New centre in Yishun to offer parenting, student enrichment programmes for all races

SINGAPORE — The four self-help groups here will be setting up a new centre in Yishun to provide some of their existing race-neutral parenting and student enrichment programmes to Singaporeans from all ethnic groups.

To be piloted in January, this will be a joint initiative by the Chinese Development Assistance Council (CDAC), Eurasian Association, Singapore Indian Development Association (Sinda) and Yayasan Mendaki.

The new self-help group centre was announced by Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam at the CDAC Partner Awards Presentation Ceremony held at the Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre on Friday (June 23).

He noted that the self-help groups have been working more closely together in recent years, developing joint initiatives for Singaporeans of all races.

“It is a way in which we keep the unique strengths of each of the (self-help groups), especially their ability to reach out to parents and to tap on the goodwill that flows very naturally within each of their communities,” he added. "But not just to do that, we also have to grow the spirit of mutual support between Singaporeans of all races and backgrounds."

To that end, the new centre will organise enrichment programmes for students and parenting workshops for all races, among other things. It will also provide a platform for racial and cultural integration, such as celebrating Singapore’s cultural festivals, added Mr Tharman.

Speaking to the media on the sidelines of the ceremony, Sinda chief executive officer K Barathan said the groups had discussed about the common programmes that cut across races which they could work on together and avoid duplicating resources.

Certain issues Singaporeans face are the same, regardless of their race, he added.

Some of the race-neutral programmes the centre may offer include parenting talks and workshops, youth programmes like mentoring, and pre-school programmes.

On why they are setting up the centre in Yishun, the groups said they looked at the areas they were already servicing and found a need in the northern part of Singapore.

The self-help groups have already collaborated on other initiatives, such as the collaborative tuition programme launched in 2002 and the Big Heart Student Care centres run by a joint venture company owned by the four organisations.

At the CDAC’s 25th annual general meeting held before the ceremony, Education Minister (Higher Education and Skills) Ong Ye Kung succeeded Health Minister Gan Kim Yong as the new chairman of the CDAC’s board of directors.

Mr Ong was appointed to the CDAC board in June 2010 and was made its deputy chairman last October.

In his speech at the ceremony, Mr Ong noted that the times are changing and the Government has been doing more in terms of providing social assistance and training to uplift families and communities.

“CDAC will continue to have a key role to play but we are also adjusting,” he said.

Speaking to the media separately, Mr Ong said while the group will continue to help the lower-income and disadvantaged, CDAC’s priority “can no longer be giving out subsidies” because its resources are limited and will not be able to match the quantum that the Government can give.

But the subsidies will not decrease, he added.

Instead, CDAC will focus on engaging Chinese families, workers and students in the community. The group also needs to differentiate between providing programmes that can reach out to the masses and targeted help for needy families.

For the latter, this means identifying families that need help, engaging and supporting them in their children’s education, and providing counselling, among other things.

“I don’t think you will see a major change in the tools of our trade. But what you see is a maybe sharper focus, focusing on those who need help the most so that we can make a difference in their lives,” Mr Ong said.