SINGAPORE: Singapore’s Youth Charter was launched by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on Saturday (Mar 1).

The charter is an action plan for young people to play a more proactive role in the community. It was developed after a 15-month outreach effort by the People's Association Youth Movement.

A special SG60 PA Engagement Grant to fund youth-led community initiatives was also announced by Mr Wong at the launch event at Ngee Ann City Civic Plaza.

“We have brought together all your key ideas into this Youth Charter. It brings together the ideas that emerged from these discussions, and it is your charter, written by you, for you,” said Mr Wong.

"The charter is not just about words, it’s not just a document. It’s a call to action. It’s a blueprint to shape the community and the Singapore you want for yourselves and your future," he added.

The Youth Charter comprises 18 statements spread over three core pillars identified by youths – mental health, racial and religious harmony, as well as sustainability and the environment.

YOUTH VOICES

About 127,000 youths aged between 15 and 35 took part in 212 conversations, focus group discussions and other engagements.

They were representative of different segments of society, such as the youth wings of faith-based organisations, those with disabilities and incarcerated youths in reformative training.

"The launch of the PA Youth Charter serves as a call to action for youths to harness their passion, be active changemakers and drive positive change in their communities," the People's Association (PA) said in a media release.

"This builds on the engagement that was done in the Forward Singapore exercise to refresh the youth social compact with the government and understand the changing aspirations of youth today," it added.

On Saturday, Mr Wong also visited an exhibition where youths showcased projects they have done to benefit the community. They included tours to places of worship and workshops to help young children build emotional resilience and cope with mental stressors.

Such efforts show that young people in Singapore do not just dream of change, but can rally others and take concrete steps to make a difference, said Mr Wong.

“I hope these stories will inspire many more young Singaporeans to step forward and do the same," he said.

Mr Wong also announced that the PAYM will commit a million volunteer hours this year.

There will be a special SG60 PA Engagement Grant of up to S$3,000 (US$2,200) per project, which can be tapped by the 95 PA Youth Networks and their 240 partner organisations for community initiatives.

Last year, 375 projects were completed, involving a total of 4,000 volunteers.

CREATING SINGAPORE’S FUTURE

Mr Wong also urged youths to build the future they want for Singapore, which at 60 years old, is still a young country.

“From the beginning, Singapore’s survival was never assured. We started with very difficult circumstances, and we overcame tremendous adversity and obstacles," he said, adding that there are dark clouds on the horizon.

“You just read the newspapers or you look at social media every other day, there's something unexpected, something unpredictable, something that makes your heart sink because you worry that the world is going into a more dangerous trajectory, and things will just spin out of control.”

However, he said he is confident that Singapore will be able to emerge stronger than before, as it did during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Most importantly, we are confident because I can see so many young Singaporeans like all of you here, ready to serve, caring about our nation and fully committed to building a better country," he said.

He assured young people that the government will work with them to write the next chapter of Singapore’s story.

“To all our young people, I say, Singapore’s future is not just something you inherit. It is something you will create, through with every action you take, starting today,” said Mr Wong.

Mr Wong was joined at Saturday’s event by Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong and Senior Minister of State for Digital Development and Information and for Health Janil Puthucheary. Also present were Ang Mo Kio GRC Member of Parliament (MP) Nadia Samdin and Jurong GRC MP Xie Yao Quan, members of the PAYM Council’s panel of advisers.

On how the success of the charter will be gauged, Dr Puthucheary said during a media briefing ahead of Saturday’s launch that “we don’t necessarily want to be so prescriptive”.

In response to a question from CNA, Dr Puthucheary, who is advisor to the PAYM, said: “Of course, when it comes to the governance and accountability of specific funding and specific projects, there is a framework for that.

“That process has been going on for some time, and we will apply the same type of governance. But I think that's distinct and different from the aspirational nature of the Youth Charter.”

Mr Ng Shi Xuan, MacPherson Youth Network’s vice-chairperson, said the point of the Youth Charter is to get young people to go from being consumers to change makers.

He had, together with chairperson Rachel Lee, organised an Eco Day at MacPherson MRT station to raise awareness of sustainability efforts like e-waste recycling programmes. It was one of the examples Mr Wong highlighted in his speech on Saturday.

"I think that's a very important part of the Youth Charter, where we want the youth to actually lead such projects and lead such conversations," Mr Ng said during the media briefing.

"If you look at schools and workplaces, you have very structured CSR (corporate social responsibility) programmes, you have very structured volunteering programs.

"But with the Youth Networks, actually, there is a third space where you can come out and explore your own projects and causes that you're passionate about."