Opportunities for Youths to Have Meaningful Conversations within Their Neighbourhoods

Mr Christopher de Souza asked the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth what platforms and opportunities are currently available for our youths to have meaningful conversations and build community within their neighbourhood.

This response to Mr Christopher de Souza will also address a related question filed by Mr Christopher de Souza for a subsequent Sitting.

The Government works closely with our partners to provide platforms and opportunities for our youths to contribute to causes they care about and shape the future of our nation.

At the community level, the People’s Association (PA) empowers our youths to be involved, such as through the PA Youth Movement and the Youth Chapters of the PA Residents’ Networks. These initiatives provide opportunities for our youths to work on community projects.

This is complemented by ground-up initiatives such as KampungKakis, which connects youths and seniors, and Good Hood, an online network for neighbours to connect and help one another.

At the national level, we have been expanding opportunities for our youths to contribute to policy development, including through the Youth Panels. Our recent Youth Policy Forum provided over 1,000 participants the opportunity to discuss issues that our youths care about – financial resilience, jobs, digital well-being, and sustainability. Our National Youth Council (NYC) also runs programmes such as Our Singapore Leadership Programme and NYC Leaders Course, which bring youth leaders together to gain a deeper understanding of Singapore’s policy considerations.

Beyond conversations and policy discussions, we are empowering our youths to turn their ideas into action, through programmes such as NYC’s Youth Action Challenge, which has supported about 1,000 youths to develop over 280 initiatives. Our Youth Corps Singapore too, has enabled about 6,000 youths to volunteer for meaningful causes at home and abroad.

We are also giving our youths the tools to be the best versions of themselves, in line with the Forward Singapore vision to embrace wider definitions of success.

First, we are evolving our approach to education. We are providing multiple pathways for our students. Our secondary schools implemented Full Subject-based Banding this year to cater to the different strengths and interests of our students. Through the Direct School Admission, students can progress to their preferred schools through an alternative pathway that recognises their diverse talents and achievements.

Second, we are giving youths more support to navigate and thrive in a complex world. Youths tell us they would like more support as they navigate through life transitions, such as moving from school to work, or when making decisions about their careers. That is why we launched the Mentoring SG movement, to develop a culture of mentoring to support youths as they navigate their future.

Since its launch in December 2022, Mentoring SG has expanded its outreach. It has engaged over 2,500 skilled mentors and more than 6,000 youths, to connect youths from all backgrounds to networks and resources.

Third, we are helping our youths to develop their potential in different fields, including sports and the arts. In sports, we are enhancing support to our national athletes through a new spexEducation scholarship, increasing the allowances for our spex athletes, and working with companies through spexBusiness to open viable career paths for our athletes during and even after their sporting careers.

In the arts, we are providing more pathways for youths to pursue an arts education and make a career of it. Youths keen on the arts or who want to test their creative ideas can do so with our vibrant creative arts communities at *SCAPE. The School of the Arts has also been supporting youths who want to pursue an education in the arts, and so too the University of the Arts Singapore, for youths to pursue arts at a higher level. At this year’s National Day Rally, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced that the Government will subsidise Singaporean students studying at the University of the Arts Singapore at the same level as students attending other Autonomous Universities.

Just last week, the President announced that the refreshed President’s Challenge will extend its focus to support the arts and sports as fields for nurturing potential, especially among the less advantaged. This will be another avenue to support our youths to pursue diverse pathways and aspirations, especially those who start with greater odds.

The Government is committed to expand the space and opportunities for our youths to be the best version of themselves. This will require all of us – parents, friends, mentors, and employers, to believe in and support them on their journey, particularly on a road less taken.