Creating Opportunity for Youth to Thrive

Thank you, Mr Speaker.

In any society, Youth is a demographic of significance. Various authorities define this group differently but suffice to say that the period of youth generally starts at the cusp of late adolescence, into the years of formal adulthood and transits to the early working life of an adult. It is the energy and gumption, the health and verve, as well as the innovation and pushing of boundaries by youths that are key to propel any society forward to the next bound.

Youths are foundation and key to a society’s future survival. Where leaders can dream, where governments can plan and policies implemented, the longer-term sustainability of such an effort will eventually fall squarely on the shoulders of youths of today, for they are the leaders of tomorrow. It must be the case that they remain rightly invested and guided in principles and values, as well as have the right capability and skills in leadership to keep society cohesive and Singapore successful. It is also from the churning belly and energy of youths that economies thrive, productivity is at its firm best and the fire of entrepreneurship lights new opportunities and growth for the country.

Youths are both the agents of social change, yet also the conduit of cultural continuity. They sometimes challenge established social norms, question the relevance of certain rules and whether some things remain important or should change. The sustenance of any language, culture, heritage and values anchor on its acceptance and willingness for active participation of youths as their torchbearers into the future, else they will vanish and left only to be admired and talked about in museums rather than lived by.

Youths, Mr Speaker, are also society’s bulwark of resilience and recovery from challenges and adversity. How a society develops its youths, the indicators of their growth, their outlook, their worldview and their ability to adapt are forward indicators of how youth as a group can weather storms, crises and turbulent times for themselves and for the country in future. How youths manage stressors today, would be a reasonable indicator of how the country manages a crisis tomorrow. How adaptable and resilient our youths are today, would be a fair measure of how the country and society tolerates uncertainty tomorrow.

If we err in developing our youths, the country suffers tomorrow. We must endeavour to get it right and we must give every opportunity for our youth to thrive. It is a national impetus.

For our youths to thrive, it must be that they are energetic, enthusiastic and optimistic about future paths of success; that there is scope for them to believe deeply that they can realise their potential to flourish, to grow and to be better versions of themselves. They must be able to find themselves in networks of trust, safety and support, enough for them to feel confident to push boundaries, to move out of their comfort zone and to take on a growth mindset.

They must feel ready to express and stand by their views for a better world for the future of their generation, yet still be prepared to stand corrected and be open to opposing ideas. There must also be a willingness to think beyond themselves and consider wider societal mores, be forgiving of setbacks and kind to well-intended failures, yet still maintain the resilience, ruggedness and fervour to go at it again and again and again.

How then do we build a youth core that is fiercely competitive, skilled, passionate and spirited when it needs to be, yet at the same time, tampering with traits of compassion, a sense of community and togetherness, mutual respect and dignity for ourselves and one another?

Mr Speaker, as part of this Adjournment Motion, I offer four areas that may benefit from the Government's emphasis to lend opportunity for our youths to thrive. First, to redefine what success means for youths. Second, to build confidence in our youths. Third, to give opportunity for youths to express their views. And fourth, to ensure our youths continue to have a strong sense of rootedness to Singapore.

Recently, on redefining success for youths, the hon Prime Minister released a video on redefining success in Singapore beyond the proverbial 5Cs. He spoke of having had the benefit of mentors, a need to recognise that people flourish at different times, that there are different pathways to success, and that there should be room for different skills, aptitudes and talents, as well as different aspirations, priorities and hopes. That there should be space for "U-turns, side steps, slowdowns, pauses, experimentation and outliers", and to "respect all forms of work and never be afraid to try".

In the Prime Minister's words, "no need to squeeze ourselves into boxes we were never meant to fit". In gist, I agree with the hon Prime Minister's view of redefining success. There is so much more that life has to offer and I have some confidence that the youths resonate with that; where there must be a plethora of pathways to find meaning and purpose in our lives as Singaporeans and our yardstick of success in life must widen beyond material gains. To hear it from the office of the Prime Minister is reassuring.

However, I would caution that at the last mile, it is important to address and reassure the youths, that as they try to follow their heart and curate their own pathway of success, and, if it so happens that they do not find themselves in the proverbial 5C boxes, that the opportunity cost of that side step and experimentation is not insurmountable.

The sustainability of this cultural and mindset shift on redefining success will hinge on the lived experience of ordinary youths and whether their families view this with the same enthusiasm or scepticism, especially from families of less privilege; one with no safety net materially or for those who have only one shot at success to uplift those around him or her, where pauses and U-turns, perhaps cost a lot more in relative terms for themselves and their families.

For this redefinition to happen, and happen well, the effort to shift must not only be taken in our schools for our students and educators, but it must also permeate through the psyche of our businesses, employers, parents and even our scholarship panels who lend opportunity to youths who wish to pursue creative and less than traditional pathways of success.

If we want youthful innovation to thrive, their exuberance and passions to take flight, and also groom their willingness for U-turns, side steps and experimentation, then, as a society, some reassurance needs to be there, that it is okay to bruise once in a while, that it is okay to misstep and tumble, as long as there is safety net such that you are not falling the full flight of stairs and risking too much at a time of yourself and the needs of your family.

Emerging into the hallways of adulthood, or "adulting" as the youths say, our youths are restless about their futures, too. Notwithstanding their idealism and passion, they take a pragmatic view of their circumstances in that their passions are not necessarily sacred cows, especially when balanced against the rising costs of living, the responsibility to put food on the table and the need to care for their families, dependants and children.

If we can provide assurance that there is value, that there is an amelioration of some risk and a provision of safety to explore beyond the traditional measures of success, it will go some way to pivot our youths to go into paths less travelled.

Second, on building confidence for our youths, I was struck by the recent findings of the 2022 Programme for International Student Assessment award by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) through the press release of the Ministry of Education on 18 June. Relevant to us specifically, our students have attained pole position in terms of Mathematics, Reading and Science and, this round, we also topped the matrices for Creative Thinking. In another global study comparing global reading literacy levels in Primary 4 students, our students topped the Progress in International Literacy Study last year.

What is striking though is that despite our articulated strong ability and high levels of creative thinking, the same press release also noted that there is a dissonance in our students' objective measured abilities versus their belief and confidence in their abilities and own creativity. In essence, even though we topped the class or the cohort internationally, the level of self-confidence we have in ourselves is captured as being less than the OECD average, and not commensurate with the strengths that we have.

Mr Speaker, while I qualify that these studies are school-based at a younger age group and do not necessarily capture the youth audience in general, it is something that is worth addressing.

It is not the case that I am advocating for us to toot our horns or be haughty about our achievements. To be hungry for more and not be blinded by success keeps us on our toes, and a good dose of humility keeps us grounded as a country, for there are other things we are deficient and needful of.

However, there is scope for us to develop better confidence and optimism in our youths in their ability and standing in the world today and being raised from an education system that is world-class, by educators who care, and through a work ethic and culture that is resilient and robust. Arguably, the early education indicators suggest that all things being equal, our youths can compete more widely against the world and will do well.

If we wish for our youths to thrive, an important part of this narrative must be that they, too, are able to value themselves in alignment with their abilities, that they are encouraged to stand and be counted as youths of potential, and that they are allowed to recognise and be excited about the prospect of success well beyond our shores and the global opportunities at their doorstep.

Only then will we be able to realise the full strength and potential of an education system we have invested so much in and restore the confidence, optimism and self-belief for our youths to thrive. Our youths can take heart that they start from a position of strength and can rightly have some latitude to feel confident and be positive of their abilities, to not fret the small stuff and that they have it in themselves to be resilient in the face of any uncertainty that the world may bring.

Third, on giving opportunity for youths to express their views, we live in a world today that is so interconnected that it is impossible to ignore what happens around us, whether in our neighbourhoods, locally or from a place far away. Our youths are digital natives and their calibration of social proximity, networks and friendships are not the same as the generations before. They devour news online, are open to the influences of the world and care about the happenings around them. They want to make a difference and be a helpful citizen of Singapore and also to the world.

Our youths are exposed to global trends and happenings very quickly and sometimes graphically so. They have views, some stronger and more passionate than others, about many things, whether it be about climate change and environmental concerns, wars raging and people needlessly dying around the world, as well as strong views on issues relating to inequality, mental well-being, the construct of family and sexuality, drug habits and intergenerational differences.

If we want our youths to thrive, for them to be raised with a global outlook and have a fire in the belly to think critically and creatively about the world around them, then it must come with a willingness for us to lend opportunity for them to express their thoughts and lend their voice as, together, we knit the social fabric that is Singapore.

More so than having a seat at the table for youths to share their concerns as a member of society invested in our collective future, when youths express their views, it allows them a further exercise of having to know one another, to acknowledge diversity of worldviews, locally and overseas, and then further celebrate that diversity.

It is also an exercise for our youths to develop skills for difficult conversations, to develop a readiness to be corrected and to appreciate that we all have our blind spots coming from our respective social, cultural and religious traditions. It is then incumbent on us to create spaces and allow platforms for youths to feel comfortable and confident in the expression of their views, whether they be in agreement and support, or disdain and frustration, over the status quo.

As the world becomes more diverse, layered and complex, a youth core skilled in negotiating difficult decisions respectfully, interacting with differences of opinion calmly and achieving common intent pragmatically, will be a distinctive trait to a world becoming more and more polarised.

Finally, Mr Speaker, even as I wish for our youths to thrive, to chase their pathways of success and to be confident in themselves, I share my genuine worry that it will all come to naught if we cannot root their hearts here with us to call Singapore home.

The world is getting smaller, the search for talent is stiff and our youths, too, are very much sought after and valued. Youths are more mobile than the generations before, and we do want them to seize the opportunities globally and be well-travelled, but yet, still maintain strong ties and roots back home.

In this space, we must make an effort to build greater social connectedness, as well as civic participation and affiliation in our youths that stand the test of time and the allure of opportunities beyond our shores. It is less a question of dollars and cents, and more of how connected they are back to Singapore.

We want them to see this red dot as a place to build families, raise children and as a safe and a secure place to live and play; for our youths to feel that this is the place that allows them to flourish and grow, for them to have confidence in our public institutions, and for them to care deeply about Singapore and that Singapore cares deeply for them as well.

This can only be had by a strengthening of national identity, collective experiences through school, work, National Service and a social connectedness to family, friends and the way of life here. These are things that are intangible, are less than formulaic, take decades to build and require a combined function of social policy, leadership and pragmatism that cut across all sectors, whether they be public, people or private sectors.

This also allows a virtuous cycle of thriving youths who turn into leaders of tomorrow who care for the country and then create opportunity for the society and youths of tomorrow to thrive in turn.

In closing, Mr Speaker, my Adjournment Motion speaks to how the Government must create opportunity for youths to thrive in our midst. Today, it is anchored under the Ministry of Culture Community and Youth (MCCY), more specifically with the National Youth Council, and rightly so. However, in terms of actionable steps, the youth agenda could be palpable more widely. It should percolate through to how we curate policy, with youths as an enabling consideration and part of the nation's sustainability plan for our future.

The firm anchor and starting point of youth development remains in terms of early accessibility to education, not just in terms of academics alone but also for the development of character, values and self-confidence, as well as starting all our children with the correct and equitable footing to begin their lives.

However, beyond access to school and education, might we be able to consider other aspects of support and imagine different solutions that contribute to a thriving ecosystem for our youths? For example, when the Ministry of Trade and Industry and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs engage our overseas counterparts diplomatically, could we be more deliberate in expanding areas of collaboration specific for our youth base to thrive and find opportunities, too, especially in emerging markets, such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), India, China, the Middle East and perhaps, even in less chartered pathways, in Africa and South America?

Could perhaps the Ministry of Manpower's policies be more permissive to support employment efforts for youths to do side steps and nudge employers to consider youth development in other areas and yet find a way that it could also be sustainable for businesses in the longer term?

And would, perhaps, MSF and MCCY consider community and social support for our youths who may come from underprivileged families, to afford them some stability, assuage their concerns and lend them confidence to still push ahead, to take that leap for an overseas internship, apprenticeship or work opportunity?

In the spirit of youthful exuberance, Mr Speaker, where there are opportunities to be had, where the step is pragmatic and where the floor of support is reasonable and reassuring, most youths would leap at half a chance to give it a go.

It is my firm belief that, if we do it right, it is possible for our youths to flourish, compete, give of their best and thrive, grazing in the pastures of the world, yet remain rooted here in this little red dot we call home.