SINGAPORE - The inaugural Step South-east Asia Youth Sport Leaders Camp opened on Friday (March 8) evening at Our Tampines Hub, with the aim of forging stronger bonds as well as nurturing the next generation of leaders with a better appreciation of cultural diversity.

Over nine days, 138 youth from Singapore and 16 other Asian countries and territories will take part in activities centering on important values such as discipline, respect and team spirit, and build on valuable life skills including communication, personal mastery and problem solving.

The 74 boys and 64 girls will be split into teams and travel to various areas around the island to experience local cuisine and culture.

Highlights include a motivational speech by South Korea's 2004 Olympic table tennis men's singles champion Ryu Seung-min on Saturday, a campfire at the Marina Bay Floating Platform as well as a three-day cycling expedition around Singapore.

Lim Teck Yin, CEO of Sport Singapore, said: "Today's youth would do well to have a global mindset and be open to cultures and peoples different from ourselves. Networking with international friends allows for broader perspectives and makes us more agile to opportunities both for ourselves and our countries."

Added Benedict Cheong, chief executive of Temasek Foundation International, a non-profit philanthropic organisation that funds and supports programmes: "We are delighted to partner SportSG and the Singapore Olympic Foundation in this programme and hope participants can further their aspirations in sports and in the process, develop lasting friendships across borders."

The closing ceremony will be held at Seletar Country Club on March 16.