PA to train 1,000 grassroots leaders to be community facilitators from 2026

SINGAPORE – A new People’s Association (PA) programme will train 1,000 grassroots volunteers, starting with Citizens’ Consultative Committee (CCC) members, to become community facilitators who can identify the strengths and interests within the neighbourhoods they serve.

Doing so will help grassroots leaders here harness community assets more effectively and rally people around shared causes, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said at a dinner on Oct 23 to mark the 60th anniversary of PA’s CCCs.

At the event at Marina Bay Sands, PM Wong said PA’s grassroots movement and CCCs must continue to stay relevant and evolve their methods to keep up with the times, even as their underlying purpose continues to be bringing people closer together and keeping society united.

This is as Singapore is very different today compared to when CCCs – the apex grassroots body in each constituency – were established in 1965, added PM Wong, who is PA chairman and also Finance Minister.

For instance, society’s needs are more varied and its challenges more complex, while people today have more options for recreation and entertainment, including outside their constituency, he noted.

This was why PA had in 2024

refreshed its mission statement

to “spark and nurture community participation for a caring and united Singapore”, said PM Wong. Its previous mission statement was to build and to bridge communities in achieving one people, one Singapore.

“This new mission means we must go beyond organising activities and events, and reimagine our role as facilitators of community participation,” he told 1,200 grassroots advisers and leaders at the dinner.

“But what’s different is that we’re not just doing things for Singaporeans any more, but also doing things with Singaporeans. We are engaging them, and we are empowering them to contribute to our community as well.”

Under the new programme, which will start in 2026, PA’s National Community Leadership Institute will partner institutes of higher learning (IHLs) to systematically train grassroots volunteers, who will be drawn from diverse segments of society and every constituency.

Training will start with in-person sessions co-developed with IHLs and subject-matter experts, and include scenario-based learning and facilitated small group discussions.

The idea is to create connected groups of residents who support one another around shared causes and interests. Residents can also look forward to more engagement sessions across constituencies, offering meaningful opportunities to shape their communities and contribute to Singapore’s shared future, PA said in a statement.

In his speech, PM Wong said PA will continue to conduct more leadership programmes to support CCC members to drive meaningful change in the community.

Calling PA’s grassroots movement “a tremendous national asset”, he noted that the network has grown enormously over the decade, with there being more than 2,000 grassroots organisations (GROs) and 38,000 volunteers across Singapore today.

GROs include ethnic committees which organise cultural and social activities that promote interracial understanding, and Residents’ Networks which organise activities to encourage residents in a neighbourhood to build bonds.

PM Wong said the effectiveness of the network is not in its numbers, but in how it connects with residents and makes them feel that they have a stake in the community.

He urged CCCs, which have a broader vantage point, to go beyond administrative oversight and to lead their GROs to work together for greater impact in nurturing community participation.

For instance, a Residents’ Network collaborating with a Youth Network can connect Singaporeans across age and interest groups.

Such collaborations help build bridges across different groups, which strengthen mutual understanding and forge a stronger sense of shared purpose, he said.

“All the different organisations will always focus on their own priorities, understandably, but they should not be working in silos,” he added.

He spotlighted Cheng San CCC, which found that its seniors wanted not just activities but purpose. The CCC created Project X100, a wellness programme aiming to recruit 100 seniors as ambassadors who promote healthy living to their peers.

The programme is steadily progressing towards its target, while helping seniors find meaning and build friendships across the community, he noted.

“To take Singapore forward, we must be a democracy of deeds – a society where citizens put the ‘we’ before ‘me’, and help one another succeed,” he said, as he urged CCC leaders to exemplify this we-first spirit.

Chairman of Cheng San CCC Samuel Choo said he values his grassroots work, despite having to juggle his day job as commercial head of an environmental systems company. He also has a 10-month-old baby.

A grassroots leader since 2023, the 41-year-old said one of the biggest rewards came from seeing a young person he mentored help a resident come out of depression. The resident also became a grassroots volunteer.

“To me, the greatest motivation comes from connecting with residents and impacting their lives,” he said.