SINGAPORE - The youth wing of National Trade Union Congress (NTUC) launched a new programme on Wednesday to encourage young working adults to give back to society and start their own volunteer projects.
Young NTUC U Heart, a collaboration with OrangeAid, NTUC Income's community development and involvement arm, has organised 90 projects, proposed and set up by Young NTUC members, which will be conducted in the lead-up to National Day.
They will cover a range of causes and beneficiaries in Singapore, from improving the lives of low income families and the elderly to wildlife and animal protection.
Involving about 2500 young NTUC members, 30 unions and 13 NTUC communities, U HEART aims to inspire and groom young leaders and allow them to connect with organisations and partners who are seeking assistance.
Mr Desmond Choo, executive secretary of Young NTUC, said "Advocacy has always been our bread and butter. It is the core of what we do. With U Heart, we want to empower the youths to reach out to Singaporeans in a way that they want. Through this ground-up approach, they also learn how to be leaders in their own right."
The first U Heart project was held at Sentosa on Wednesday. Mr Chan Chun Sing, Secretary General of the NTUC, other union leaders and 100 Young NTUC volunteers showed their appreciation to workers in Sentosa.
Around 100 volunteers covered the island to give chocolates, drinks and words of thanks. The outreach ended off with a tea reception at the function room of Sentosa Golf Club for workers and their families.
Hashim Buang, 54, a senior supervisor at Sentosa Golf Course, said. "When our work is appreciated, we feel more motivated as workers to do more, to do our jobs better and improve ourselves."
A volunteer at the event, Mr Chen Chuanyi, 32, an industrial relations officer from the Singapore Organisation of Seamen (SOS) felt that it was a meaningful step. "You can't expect people to tell you to do things. Volunteering has to come from the heart. At the end of the day, you want to make someone's day a little better."
