths who are graduating or have graduated from school, employment is certainly one of our key focuses. As a working youth, I too have ambitions at work and I, like many of my peers, want to have a meaningful career with good prospects.
Our generation of youths – Gen Y, are significantly different from the Gen X and Baby Boomers when they were youths. For instance, for Baby Boomers, their first job would most likely be their career for life. For Gen Y, our thinking is different. We seek meaning in the things that we do and we seek meaning in the work we are employed for. There will be some who simply take up a job just for the dough, but many look for more than just the dough. We want development opportunities. We want to be given training and opportunities that allow us to learn and hone our skills so that we remain competitive. Essentially, we want to be better placed for our future.
Therefore, we are certainly more receptive to changing employment so that we have better prospects, exposure and learning opportunities. This is the trend and we need to embrace this trend. While some employers may vex over retention of staff, especially those who have had some experience and were trained, this may not be a bad thing after all. So far, we have been promoting diversity and to me, this is one aspect of diversity. As one moves around from organization to organization and from one industry to another, one brings along a fresh perspective and added experiences which the employer may benefit from. And for the individual, well, it is a freedom and a right that we exercise in pursuing a better future for ourselves. So it’s all good. However, one thing that we should guard against is the risk of a gradual erosion of values such as loyalty and commitment. In my opinion, I think as we pursue a better future for ourselves, we need to also consider our decisions very carefully and make sure that the decisions we make are indeed the best ones for the long term.
Environment
This is an area that I am not an expert in and I will refrain from commenting much. What I would state is my general observation in this area. Our youths have an innate sense of justice and we want to do good for everyone around us. Hence, I see more and more youths being interested in understanding our environment and wanting to do more to protect our environment, which we will need to live and thrive in for many years to come. One successful example is that of a friend, Wilson Ang, who championed for ECO Singapore. I have observed that it grew steadily over the years and sustained as a non-profit social enterprise for more than 8 years now. This is a feat and I believe it wouldn’t have been possible if not for the support from youths and their dedication to make this work.
Engagement
Engaging youths is a very important critical success factor in rejuvenating and sustaining our community and country. We have a strong foundation built by the generations before us and we will need to take over the baton at some point. In fact, we need to get prepared soon as it takes years to cultivate a generation of leaders.
In engaging youths, there are different means and causes through which we can do so. There are many platforms (online and offline) for engagement and discussions, but the more important thing is to go beyond discussions and take actions on the ideas discussed. We should also engage our youths through various interests. There are a few areas of interest that youths typically have. Sports is one area and the other is community.
I will talk a little about community. Again, back to the point that our youths have an innate sense of justice and wanting to do good for everyone around us, I have observed how strongly students feel in wanting to help those who are less privileged. In the past 7 years in grassroots, I have met many students who have volunteered with us. They are often drawn to stay back longer than they were expected to as they feel that they are contributing meaningfully to the society. I have seen students “competing” to organize camps for children from underprivileged families, youths who have initiated and successfully pulled off a regular education programme for children from underprivileged families and youths who want to help the elderly. This is a very encouraging scene and we must continue to promote and support this passion that our youths have. If anything, the common challenges our youths face are (1) resources, (2) guidance and (3) encouragement.
In almost any projects that we do, lack of resources or lack of awareness of resources available typically are barriers to youths in implementing their ideas. We should continue to encourage youths and provide them a platform to try their best and help them learn. Sometimes, it is alright to fail but the more important thing is to pick yourself up and press on. There are many initiatives from the National Youth Council which can help support and empower youths who face challenges such as the lack of resources or guidance. One such scheme is the Young ChangeMaker, which offers both resources and mentorship to youth initiatives.
In conclusion, I think our Singaporean youths are not apathetic. It is simply a choice we make in terms of channeling our energy to where we think will make the most impact on those around us. We know we have a stake in Singapore and we want to make sure we have a say in it. More importantly, I know many youths are prepared to take action to make ideas a reality and for the betterment of us all. I believed and continue to believe that our generation will build upon those solid foundations that Singapore’s founding fathers had fought for us, and co-create a future for us all in Singapore.
This may be the last long note that I will post before the heat goes up further as we press on in our campaign, and I hope to return to this scene thereafter. And because of the competition for time, here are some of my brief thoughts about youths which I hope to share with you.
*Before I begin, I would like to thank my friends who have shown and offered your support, especially to the group, whom I knew in my past involvement at National Youth Forum and grassroots. Thank you for walking with me on the ground day and night. As youths, we believed in the power of action and that through our actions on the ground, we will create real and positive impact on the community, on Singapore.
******
In my own experience on the ground interacting with different groups of youths, what concerns the youths most is our future. We have our aspirations. We want to be dreamers of the day, not just the night. We want to look at our future and not ask why but why not?
When I was part of the youth organizing committee of the 5th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Youth (AMMY V), I proposed the 4 “E”s which formed the themes of the youth caucus that followed. The 4 “E”s were “Education”, “Employment”, “Environment” and “Engagement”. Whilst these were proposed based on what I observed to be the top concerns and interests of youth back in late 2006, I think these still remain largely true today. Allow me to share a little more.
Education
Considering that a large proportion of our youths are still schooling, education is naturally a key area of interest to youths.
Education is a critical enabler for our young and a leveler for all Singaporeans. It equips us with the skills and knowledge necessary to excel and stay competitive, wherever we may be and in whatever we may be doing. It is also a leveler as it serves to empower children, regardless of their family backgrounds, to learn and compete fairly with their peers.
While I believe Singaporeans generally will agree that education is important, some may find pursuing an education in Singapore difficult. I couldn’t agree more. Some families simply do not have the means, financially or otherwise, to send their children to school. The problem is multi-faceted.
Just to share my personal experiences, when I was still serving in Ulu Pandan, I was part of the PCF education sub-committee. Children’s attendance at the PCF was monitored very closely and children who have been missing classes would be identified. We do so as we want to make sure that our children are able to have good access to education since young, so that they can enjoy an equal head start. Following up on some of these children who have been missing classes, we conducted regular house visits to find out the reason(s) for continued absence and to ensure that the families understand the importance of education for their young ones. One of my own observations was that these children were mainly from low income families and they were not prevented from school because of fees (some were paying as low as $2 on average after subsidies such as ComCare Grow and PCF HeadStart Fund), but that there was simply nobody who can fetch them to and from school. The direct solution to this is to find social support to help bring the children to school (e.g., childcare centres or getting volunteers to help fetch the children). However, more importantly, the parents need to believe in education for their children – in one family’s case for instance, the mother is not working but she would rather spend time on herself than to send her child to school. There is much we can provide to assist, but more fundamentally, the families need to also believe in education.
Through the course of volunteering at Meet-the-People Sessions, I had met with residents who approached for financial help to put their children through tertiary education. The families pinned their hopes on their children. They hoped that once their children have graduated, they will be able to fetch higher income than the parents’ did and therefore, raise the quality of life for all in the family. In such instances, it is important that we provide financial assistances and bursary awards to help them cope with the cost of education. We must provide such support in a timely manner so that the children can focus on their studies and make the best out of it. So far, the government, institutions and various self help organizations (e.g., CDAC, Sinda and Mendaki) have been proactively offering financial assistances to children from needy families and financial awards to deserving children with good academic performances. However, while these provide much relief to low income families, those from middle income families may still feel the pressure. This is a difficult consideration – where do we draw the line in terms of who is considered low income and who is considered middle income? At some point, the line needs to be drawn and assistance to these two groups needs to be calibrated differently. For those below the “line”, they can be sure that they have strong social assistance to fall back on; for those above, they can get some relief from other indirect government initiatives such as personal income tax rebates and Edusave top ups, which would alleviate some of the pressures they face.
Therefore, in my opinion, education remains a critical area that we must focus on for our youths. It is our key to our future and we need to make sure that our youths, regardless of backgrounds, have fair access to good education.
Employment
For youths who are graduating or have graduated from school, employment is certainly one of our key focuses. As a working youth, I too have ambitions at work and I, like many of my peers, want to have a meaningful career with good prospects.
Our generation of youths – Gen Y, are significantly different from the Gen X and Baby Boomers when they were youths. For instance, for Baby Boomers, their first job would most likely be their career for life. For Gen Y, our thinking is different. We seek meaning in the things that we do and we seek meaning in the work we are employed for. There will be some who simply take up a job just for the dough, but many look for more than just the dough. We want development opportunities. We want to be given training and opportunities that allow us to learn and hone our skills so that we remain competitive. Essentially, we want to be better placed for our future.
Therefore, we are certainly more receptive to changing employment so that we have better prospects, exposure and learning opportunities. This is the trend and we need to embrace this trend. While some employers may vex over retention of staff, especially those who have had some experience and were trained, this may not be a bad thing after all. So far, we have been promoting diversity and to me, this is one aspect of diversity. As one moves around from organization to organization and from one industry to another, one brings along a fresh perspective and added experiences which the employer may benefit from. And for the individual, well, it is a freedom and a right that we exercise in pursuing a better future for ourselves. So it’s all good. However, one thing that we should guard against is the risk of a gradual erosion of values such as loyalty and commitment. In my opinion, I think as we pursue a better future for ourselves, we need to also consider our decisions very carefully and make sure that the decisions we make are indeed the best ones for the long term.
Environment
This is an area that I am not an expert in and I will refrain from commenting much. What I would state is my general observation in this area. Our youths have an innate sense of justice and we want to do good for everyone around us. Hence, I see more and more youths being interested in understanding our environment and wanting to do more to protect our environment, which we will need to live and thrive in for many years to come. One successful example is that of a friend, Wilson Ang, who championed for ECO Singapore. I have observed that it grew steadily over the years and sustained as a non-profit social enterprise for more than 8 years now. This is a feat and I believe it wouldn’t have been possible if not for the support from youths and their dedication to make this work.
Engagement
Engaging youths is a very important critical success factor in rejuvenating and sustaining our community and country. We have a strong foundation built by the generations before us and we will need to take over the baton at some point. In fact, we need to get prepared soon as it takes years to cultivate a generation of leaders.
In engaging youths, there are different means and causes through which we can do so. There are many platforms (online and offline) for engagement and discussions, but the more important thing is to go beyond discussions and take actions on the ideas discussed. We should also engage our youths through various interests. There are a few areas of interest that youths typically have. Sports is one area and the other is community.
I will talk a little about community. Again, back to the point that our youths have an innate sense of justice and wanting to do good for everyone around us, I have observed how strongly students feel in wanting to help those who are less privileged. In the past 7 years in grassroots, I have met many students who have volunteered with us. They are often drawn to stay back longer than they were expected to as they feel that they are contributing meaningfully to the society. I have seen students “competing” to organize camps for children from underprivileged families, youths who have initiated and successfully pulled off a regular education programme for children from underprivileged families and youths who want to help the elderly. This is a very encouraging scene and we must continue to promote and support this passion that our youths have. If anything, the common challenges our youths face are (1) resources, (2) guidance and (3) encouragement.
In almost any projects that we do, lack of resources or lack of awareness of resources available typically are barriers to youths in implementing their ideas. We should continue to encourage youths and provide them a platform to try their best and help them learn. Sometimes, it is alright to fail but the more important thing is to pick yourself up and press on. There are many initiatives from the National Youth Council which can help support and empower youths who face challenges such as the lack of resources or guidance. One such scheme is the Young ChangeMaker, which offers both resources and mentorship to youth initiatives.
In conclusion, I think our Singaporean youths are not apathetic. It is simply a choice we make in terms of channeling our energy to where we think will make the most impact on those around us. We know we have a stake in Singapore and we want to make sure we have a say in it. More importantly, I know many youths are prepared to take action to make ideas a reality and for the betterment of us all. I believed and continue to believe that our generation will build upon those solid foundations that Singapore’s founding fathers had fought for us, and co-create a future for us all in Singapore.
