SINGAPORE - Young people here will get nearly 3,000 new opportunities to volunteer for various causes, such as environmental conservation and helping the elderly, between October and December.
A toolkit to support their discussions on sensitive issues of race and religion, such as discriminatory workplace practices and casual racism, will also be made available by November.
These initiatives, which are part of the Forward Singapore exercise to refresh the Republic's social compact, were announced by Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong on Saturday.
"Beyond the laws and policies that regulate and set up a structure for religious harmony… we can reach out to one another across fault lines to develop open conversations built on shared understanding," he said.
Mr Tong also said the spirit of generosity and kindness that Singaporeans exhibited during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic should continue in communities here.
He was speaking at the closing ceremony of Our Singapore Leadership Programme, which was organised by the National Youth Council (NYC).
The programme aims to help young Singaporeans in leadership positions understand national issues and policy-making considerations.
It was held over four days across September and October, with nearly 50 people participating.
The volunteering opportunities - which range from daily stints to ones that require weeks of commitment - comprise the second run of the Do Good Fest scheme started by NYC's volunteering arm, Youth Corps Singapore.
The scheme's first iteration was in June, when more than 2,500 opportunities were taken up.
The upcoming toolkit consists of various physical cards setting out scenarios and questions to encourage discussion on matters of race and religion. NYC will distribute the toolkit to interested youth.
"Beyond race and religion, there will be conversation cards developed progressively to address themes such as inter-generational harmony and local-foreigner relations," said the government agency in a statement on Saturday.
It will also be partnering educational institutions, civil society groups and self-help organisations to equip the youth with civic discourse skills such as active listening and understanding diverse perspectives.
A digital campaign to promote inclusivity while empowering young people to engage in conversations on difficult topics will run from October to January 2023, added NYC.
NYC's efforts fall under Unite, one of the six pillars of the Forward Singapore exercise.
Unite is helmed by three leaders: Mr Tong, Senior Minister of State for Communications and Information, Senior Minister of State for Health Janil Puthucheary and Second Minister for Education and Foreign Affairs Maliki Osman.
Mr Tong said Unite aims to find ways to build and maintain a cohesive, inclusive and united Singapore.
"In the coming months, there will be new platforms such as physical pop-up exhibitions and digital engagements," he said.
"And I encourage all of you to not just take part in it, but rally your friends… family and loved ones to contribute views on what a refreshed social compact should look like."
