NTUC launches New Youth Forum
3 May 2007
Media Release
1 NTUC Secretary-General Lim Swee Say launched the inaugural forum series, Youths for a Competitive and Inclusive Singapore (YCiS), today at Downtown East Begonia Pavilion.
2 A new initiative of Young NTUC, YCiS was inspired by our national vision of a competitive and inclusive Singapore as encapsulated in President's speech at the opening of the 11th Parliament on 2nd November 2006. The forum series is structured around learning journeys and “world café” dialogues, along the themes of the new 5Cs, namely, Competitiveness, Cohesion, Compassion, Compact and Choice. It will take place over a period of 2 months, from May to July.
3 Under the “Labour Movement 2011” vision, the labour movement seeks to be an inclusive and relevant movement that reaches out to all collars, all ages and all nationalities. Essentially a vision covering every strata, it aims to bridge the social gaps between the high income and low income workers, the young and old, as well as locals and foreigners.
4 YCiS aims to equip the 200 participants with awareness and insight into a broad range of national socio-economic issues so that they can:
• appreciate the challenges faced by, and the options open to Singapore;
• uncover for themselves what competitiveness and inclusiveness mean in the Singapore context;
• make an informed choice about what they want for themselves, and for Singapore.
5 Mr Mervyn Sek, a 28-year old trainee-teacher, had this to expect of YCiS, "As a fresh entrant to the workforce, I am interested to find out how I can contribute to the labour movement. There is no better platform than the YCiS forum series – I look forward to immersing myself in the experiential learning journeys, and emerging with greater insight about the labour movement and national socio-economic issues."
6 Sharing the same sentiments on YCiS, another participant, Mr Achaibar Gupta, an insurance executive, commented, "I believe YCiS is a good platform which allows me to have a better understanding on different challenges facing Singapore. Meeting fellow youths from all walks of life and embarking on meaningful journeys together will help to broaden my understanding of the history of Singapore and the foundations upon which our forefathers have brought this nation to where it is today."
7 An advisory panel called the Learning Catalysts Group has been appointed for YCiS. The group is co-chaired by Mrs Josephine Teo, Director of Youth Development Unit and Human Resource Department, NTUC and Member of Parliament for Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC, and Mr Edwin Lye, Chair of Young NTUC Committee.
8 The Learning Catalysts will contribute to YCiS in the following ways:
• Serve as resource persons to the YCiS Secretariat
• Provide ideas and inputs to the programme and outcomes of YCiS
• Facilitate the learning journeys and “world café” dialogues
9 Ms Aw Kah Peng, the Assistant Managing Director of Industry Development at EDB and a learning catalyst, shared her thoughts with the participants on what YCiS is about in a nutshell, “YCiS is a fun way of discussing some really serious issues, big issues that affect all of us and our futures in Singapore. So, do participate in the excitement and learning of all our journeys together!"
10 Speaking at the launch of YCiS, Mr Lim said, “With a membership base of 135,000, Young NTUC is probably the largest youth movement in Singapore. Our aim is to transform this largest youth movement into one of the most active youth movements in Singapore, contributing to the development of our competitive economy as well as the progress of our inclusive society. Arising out of YCiS, I hope you will start a community movement that helps every Singaporean to advance with our national progress.”
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For media queries, please contact:
Ms Julie Tai
Principal Executive
Corporate Communications Department
National Trades Union Congress
DID: 6213 8186
HP: 9848 2483
Email: taihl@ntuc.org.sg
For queries on YCiS, please contact:
Lau Chu Beng Donavan
Assistant Director
Youth Development Unit
National Trades Union Congress
DID: 6213 8094
HP: 9066 1606
Email: laucb@ntuc.org.sg
About Young NTUC
To ensure continuity and dynamism, the labour movement must have a strong cohort of young members. Young NTUC was launched on 30 April 2005 to attract younger members to the activities of the NTUC. Formerly known as the NTUC Youth Committee, Young NTUC is the official youth wing of the National Trades Union Congress.
With 135,000 members from 18 to below 35 years old, Young NTUC is the largest youth movement in Singapore. Working with the youth chapters of the 63 NTUC affiliated unions, Young NTUC aims to reach out to the young workforce in Singapore, representing them as a voice and thus helping to advance the cause of the labour movement here.
More information on Young NTUC and its activities can be found at the website www.youngntuc.org.sg
About National Trades Union Congress (NTUC)
The National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) is a national confederation of trade unions of workers in the industrial, service and public sectors representing about 480,000 workers in Singapore. It has 63 affiliated trade unions and six associations, and 15 social enterprises, which include nine cooperatives. NTUC’s objectives are to help Singapore stay competitive and workers remain employable for life; to enhance the social status and well-being of workers; and to build a strong, responsible and caring labour movement.
For more details on NTUC, please visit our website at www.ntuc.org.sg
Appendix 1 – Dates and programme
Dates
The forum will be divided into 2 phases. Each phase comprises 3 full days over
2 weekends. The dates are:
• 1st Phase – Saturday 5th May (Opening Session + Dialogue with Secretary-General of NTUC, Minister Lim Swee Say)
– Saturday 12th May (Competitiveness)
– Sunday 13th May (Cohesion)
• 2nd Phase – Saturday 30th June (Compassion)
– Sunday 1st July (Compact)
– Saturday 21st July (Closing Session – Choice + Dialogue with Secretary-General of NTUC, Minister Lim Swee Say )
Programme
The programme is structured around learning journeys and “knowledge kopitiam” dialogues.
Learning journeys refer to trips or visits to key national institutions which participants embark on together to extend and enrich their understanding of the 5Cs – Competitiveness, Cohesion, Compassion, Compact and Choice, in the context of our society’s character. By making the learning experience real and concrete, learning journeys help our participants to understand what are the challenges that Singapore is facing, what makes Singapore successful, and what makes who we are today.
A knowledge kopitiam is a simple means for a group of people to have an open, creative conversation on a topic of mutual interest to gain a deeper collective understanding of the subject and the issues involved, following simple rules. As a conversational process facilitated by a guide, it involves a group of people breaking into smaller roundtable groups, in order to engage in discussion on a topic. These dialogues link and build on each other as people move between groups, cross-pollinate ideas and discover new insights.
Opening Session
When : Saturday 5th May 2007 (9.00 am to 4.00 pm)
Where : Downtown East Begonia Ballroom
Competitiveness
When : Saturday 12th May 2007 (9.00 am to 5.00 pm)
Where : Learning journey to Jurong Island
Why : Jurong Island embodies Singapore's vision of developing a strong and vibrant global chemical hub to take us into the next century. It is home to over 88 leading petroleum, petrochemical, specialty chemical and
supporting companies from around the world, including the top 50 Global Companies like Dupont, ExxonMobil, Shell and Sumitomo Chemical. This is the tale of Jurong Island – the journey from tiny islands to become home to international oil giants. It is a story of how chemicals sector have contributed significantly to Singapore’s economic growth.
What : Morning - Learning journey to Jurong Island
Afternoon - Knowledge kopitiam at NTUC Centre
Cohesion
When : Sunday 13th May 2007 (9.00 am to 5.00 pm)
Where : Learning journey to Harmony Centre
Why : Besides symbolizing one of the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore’s (MUIS) efforts to engender a greater understanding of Islam and Muslims amongst the multi-racial population of Singapore, the Harmony Centre is an avenue for strengthening the social bonds amongst the different faith communities in Singapore in order to build a more cohesive and resilient society which will be able to respond more rationally and maturely in the face of potential crisis.
What : Morning - Knowledge kopitiam at NTUC Centre
Afternoon - Learning journey to Harmony Centre
Compassion
When : Saturday 30th June 2007 (9.00 am to 5.00 pm)
Where: Learning journey to member Voluntary Welfare Organisations (VWOs) of National Council of Social Service
Why : In the 50s, social services were piecemeal, hampered by the lack of proper co-ordination and support. A structured umbrella body was eventually born to bring together all organisations and individuals with interest in community service and social welfare. In this learning journey, we are visiting the VWOs of NCSS. We shall get to know how over the years, NCSS has contributed to building a more gracious and caring society, and how it endeavours to meet the needs for a mature social service system at every phase of Singapore’s economic and social development.
What : Morning - Learning journey to VWOs
Afternoon - Knowledge kopitiam at NTUC Centre
Compact
When : Sunday 1st July 2007 (9.00 am to 5.00 pm)
Where : Singapore Discovery Centre
Why : Singapore Discovery Centre is Singapore’s state-of-art ‘edutainment’ attraction that celebrates the Singapore Experience. Participants can experience the Singapore Story with insights into Singapore’s challenges, dreams and aspirations and ultimately what makes Singapore tick – the Singaporean heartbeat.
What : Morning - Learning journey to Singapore Discovery Centre
Afternoon - Knowledge kopitiam at Singapore Discovery Centre
Closing Session - Choice
When : Saturday 21st July 2007 (9.00 am to 5.00 pm)
Where : Old Parliament House
Appendix 2 – Confirmed Learning Catalysts
Competitiveness
Aw Kah Peng
• Assistant Managing Director, Industry Development, EDB
• MBA, Sloan School of Management, MIT, 2001
Alfie Othman
• Treasurer, Executive Board, PERTAPIS
• CEO, IKHLAS Holdings
Benjamin Tang
• Member, Young NTUC Committee
• Vice-President, POU
Cohesion
Glenn Lim
• Youth counsellor, trainer and ambassador
• Inspiring role model and gifted public speaker
• Singapore Youth Award, 2005 and ASEAN Youth Award, 2006
Devi Haridas
• Advocate & Solicitor
• Comissioner for Oaths
• Exco member, Singapore Association of Women Lawyers
Zhou Zhenghua
• Member, Young NTUC Committee
• Exco member, EMSEU
Compassion
Dr Wong Meng Ee
• Champion for the less fortunate, elderly and disabled
• Member, REACH Supervisory Panel
• Co-founder, Retinitis Pigmentosa Society, Singapore
• President’s Social Service Award, 2002
Dr Carol Balhetchet
• Director, Singapore Children’s Society Youth Development Centre
• Psychologist, senior family and youth counsellor
• Columnist, TeenConfidential, The Sunday Times
Bavan K S Perumal
• Member, Young NTUC Committee
• Delegate, HSEU
Compact
Eunice Elizabeth Olsen
• Nominated Member of Parliament
• Active volunteer and counsellor
• Champion of youth issues, programmes and volunteerism
Noorfarahin Bte Ahmad
• Member, Young NTUC Committee
• Exco Member, National Secretary, AUPE
Choice
Elim Chew
• MD, 77th Street
• Member, National Youth Council
Josephine Teo
• Member of Parliament
• Director, Youth Development Unit and Human Resource Dept, NTUC
Edwin Lye Teck Hee
• Chair, Young NTUC Committee
• Deputy General Secretary, Singapore Teachers Union
• Member, National Youth Council
