New sports fiesta can help to encourage social mixing among youth: David Neo

SINGAPORE – A new cluster-level games pilot is being introduced in a bid to expand common spaces and to get youth from different schools and backgrounds to interact with one another, Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth David Neo said on Sept 25.

The School Sports Fiesta, which kicks off in October, will start with 16 schools across three clusters at the primary and secondary levels, said Mr Neo, addressing Parliament on day four of the debate on the President’s Address.

Backed by the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) and Ministry of Education (MOE), the fiesta is a precursor to more competitions and games at the cluster level.

“We want to get more students to unite through sports and to play together regardless of background or ability,” said Mr Neo.

He shone a spotlight on youth and sports in particular throughout his almost 20-minute maiden speech in Parliament, as he called for strengthening unity in Singapore through common spaces, increased social mobility and building a “we-first” society.

Sports, alongside the arts and heritage, can foster social mixing and build bonds, he said, amid some concerns that youth here have fewer friends than before.

A 2022 National Youth Survey showed this “worrying trend”, said Mr Neo. The proportion of youth with no close friends doubled from 4 per cent to 8 per cent in one decade.

This means that two to three students in each classroom lack close friends.

Singapore’s unity will be tested in a world where deteriorating social cohesion is already prevalent in many countries, he said.

“We must place a special focus on our youth, for they are the architects of a more cohesive Singapore,” said Mr Neo.

He spoke of keeping Singapore as a place where everyone can succeed, regardless of where they start in life, and where social mobility can be kept alive.

“We need to broaden our definition of success,” said Mr Neo, adding that youth want to redefine success and be empowered to chase their dreams – be it in the arts, sports or other fields.

“And we need to support them.”

He announced that the number of sports eligible for the Singapore School Sports Colours Award will be more than doubled to recognise students who are “breaking new ground, taking the road less travelled and chasing their dreams”.

From 2025, students who represent the country in diving, tchoukball, sport climbing and 33 more sports will be eligible for the award. The award is given to student athletes from secondary schools, junior colleges and Millennia Institute, based on their sporting achievements and display of good sporting character.

The arts will also be used as a platform to unite young Singaporeans and strengthen community building, said Mr Neo.

Without giving details, he said the National Arts Council, supported by the President’s Challenge, will introduce new initiatives to boost the development of multicultural art forms.

The arts scene has expanded, with housing and space for arts groups growing almost 35 per cent from 2010 to 2020 to nearly 100,000 sq m. And in turn, the number of performance activities by arts groups has almost doubled to almost 13,000, an outreach that helps Singaporeans “understand, appreciate and feel what it means to have the soul of the nation”, Mr Neo said.

Mirroring Prime Minister Lawrence Wong’s calls since the National Day Rally

to build a “we first” Singapore

, he also spoke of nurturing this mindset among youth.

Many of Singapore’s youth already “feel a sense of purpose and resonate with the call”, Mr Neo added.

Results from MCCY’s 2024 Social Pulse Survey showed that three in five young people want to take action for a better Singapore, and one in two wishes to work with the Government to do so.

Mr Neo said: “We will continue to make it easy for our youth to step up to put ‘we’ before ‘me’, and my ministry will continue to give our youth a voice, a space and a platform to make a difference.”

Correction note: This article has been edited for clarity.