PROGRAMMES FOR YOUTH

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PROGRAMMES FOR YOUTH

34.

Ms Braema Mathiaparanam asked the Acting Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports (a) what plans are in store to engage our youths; (b) what is the budget for these plans; and (c) what will be, if any, the budgetary and resource-allocation impact on other programmes run by the Ministry.

Dr Vivian Balakrishnan: In his National Day Rally Speech, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has articulated the vision of Singapore for youth – that we want to be a society where youth are given wings and roots. Wings to gain experience in the global arena, and to decide their own goals and destinies. Roots to strengthen their ties to Singapore, to motivate them to contribute in whatever way they can, and to make a difference to this nation. So with wings they can fly all over the world, yet remain connected to Singapore and call it home.

To achieve this vision, we need to engage our youth and empower them to be active citizens. My Ministry has just launched a six-week consultation programme, "Youth:

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Creating Our Future". In this exercise, young Singaporeans are invited to share their aspirations for themselves, the community, and Singapore, and how we can work together to make these aspirations come true.

In the firsttwo weeks of the consultation exercise, we have received more than 500* comments and suggestions through emails, SMS-es, telephone calls and faxes. On top of this, we are conducting focus group discussions and forums with different segments of the post-independence generation to gather diverse perspectives and ideas. The experience thus far has been very encouraging with youth displaying their desire to be part of this exciting process. These perspectives and ideas would help my Ministry to formulate appropriate action plans and initiatives to get youth informed, engaged, excited and involved. This will add on to our existing initiatives that were announced during the Committee of Supply for my Ministry earlier this year.

It is premature to discuss resources as we are currently still in the process of consultation and gathering views. Following this, we will do a review of existing programmes, and develop appropriate new strategies and programmes. We will work out the required resources then. I understand that MOF will consider any requests for additional funds rigorously but sympathetically.

I want to assure the Members of the House that even as my Ministry works on engaging and developing youth, it will not be at the expense of the other programmes that we run. The Ministry will continue to address the needs ofall Singaporeans, including the elderly, the disabled and the less well-off.

• This is based on Feedback Unit's statistics.