More opportunities being planned for youth to contribute to society: PM Wong

SINGAPORE - As an ITE College Central student in 2014, Ms Sheila Manokaran, 29, was not keen on co-curricular activities, much less volunteering.

She was focused on getting into a polytechnic after completing her Higher Nitec in Process Plant Design.

After being nominated by her ITE principal to join the pioneer batch of Youth Corps Singapore leaders in June 2014, Ms Manokaran now helps youth groups, with a focus on building up their portfolio.

Today, she is a member of the Youth Corps Advisory Committee, and works with the Institute of Technical Education to develop internship opportunities for its students.

On July 6, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong celebrated the Youth Corps’ 10th anniversary at a carnival at *Scape.

It was established in June 2014 by PM Wong, who was then Minister for Culture, Community and Youth, to encourage youth volunteerism, and to foster a caring and cohesive society. Since then, it has grown from 90 youth leaders to about 30,000 members today.

It offers more than 20 programmes including local volunteering opportunities, such as senior befriending programmes, and literacy programmes for pre-schoolers.

PM Wong told the audience the Government will provide more opportunities for youth to contribute to society and make a positive impact, like what Ms Manokaran did.

He said he believes that youth in Singapore have the energy and passion to make the world a better place and if given opportunities to do so, they will step up.

He said the Government is developing more avenues for youth participation, such as the Youth Panels – panels led by young people to discuss issues they care about and to suggest recommendations on how the nation can do better.

PM Wong added: “There are many other opportunities which we will provide for all of you to continue to give back to our society and shape our future together.”

He recommended three ways for the Youth Corps to refresh its approach to engaging youth.

First, he suggested making it easier for them to start volunteering with bite-sized programmes that require less time commitment.

This is because some youth might not be able to make long-term commitments for volunteering. Youth Corps members currently have to serve eight hours a month for at least three months.

He also recommended creating more areas that young people can volunteer in, such as engaging isolated seniors to improve their mental well-being.

Lastly, he encouraged the Youth Corps to organise more overseas expeditions. Only 2,000 young people were given this opportunity in 2023, compared with 4,000 a year before the Covid-19 pandemic struck.

PM Wong said more opportunities can be created for youth to work with local youth volunteers in each country.

He said: “Then, you can forge close relationships, build networks and friendships with your peers. And eventually, in time to come, we can build a stronger volunteer ecosystem beyond Singapore as well.”

Since 2014, the Youth Corps has nurtured about 1,500 youth leaders, like Ms Manokaran.

That year, she spent nine months in the Youth Corps Leaders Programme (YCLP), which identifies and trains youth leaders for community projects.

In 2016, she shaved her head and raised $55,000 for the Children’s Cancer Foundation.

And in 2023, she served as a Young Changemakers curator for the National Youth Council, which provides grants to young people who propose ideas to help the community.

She said: “When you start volunteering, you start to find that piece of yourself. If every young person can start off volunteering in the smallest way, I think it will build not just a brighter future for our youth, but also empathy for us as we grow.”

Miss Rachel Soh, 24, joined the 23rd cohort of the YCLP in 2021. She is in her final year at the Singapore University of Social Sciences, pursuing a degree in public safety and security.

Since completing her YCLP programme, she co-founded The Levelled Field, a start-up to serve people with intellectual disabilities by equipping them with technological skills.

She hopes to pursue a career in corporate social responsibility.

Miss Soh said through her experience with the YCLP, she worked with like-minded youth who encouraged and supported the initiatives she cared about, making it easier for her to do good for society.

She said: “Values alignment is very important. You need to find friends who are supportive and who are also in the whole community engagement and social good scene.”