CDAC to explore volunteer schemes that appeal to men
Purchase this article for republication
Buy SPH photos
Men may shun volunteer work because they feel they do not have the soft skills, so the Chinese Development Assistance Council (CDAC) is appealing to their macho instincts instead.
Mr Baey Yam Keng, chairman of its Volunteers Engagement and Development Committee, noted that many people find volunteering requires a lot of soft skills and "some males may not feel comfortable with that". More than 60 per cent of the CDAC's current pool of 3,000 volunteers are women.
Mr Baey, who is also an MP for Tampines GRC, said his committee will look into volunteer programmes that "will tap the physical attributes of men, and then they'll feel that while they are helping the community, they can also be macho".
He was speaking to the media at the biennial CDAC Volunteers' Day on how it plans to expand its volunteer pool to support its growth of programmes. The CDAC, which marks its 20th anniversary this year, provides tuition to poor students and training to low-income workers, among other activities.
