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Community must step up as equal partner

I think the Prime Minister gave his most significant policy speech ever at the National Day Rally. It was also one of his most empathetic, showing a clear understanding of the issues that Singaporeans had raised through Our Singapore Conversation.

Ms Emily Teng’s (in black) non-profit organisation, World Change Agents, helps introverted youths gain the skills and confidence to create their own social initiatives and become community leaders.

Ms Emily Teng’s (in black) non-profit organisation, World Change Agents, helps introverted youths gain the skills and confidence to create their own social initiatives and become community leaders.

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I think the Prime Minister gave his most significant policy speech ever at the National Day Rally. It was also one of his most empathetic, showing a clear understanding of the issues that Singaporeans had raised through Our Singapore Conversation.

Most strikingly, I see a real, permanent strategic shift in making Singapore a more just and equal society. Our Singapore Pledge declares that we are “to build a democratic society based on justice and equality”. The People’s Action Party’s own mission is to “build a fair and just society”.

These words resonate deeply with me and with my colleagues at the National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre (NVPC), as we have dedicated our professional lives to building a giving nation, one in which people are driven by altruism and compassion; a Singapore in which selfless giving is a natural and expected trait; a country of engaged citizens willing to take on the responsibility of addressing and solving issues facing their communities.

One idea I agree with, in particular, is that in order to make real progress on social issues, the community must take responsibility and act to address social issues it identifies as most pressing.

I wish this theme had been developed further — for while the Prime Minister had said the community must do more, this was largely in the context of sharing the State’s load in protecting the individual, especially the disadvantaged.

I would like to see the community being equal partners in much of the upcoming work — not just to alleviate the fiscal burden, but also to contribute to the problem-solving process.

WHAT COMMITTED CITIZENS COULD ACCOMPLISH

I believe in the power of the community and in the power of the individual. One of my favourite quotations is by anthropologist Margaret Mead, who said: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world.”

I can only imagine the power for change that could be harnessed if the majority of our citizens became committed to solving our social issues. Or the incredible positive changes that could be brought about if we all committed to the idea that we have the power — and the responsibility — to build “a fair and just society”.

The NVPC’s Vertical Kampong programme exists in order to help citizens and community leaders catalyse ground-up initiatives. We have been able to spur some amazing volunteer-led initiatives — such as Morning Greeters who initiated a culture of greeting people during their morning runs, and Project V Movement, which seeks to get more people to volunteer through fun, innovative ways.

And we are not alone. Ms Emily Teng, in her mid-20s, has spearheaded her own volunteer-driven social initiative, Blessings in a Bag, and is now setting up an exciting non-profit organisation called World Change Agents, which will help introverted youths gain the skills and confidence to create their own social initiatives and become community leaders.

Despite being newly established and desperately in need of funding, World Change Agents has already enabled 14 new social projects, all run by youth volunteers.

POWER OF YOUTH

I believe in the potential and power of young people. Which is why the announcement of the Youth Corps is very interesting; I am looking forward to knowing more about how the Prime Minister and his team envision this working.

I hope that the programme instils in young people the spirit of volunteering, encourages them to identify the needs of their own neighbourhoods and communities, and enables them to create powerful and lasting solutions.

I am very encouraged that young people in Singapore today, according to the Individual Giving Survey published by the NVPC, are, in fact, volunteering more than ever before. I hope the Youth Corps can further empower this next generation.

I also believe that ground-up initiatives will often produce the most creative and exciting solutions.

Last year, the NVPC launched a new Jump Start Fund to provide people and organisations with the resources to pilot new social innovations that benefit the community. Two great examples of grant recipients have been Blockpooling.sg, which enables community sharing of resources and services; and the One Cent Movement, that raises funds for charities by asking online retailers to allow customers to round up their purchases to the nearest dollar, with the difference going to charity.

HELP SET THE AGENDA

A lot of work remains to be done. The Government has addressed some of the critical pain points evinced by citizens. But substantial societal progress will take more than policy tweaks and technical fixes.

The success, or failure, of Singapore as a society does not rest solely on the Government. The question we should ask ourselves, every time we spot some unmet social need, is: “What can we do about that?”, before we ask: “Why hasn’t the Government fixed this?”

The responsibility to build a giving nation, a fair and just society, is for all of us to own. The Prime Minister is moving the Government in the right direction — we need to meet him more than half-way.

We must do more than just share the State’s load — we should help set the agenda, help point the way, help find solutions and help build our own future.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Laurence Lien is a Nominated Member of Parliament, Chief Executive of the National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre and Chairman of the Lien Foundation.

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