Seeing 280 kites in the sky with flickering LED lights twinkling against the backdrop of a dark sky was indeed quite a sight for some 1,000 people at the Marina Barrage on 1 October 2011. This was a record breaking feat made possible by Young NTUC together with 12 youth chapters.
Their collaborated efforts not only created a platform for family bonding, it also enabled the Labour Movement to step into the Singapore Book of Records once again for having the most number of LED kites flown at night. This is also the first mass participation event organised solely by youth activists of the Labour Movement.
Said Young NTUC Vice-Chairperson and Union of ITE Training Staff (UITS) Assistant Secretary Muhammad Asri Arshad: “Normally, the youth chapters organise events individually. This time, the 12 of us got together and we decided to do a mega event for our members. We brainstormed and finally decided on a family themed event- night kite flying. Because our young members have young families, so we thought one of the ways for the young families to get together and bond is through kite flying.”
While this event brought about great fun for union members, it also reinforced the Labour Movement’s aim to develop leadership capability among the youths. Shared Young NTUC Executive Secretary Steve Tan: “When we did this event, we deliberately did not want to interfere from the secretariat level. We left it entirely to the youth activists. This is actually very important because a lot of people think that the Labour Movement always does a top-down approach. We decide something centrally, and then we push it down. But increasingly, we are trying to let people realise that actually all this while a lot of things actually come from the ground.
“This is a very good example. You had different unions and Central Committee members present, but they didn’t interfere at all. The youth activists did it all on their own and the activity came forward... So I think increasingly, we will see more and more of the youth chapters taking the initiative and lead in organising mass activities like that, which is excellent training ground for them. They learn how to mobilise, organise, reach out and listen to the members.”
As part of the family bonding activities, a kite design competition was also held earlier on as families worked together to fill the colours up on their kites. Emerging as winner for the competition was 48-year-old Chemical Industries Employees’ Union (CIEU) member Mr S Tamilvanan and his family. He said: “This is the first time we are here at the Barrage. We would love to come here regularly and we hope to come back here again next year to participate in an event as such. Kite flying for us is a family affair, and we do it about two to three times a month. I really enjoyed myself.”
The youth chapters involved in the event were from CIEU, Healthcare Services Employees’ Union (HSEU), Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore Staff Union (IRASSU), Port Officers’ Union (POU), Singapore Bank Employees’ Union (SBEU), Singapore Bank Officers’ Association (SBOA), Singapore Insurance Employees’ Union (SIEU), The Singapore Manual & Mercantile Workers’ Union (SMMWU), Singapore Refining Company Employees’ Union (SRCEU), UTIS, United Workers of Petroleum Industry (UWPI) and nEbO.
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"When you fly a kite, you pull and let go, pull and let go. So I think Young NTUC is running on a similar approach. You pull the activist in, give them some support and then you let them go. You let them go and they can organise such a wonderful event. With just a little bit of resources, let them express their ideas, let them go out there and mobilise as many members as possible.” |
