The New Paper AsiaOne 15 Mar 14;
Youth Corps Singapore (YCS) will have its first intake of about 200 in June.
The one-year programme will include a residential training programme that equips youths with knowledge and skills in leadership, project management and service learning.
There will also be an overseas community project in one of the regional countries and a community project in Singapore - in partnership with an NGO or community group - which would be sustainable and impactful, and meet the needs of the community.
YCS is the first national-level programme of its kind and also "a first in many steps towards more impactful youth development and engagement", Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Lawrence Wong told Parliament on Wednesday.
The initiative is meant to spur young Singaporeans to take up community work and continue to do so beyond their school years. The target is to have 6,000 volunteers each year.
"This first run will enable us to improve the design of the programme and fine-tune the working protocols with different partners. So we've brought in Outward Bound Singapore as a key partner to implement the Youth Corps and we're also looking for other community partners to be involved."
Youth Corps to start first pilot intake in June
Imelda Saad Channel NewsAsia 12 Mar 14;
SINGAPORE: Singapore's Youth Corps will have its pilot intake of about 200 in June this year, and the initiative will be launched in phases, said Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Lawrence Wong in Parliament on Wednesday.
The one-year programme will see youths embarking on local and overseas volunteering stints.
Elements in the programme will include a structured residential training programme that equips youths with knowledge and skills in leadership, project management and service learning.
Mr Wong said that there will also be an overseas community project in a regional country, as well as a community project in Singapore, undertaken in partnership with an existing non-governmental organisation (NGO) or community group.
Minister of State for National Development and board member at the National Youth Council Desmond Lee, will chair an advisory committee comprising youth leaders to guide the development of the programme.
After the pilot run, more applications will be opened up later in the year.
Mr Wong said the selection process is rigorous, but the aim is to recruit youths from diverse backgrounds -- from Institutes of Technical Education, polytechnics and universities.
Separately, the ministry will also look at ways to better engage youths through more youth-oriented spaces such as *SCAPE.
Mr Wong said that will require more resources in the National Youth Council.
"We will plan to strengthen its capacity and enlarge its reach to even more young Singaporeans and youth organisations," he said.
Mr Wong added: "At the end of the day, it is for our youths today to shape the next 50 years and the Singapore they want. This generation of youths -- those in their teens to their thirties, they are the post-post Pioneer Generation.
“Our pioneers laid the foundations for Singapore's rapid development. The next generation benefited from their hard work, and continued to build modern Singapore. What will the third generation do?
“Now, we are all familiar with the Chinese proverb that family wealth does not last three generations. It's not just a Chinese saying, similar sayings can be found in many cultures.
“But there are also exceptions to this. And so it is for our country -- our nation's destiny is not preordained, it is what we choose to make of it."
- CNA/nd
‘Rigorous selection process’ for volunteer youth corps
The pilot intake of 200 youths will start training in June
Ashley Chia Today Online 12 Mar 14;
SINGAPORE — The 200 youths chosen for the new volunteer youth corps would have been put through a “rigorous selection process”, aimed at ensuring “diversity” and to determine their “commitment” to serve the community,” said Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Lawrence Wong in Parliament today (March 12).
He added that the pilot intake in June will be drawn from all tertiary institutions, including those studying in the Institute of Technical Education, polytechnics and universities, among others.
“We are not looking at academic qualifications. We are looking for youths with strong leadership qualities, a commitment to serve the community, and a desire to learn,” said Mr Wong, as he responded to calls from Members of Parliament (MPs) for the Government to do more to expand opportunities for youths to contribute to society.
The one-year national-level programme, the first of its kind, was first mooted by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in his National Day Rally Speech last year, and applications opened last month.
It will comprise a “structured” resident training programme that will equip the youths with knowledge and skills in leadership, project management and service learning. Local and regional community programmes in partnership with existing non-government organisations would also be included. Further applications can be made later this year after the programme’s pilot run.
“This first run will enable us to improve the design of the programme, and fine-tune the working protocols with different partners,” Mr Wong said.
Several MPs also called on the ministry to strengthen its community dispute resolution framework, by making mediation mandatory for “deadlocked disputes” and setting up a tribunal to oversee such cases, for instance. A public consultation on the framework is underway.
MP Tin Pei Ling (Marine Parade) asked if neutral parties could apply for mediation if the parties involved refused to take part in the process. In response, Mr Wong said the suggestion could be discussed in the ongoing public consultation, but he stressed that the parties involved should also take “personal ownership” in such disputes.
