Can policy proposals from Singapore’s youth make it to Parliament? Here’s how the young aim to be heard

It used to be that the young were told to be merely seen – not heard. 

No longer, thanks to an initiative by the National Youth Council (NYC), which is giving young Singaporeans a voice to co-create policies with the Government on a range of issues, from online harms to Singapore’s recycling systems.

The purpose? To give the young a stake in Singapore’s future, said Minister for Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) and Second Minister for Law Edwin Tong. 

The Youth Panels were launched last November by NYC, an agency under MCCY. They feature 140 youth, aged 15 to 35, delving into issues most pertinent to their generation. Their research and proposals will then be refined into policy recommendations that could be tabled in Parliament, says an NYC spokesman.

Issues on financial security, careers and lifelong learning, digital well-being, and the environment and sustainability are being addressed by participants across four groups – #LifeHacks, #JobHacks, #TechHacks, and #GreenHacks respectively.

“Our young people today have to come to terms with a myriad of complex world issues… such as climate change, economic uncertainty, (and) slowing social mobility,” said Mr Tong, in a speech last April introducing the concept of the Youth Panels.

“For all of these, there are no easy or quick solutions. Yet our youths are undaunted, and have expressed a keen desire, on the contrary, to be a part of the solution,” he adds.

Are they a step closer to the future they desire? Two young panellists share their experiences of the policymaking process.

Ngee Ann Polytechnic student Natalie Ng, 20, is passionate about living independently. She feels that current housing policies make it challenging for the young to do so earlier on in life.

“When does independence start? Do I have to wait till I'm 35 to get a Housing Board flat?” says Ms Ng, who is pursuing a diploma in early childhood development and education. “I want to spread my wings, and that’s the biggest issue for me right now.”

She adds that learning to finance and maintain a home holds valuable life skills, which she feels are lacking among her peers.

“If you’re living on your own, you have that financial obligation, which brings about a sense of responsibility,” says Ms Ng, an only child who stays with her parents in a five-room flat in Outram.

While some of her peers have turned to renting, Ms Ng feels it is not a viable long-term solution, especially when trying to build wealth at the start of their careers. “I’m not sure if it solves the issue. Renting, to me, is not really true ownership.”

Concerns over housing prompted Ms Ng to join the #LifeHacks panel, which explores financial security issues among the young. To ensure diversity, over 30 young Singaporeans sit on the #LifeHacks panel. They are aged between 16 and 35, ranging from students to working adults. 

Apart from housing, the group is discussing healthcare costs, financial literacy, and support for low-wage workers for their policy recommendations.

But rather than demand the Government abolish its minimum age of 35 for singles to buy HDB flats, Ms Ng is mulling solutions such as short-term home ownership aimed at youths, with prices that – amid record-high rents – do not hinder fresh graduates from building up savings.

This more nuanced take follows three policymaking and design innovation workshops, held between November and January, that helped participants appreciate the broader considerations required of policymaking.

“I used to see it as: If everyone is complaining, then what's the point of having a particular policy?” said Ms Ng.

Now, she sees that removing the age floor will push up demand for Built-To-Order flats, affecting couples waiting to start families and, in turn, the national birth rate.

With this in mind, she is looking forward to refining alternative suggestions with her peers under the mentorship of NYC-nominated advisers who will guide the group’s strategy and approach. 

The panel will present, debate and adjust their recommendations at the inaugural Youth Policy Forum in August. The potential of the recommendations being tabled in Parliament, she says, gives her hope for tangible changes.

“I joined the panel because I want to make strong changes, but I realised it's not that simple,” she says, adding that the youth perspective is still crucial as they are “on the receiving end of these policies”.

“Change won't happen overnight, but it's possible. It’s about slowly building up your capacity and connections to make it happen.”

What do you do on your daily commute? Most youngsters browse social media, play games, or listen to music.

Not Mr Muhammad Firdaus, 31. Since joining the Youth Panels, he often spends his two-hour bus ride to work researching how other countries tackle recycling issues.

The executive officer for partnerships at Malay/Muslim self-help group Yayasan Mendaki estimates he has spent about 80 hours on research since joining the Youth Panels last November. 

Why the time investment? “It’s important to really understand current causes and processes before we create feasible solutions.”

His research will facilitate discussions for the #GreenHacks panel, whose members are exploring environmental solutions with a focus on sustainable consumption.

“We are trying to understand why certain materials have very low recycling rates, especially plastics, and how we can bump that up to 10 per cent.” In 2022, only 6 per cent of plastics were recycled, according to the National Environment Agency’s latest figures.

To give their proposals the best chance of being tabled in parliament, panellists like Mr Firdaus are working to collect substantive evidence so that potential ideas – such as vending machines for recyclable paper bags – are feasible and realistic.

Having reviewed several of Singapore’s current environment and sustainability initiatives, the panel will soon move to the next phase of their project – conducting public surveys and focus group discussions to consolidate stakeholder sentiment.

“That’s one of the ways we can challenge claims in the research,” Mr Firdaus says. “Then we can craft and pilot ideas to make sure what we recommend works for people and businesses.”

The group is optimistic that their recommendations will be accepted by the Government. “We will provide a timeline for the change. It could be a five or 10-year plan.”

And if it fails to go through? “Policy is not easy,” Mr Firdaus admits. 

“It needs to be inclusive and fair. So if the Government thinks our recommendation is not good enough, we will reconvene and discuss our next steps so that hopefully, a Youth Panel 2.0 will work on it.”