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The Straits Times, 16 Aug 04
Govt wants youth views to chart future
YOUTH of Singapore: Speak up on how to create a better Singapore
By Soh Wen Lin

Over the next six weeks, a group led by three young Members of Parliament will fan out across the country to get feedback from Singaporean students and working adults born after its independence in 1965.

The topic: How to build a better Singapore, with a special focus on what young Singaporeans want to achieve together.

PLAY A PART TO GET involved in the Creating Our Future movement:

E-mail: creating_our_future@mcds.gov.sg
Phone: 1800-353-5555
SMS: 6353-5555
Fax: 6354-8128

All Singaporeans born in or after 1965 - whether here or overseas - are urged to send in views by phone, fax, e-mail or SMS. In addition, there will be more than 10 organised dialogues with members of youth groups. Networking groups such as Contact Singapore will be tapped to get the word out to Singaporeans overseas.

But be prepared to do more than talk and hand a wish list to the Government, said Acting Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports Vivian Balakrishnan yesterday at an awards ceremony for the uniformed group, the Boys' Brigade.

The man who steered the Remaking Singapore Committee, and who wanted to see more 'community champions', is now looking for some, specifically among the young. 'We want young Singaporeans to organise, to act on their beliefs, to do something about it with their friends, communities, organisations, societies. And if the Government can help, we'll help. We'll provide the supportive environment.'

The views canvassed will form the basis for future initiatives and programmes of the Ministry of Community Development, You

th and Sports (MCYS), the National Youth Council and various youth organisations here, he added. The initiative to engage young Singaporeans comes just two days after Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's swearing-in speech on Thursday, which appealed to Singapore's post-1965 generation to step forward to take the country into its next phase.

Dr Balakrishnan has high hopes for this group and disagrees that they are politically apathetic. 'I intend to prove this perception wrong. There is a lot of potential to be tapped and it's about opening the avenues to reach them. 'I think we'll see a real flowering of ideas and activism in Singapore and the post-1965 generation must be the vanguard of this movement.'

The three MPs leading the consultation are MCYS Parliamentary Secretary Mohamad Maliki Osman, Tanjong Pagar GRC MP Chong Weng Chiew and Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC MP Penny Low - all born in or after 1965.

One issue Dr Chong wants to look at: getting more young people to lead activities for their peers. 'Some youth organisations are currently run by people in their 40s. Why not have more 20-somethings leading their peers?' Singapore Polytechnic student Ron Tan, 17, a Boys' Brigade (BB) member, is excited about the minister's call. On what he can do, he said: 'Young people could help needy elderly people more, such as through the BB Sharity Gift Box... or other programmes like that.'

Full text of Dr Vivian's speech

Call on youths of Singapore to speak up

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