Young people want to explore different career paths and fulfil their potential in alternative realms, such as the arts or creative industries. But they feel constrained by society's narrow definition of success and this may hold them back from charting their own paths in life, the National Youth Council's (NYC) Youth Conversations engagement exercise found.
To address this, the NYC has been stepping up efforts to collaborate with young people to organise events relevant to their interests.
Yesterday, it kicked off the inaugural Shine Now conference, which is funded by NYC and organised by a team of young people aged 21 to 34 from influencer marketing company Gushcloud.
Over two days, talks and workshops will be held by people who have found success in various fields, including art, design, technology, dance and music, such as home-grown singer Nathan Hartono and video blogger Nas Daily. About 450 young people, mostly aged 24 and younger, are attending.
The event aims to give them a better sense of the skills and qualities needed to establish a career in these industries, as well as an opportunity to get some hands-on experience.
Attendees can learn songwriting from Narelle Kheng of local band The Sam Willows, for instance, or pick up dance moves at a workshop led by street dancers Marcus Tan and Rachel Lee.
Gushcloud's Mr Joel Lim, 26, the project manager of Shine Now, said the organising team had found in a survey of 108 youth in Singapore, conducted via random sampling in school campuses, that half of them lacked confidence in pursuing a career they are passionate about, mainly because they lacked knowledge of and exposure to the industries.
"That's something we want to solve at this event," he said, adding that the organising team had first collected feedback from youth on what they wanted from the conference before deciding on the topics and speakers.
Education Minister Ong Ye Kung, the guest of honour at the conference, said that compared with the time when he was growing up, young people now have more space to think about pursuing their dreams and passions. "This also shows that things get better for each generation," he said.
He advised conference participants to discuss their plans for the future with their loved ones and be open to the idea that their dreams could change in the future.
Mr Ng Yi Yang, 23, a student from Nanyang Technological University's Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information, looked forward to the sessions led by media practitioners such as Nas Daily. "Things in the (media) industry change very fast nowadays, so it's important to keep yourself updated on what's happening. Being able to hear from industry professionals will help because they will know about the latest trends."
Improvisation, entrepreneurship, tech trends
On shows such as Whose Line Is It Anyway?, performers have to act out scenarios they are given on the spot, making up dialogue and using props.
Actors must not only think quickly on their feet, but also communicate and work well with others on the team.
Those interested in improvisational theatre can attend a one-hour theatre workshop led by Ms Melissa Sim, artistic director of theatre company How Drama, at the Shine Now conference, which ends today.
Entrepreneurs Rachel Lim, Tjin Lee and Dinesh Balasingam - from fashion brand Love, Bonito; boutique agency Mercury Marketing & Communications; and restaurant booking app Chope, respectively - will also talk about the challenges they faced in their journeys.
Representatives from tech firms Google and Grab will touch on trends in technology.
The conference will be capped off with performances by artists such as K-pop star Park Ji-min and indie pop group The Sam Willows' Narelle Kheng and Sandra Riley Tang.
EVENT DETAILS
Time: 10am-9.30pm
Venue: *Scape, 2 Orchard Link, The Ground Theatre
Entry fee: $30 (excluding booking fees).
Tickets: Visit www.hapz.com/exhibitions/shine-now-2019-tickets
