New youth heritage award launched, as more young people participate in heritage-related activities
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The Outstanding Youth in Intangible Cultural Heritage Award will be given out every two years by NHB.
ST PHOTO: DESMOND FOO
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SINGAPORE – More young people participated in heritage-related activities in 2024 than in 2022, a National Heritage Board (NHB) survey has found, and to encourage even more of them to do so, a new biennial award has been launched.
Announcing the award on April 2, Culture, Community and Youth Minister Edwin Tong said more needs to be done to involve young people in cultural heritage, as “they will be the ones who will carry our heritage forward”.
The Outstanding Youth in Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) Award will be given out by NHB every two years, starting in the first quarter of 2026. Applications for the inaugural edition open in May.
Recipients of the award will be able to tap a project grant of up to $20,000 to embark on projects that improve their knowledge and enhance their skills, or develop their abilities in transmitting their cultural heritage practices.
This will allow them “to nurture and develop their expertise and allow them to contribute back to the community”, said Mr Tong.
“We believe that it is time for us to recognise young leaders dedicated to ICH and inspire them to do even more, to steward it, to receive it, treasure it and pass it down.”
He was speaking at the Stewards of Intangible Cultural Heritage 2024 Award ceremony, where five recipients of the annual award were recognised for promoting and transmitting their practices, and for outstanding contributions in their field.
Recognised in the 2024 edition were Malay drum maker Mohamed Yaziz Mohamed Hassan, Peranakan craftsman Thomis Kwan, rangoli artist Vijayalakshmi Mohan, Chinese tea shop Pek Sin Choon and Teochew pastry business Thye Moh Chan.
The NHB said in a press release on April 4 that in tandem with the new Outstanding Youth in ICH Award, the Stewards of ICH Award “will transition to a biennial award to enhance the long-term sustainability of both awards”.
Culture, Community and Youth Minister Edwin Tong (centre) and rangoli artist Vijayalakshmi Mohan chatting during the Stewards of ICH Award ceremony on April 2.
ST PHOTO: DESMOND FOO
The next Stewards of ICH Awards ceremony will be held in 2027, and recipients of the award receive $5,000 in cash, and the option to tap a project grant of up to $20,000 for the transmission and promotion of ICH knowledge and skills.
Results from the 2024 Heritage Awareness Survey showed that 66 per cent of youth respondents participated in heritage-related activities, compared with 58 per cent of youth respondents in the 2022 edition, NHB said on April 2.
These activities included visiting historical sites and museums, participating in traditional arts and purchasing or learning how to make traditional crafts, said Ms Loo Ya Lee, NHB’s director of strategic planning and data management.
The survey involved 2,018 respondents, which NHB said were representative of the population distribution. Of those surveyed, 596 were young people aged 15 to 34. Eight iterations of the Heritage Awareness Survey – now conducted once every two years – have been administered since the early 2000s.
Ms Loo noted that the increased participation in heritage activities among the young mirrored an uptick across the general populace, with 58 per cent indicating that they had participated in such activities in 2024, compared with 48 per cent in 2022 – a significant dip from 79 per cent in 2018, which NHB previously attributed to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Stewards of ICH 2024 award recepients (from left) Mr George Quek representing Thye Moh Chan, Mr Kenry Peh representing Pek Sin Choon, Mr Thomis Kwan, Madam Vijayalakshmi Mohan, and Mr Yaziz Hassan.
ST PHOTO: DESMOND FOO
Nominees for the Outstanding Youth in ICH Award must be individual Singaporeans or permanent residents aged 35 and below.
To conceptualise the award so that it reflects the needs and perspectives of ICH practitioners, NHB conducted focus group discussions with youth ICH practitioners, past Stewards of ICH Award recipients, and other heritage practitioners and advocates.
Ms Ng Si Ying, 32, a rattan craftsperson who was part of those discussions, said the grant would be helpful for young practitioners who are not familiar with marketing themselves and setting up a business.
She had heard young ICH practitioners express that it was challenging to pursue their passions while making a living.
“Among younger practitioners, the fire is still burning, so that’s not an issue. The issue is how to make a sustainable living while practising our crafts,” said Ms Ng, a full-time user experience designer who works on her crafts on the side.
Ng Keng Gene is a correspondent at The Straits Times, reporting on issues relating to land use, urban planning and heritage.
