04 Jul 2010
1 The National Trades Union Congress (NTUC)’s U Live community for active seniors aged 55 and above has become one of Singapore’s largest and fastest growing Seniors Grouping. U Live is the Labour Movement’s targeted platform to reach out to active agers on the Work, Live and Play front, by encouraging them to stay employed, enriched and engaged through its re-employment schemes, cause-centric initiatives, and age-specific interest groups and privileges.
2 Launched on 22 July 2009, U Live started with 72,000 members and has surged past 93,000 members just after one year. This marks a 29 per cent increase in its membership growth. To date, there are also 20 interest groups formed to help them lead meaningful and purposeful lives.
3 For example, one of the more popular interest group is the Eco Club which currently has 60 members. A plot of land in Costa Sands Resorts (Downtown East) was obtained for the gardening interest group, and their passion led them to compete in the ‘Community in Bloom (CIB) Awards 2010’. The Eco Club members also play a mentoring role by being advisors to students of Dunman Secondary School who are maintaining two gardens in their school compound. This five-month long project not only allows inter-generational interaction, it also provides an opportunity for seniors to ‘give back’ and share their experience in gardening. More experienced members in other interest groups such as the Green Swingers Team (Golf) and the Golden Bowl also set aside time to coach other members on a weekly basis. This allows them to be purposeful in sharing their skills and knowledge to fellow members.
4 Mr Woo Kum Seng, 59 years old (Eco Club) said, "Since I joined U Live, I am able to make new friends and also pursue my love for gardening. Under the Eco Club interest group, we were given a plot of land to create our garden, which we designed, maintained and used to enter the ‘Community in Bloom Awards 2010’ competition. Being part of U Live has given me a chance to achieve and create new ideas in my golden years. I truly cherish the experience and look forward to new projects under U Live."
5 To mark U Live’s one year anniversary, a U Live Symposium was held on 4 July 2010 to encourage active agers to lead Happy, Healthy, Productive and Purposeful lives. Organised by NTUC Club, a series of workshops, course sign-ups, re-employment talks and health checks conducted by a total 28 partners such as Parkway Cancer Centre, National Heritage Board and Tripartite Alliance for Fair Employment Practices (TAFEP) were lined up for seniors from 9.00 am to 3.00 pm at different rooms in NTUC Centre, One Marina Boulevard. A total of 2,000 participants thronged the event.
6 NTUC Deputy Secretary-General Heng Chee How, who was the Guest-of-Honour at the U Live Symposium said, “We cannot solely depend on laws and collective agreements to employ and re-employ mature workers sustainably. The health and happiness of the workers play an important part too. In just one year, the U Live membership has grown by 29 per cent to surge past 93,000. At end-May this year, 903 or 90 per cent unionised companies have also committed themselves to systematic re-employment of retiring workers. This combined platform therefore gives us momentum and synergy to promote active ageing holistically. As one of Singapore’s largest and fastest growing group of seniors, U Live has the size and credibility to spearhead meaningful Work, Live and Play programmes for seniors.”
7 Mr Yeo Khee Leng, CEO of NTUC Club said, "During the past one year, we have seen members with similar interests bonding and enjoying themselves at our various activities. Many U Live members have also added elements of ‘Happy, Healthy, Purposeful and Productive’ into their lives by staying active and mentoring fellow members in various interest groups. We will continue to enhance U Live, allow our members to grow with us and provide them with fulfilling experiences."
8 Looking forward, U Live will strengthen its efforts to integrate Work, Live and Play activities for the benefit of union members above 55. U Live is currently exploring with the People’s Association (PA) under the existing Wellness Programme to take advantage of the national health exercise platforms like briskwalking, and possibly taichi and qigong in the near future. Separately, U Live is also exploring with the Health Promotion Board for a possible partnership to reach out to mature workers in the Labour Movement’s network of over 1,000 unionised companies. These efforts are targeted to further grow and enrich the lives of U Live members.
