SINGAPORE — Chingay 2015 is hoping to engage thousands of youth when Singapore celebrates its golden jubilee with the annual parade’s first mobile app, which will allow them to share their hopes and dreams for the nation.

Called Chingay Youth Aspiration Application, the app is aimed at those aged 35 and below and will be launched in January.

Youths can share their aspirations and hopes for the nation and post it to the app’s gallery section, where other users can read them. The app also has elements that will allow youths to post and share photos and videos of Chingay 2015 with friends and family.

People’s Association chief executive director Ang Hak Seng said: “We must always look forward, and to look forward, we need to capture the youths’ aspirations because they are the future of the nation.”

The grand finale of next year’s Chingay parade will also feature 150 Trees of Hope made from recycled plastic bottles. About 1,000 youths will perform as flower fairies and elves among the trees when the parade is transformed into an enchanted magical forest.

Homegrown Mandopop star Lin Jun Jie, or JJ Lin, will perform the finale song, called Dreams, which was written by local lyricist Corrinne May with music direction by Goh Keng Long.

Of the 12,000 performers involved in the parade, 60 per cent are youths, up from 40 per cent last year when 8,000 performers were involved.

ELGIN CHONG