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Speak up for change: Youth leaders call on peers to shape their future
Through a series of dialogues, youth get the opportunity to weigh in on issues that matter most to them
Panellists and participants at the dialogue session last November on enhancing health and support for families.
PHOTO: NATIONAL YOUTH COUNCIL
Toh Ee Ming, Content STudio
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Younger generations are often perceived as being self-centred, soft and whiny. But Ms Calissa Man, 23, begs to differ. She’s of a generation that wants to be heard.
She believes that her peers are in a prime position to improve government policies by sharing their lived experiences, feedback and solutions.
“Youths have a massive stake in policy decisions. These issues affect them acutely from the cradle to the grave,” says Ms Man.
She speaks from experience. As a grassroots volunteer for the past five years, she saw first-hand how policies affect every aspect of daily life, and how some might fall through the cracks.
Ms Man is also a member of the Global Shapers Community, a global network of youth leaders under the age of 30 that seek to address local, regional and global challenges.
“Youth representation is hence vital to ensure that policies promote greater inclusion and effectively serve the communities they are crafted for.”
So when the chance to become the co-project lead for the National Youth Dialogue (NYD) series came in March last year, Ms Man gladly stepped up.
As the co-project lead, Ms Man’s (right) role includes setting the aims of the dialogue series, and crafting thought-provoking discussion questions.
PHOTO: NATIONAL YOUTH COUNCIL
“I wanted to create a platform for open and thoughtful discourse led by youths, for youths, to amplify youth perspectives on critical issues for Singapore’s future,” she says.
Organised by the National Youth Council (NYC) and the Global Shapers Community (Singapore Hub), the NYD series provides a space for youth to share their views, and discuss future-oriented issues with representatives from the public, private and people sectors.
It also serves as a platform for youth to have a stake in the future and co-create policies with the Government.
These span social issues such as housing and healthcare, bread-and-butter issues like cost of living and job support, and environmental issues related to the nation’s net-zero transition.
Since July last year, over 600 youth have participated across the five sessions held so far.
“It’s heartening to see how youths see the value of their views and ideas in national discussions, and are keen to participate in our next dialogues,” says Ms Man. “They are ready to ask and answer tough, thorny questions.”
She does all this while juggling her full-time job as an analyst with government affairs consultancy firm Vriens & Partners, committing up to 60 per cent of her personal time to plan and execute the sessions.
“What keeps me going is the potential impact my efforts can bring, and how bringing together various stakeholders and youths can make a difference in how we approach policies and policy communications.”
We share because we care
Nanyang Technological University (NTU) student V Dhanraj, 25, is no stranger to advocating for youth issues, inclusivity and empowerment.
As the president of the NTU Students’ Union, he is responsible for representing the voices of over 25,000 students to university management, the Government and other stakeholders.
The final-year public policy and global affairs undergraduate has also undergone internships with government agencies, and represented the nation on international platforms such as the St Gallen Symposium in Switzerland and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation.
These experiences, he says, have “shaped my interest in solving entrenched public problems across multiple sectors”.
Getting involved as a NYD moderator was, therefore, a natural next step for Mr Dhanraj.
To him, the platform was a valuable avenue for his peers to “develop greater social consciousness and big picture thinking once they understand underlying pain points, and seek to provide actionable solutions”.
Mr Dhanraj says that the dialogue sessions give the youth better context through a greater understanding of trade-offs that the Government has to make, and how processes work on the inside.
PHOTO: NATIONAL YOUTH COUNCIL
In November last year, he moderated a session on enhancing health and support for families. The youth raised issues such as:
- The need to encourage greater mental well-being;
- More accessible medical screenings and literacy due to the early onset of chronic diseases;
- Flexible work arrangements; and
- Equalising parental leave to care for children
The youth also highlighted the need for accessibility to opportunities for lower- to middle-income groups through collaboration with the private and people sectors.
Mr Dhanraj believes that the youth are becoming increasingly vocal about social issues, and that platforms like the NYD “signal that the Government and its office-holders are committed to listening”.
He adds: “Good ideas and novel solutions can come from the public and youth – those that will be living with the consequences of moves made now.”
Exciting, meaningful conversation
Are there plans for more housing options for singles? What considerations are being made to better support young couples looking for their first home? Are there any policies that can be implemented to further deter rental racial discrimination?
Questions like these were raised during the “Home for Every Stage of Life” NYD session in October last year. It was an important theme that moderator I Naishad Kai-ren, 29, sought to tackle.
“This was especially exciting and meaningful to me because my first role in the public service was working on our public housing accessibility,” says Mr Naishad.
He worked at the Ministry of National Development for two years prior to his current role as a business analyst with management consulting firm McKinsey & Company.
Mr Naishad is also a member of the Global Shapers Community (Singapore Hub).
PHOTO: NATIONAL YOUTH COUNCIL
He shares that the session was a valuable opportunity for the youth to express their aspirations and views, while understanding some of the various government policies.
“Quite a number expressed surprise at the fact that virtually all first-timer families who apply for Build-To-Order flats in the non-mature estates are invited to book a flat within three tries,” recalls Mr Naishad.
Beyond the immediate challenges, the session was also an opportunity to have a conversation about longer-term considerations, he says.
These include issues such as whether current housing policies are appropriate to tackle Singapore’s medium-term societal challenges, their implication on social mixing and mobility, and the ability to meet the people’s evolving aspirations.
For Mr Naishad, the dialogues presented a “golden opportunity” to promote stronger engagement.
He adds that there were also smaller group discussions among the youth at other dialogue sessions to “tease out fundamental points of contention and have a robust debate to further understanding on Singapore’s policies and future direction”.
“It’s especially important for youth to weigh in because they bring different perspectives and priorities that may not yet have been worked into the current social compact.”
We yearn to share our concerns
Deep questions about the state of Singapore’s social compact, efforts to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions and pre-Budget 2023 concerns were among the issues surfaced in the other dialogue sessions.
The youth wondered if Singapore is seeing a new social compact, against the backdrop of a seismic generational shift, and new and complex issues such as Covid-19; the uncertain future of work; our ageing population; and whether meritocracy still exists in Singapore.
They also questioned if Singapore’s net-zero transition pace was too slow, whether decarbonisation was effective and if there’s a need to balance land-use planning with ecological needs.
- Click here to watch highlights of the National Youth Dialogues and how you can have a say in issues that matter.
This was produced in partnership with the National Youth Council, in support of
