SPEECH BY DR YAACOB
IBRAHIM,
MINISTER FOR THE
ENVIRONMENT AND WATER RESOURCES AND MINISTER-IN-CHARGE OF MUSLIM AFFAIRS AT THE
1ST
ANNIVERSARY OF YOUTH DEVELOPMENT SECTORAL NETWORK CUM LAUNCH OF ?DADAH BUKAN
UNTUK SAYA? VCD
TEMASEK POLYTECHNIC
9 APRIL 2005, 11.30 am
Minister of State Zainul
Abidin Rasheed, Mayor NorthEast CDC and Co-Chairman of Youth Development
Sectoral Network
Mr Zainudin Nordin,
Member of Parliament, Bishan ?Toa Payoh GRC and Co- Chairman of Youth
Development Sectoral Network
Mdm Rashidah Abdul Rasip, CEO Yayasan MENDAKI
Distinguished guests,
Teachers and Students,
Assalamualaikum and a
Very good morning to all
1.
It is my pleasure to join you today to
commemorate the first anniversary of the Youth Development Sectoral Network. We are launching today a VCD entitled ?Dadah
Bukan Untuk Saya?.
2.
With 38% of Malays aged 19 years and below,
our community has the highest proportion of youths among Singapore?s three major
ethnic communities. This youth base can be a huge asset to the community, or a
huge liability. If we put in our best effort and leverage on this huge resource
now, the future of the Malay/Muslim community will be so much stronger and
brighter. On the other hand, if we let the opportunity slip, and not develop
this precious resource then our community will suffer a major setback for
decades to come. Our youth are our
future. It was for this critical reason that the Community of Excellence
Leader?s Forum decided to form the Youth Sectoral Development Network in
October 2003 and launched the network the following year in February 2004.
Youth Development Network
3.
On
the 15th of February 2004, I launched the Youth Development Sectoral
Network (YDSN) spearheaded by two of my
Parliamentary colleagues, MOS Zainul Abidin Rasheed and Mr Zainudin Nordin with
a pilot programme called Youth In
Action. We had identified youth who would benefit from support and guidance as
one of the broad challenges that we need to tackle in the community. The long-term
solution towards youth-related issues lies in the preventive and developmental
work being done among these youth.
4.
The
Youth In Action was one of the upstream strategies that was initiated after
rigorous discussion at the Community Leader?s Forum. I am proud to say that to-date
we have a total of 300 students in the Youth-In-Action programme with schools
and families working together in a cohesive partnership. The programme takes
into account diversity among the youths and provides them different avenues to
develop and to be engaged. What is fundamental is that it is a holistic
programme as mentors are identified to assist the youths, parents pick up positive
parenting skills, and schools collaborate together in this equation. The underlying
premise of the programme is that having mentors helps youths stay engaged in
positive, productive activities. To-date,
we have a total of 300 mentors who are positive role models for their fellow
youth.
5.
Through
developmental and character-building programmes such as camps and overseas
expeditions, we are developing and instilling life skills among our youths that
would stand them in good stead in their future endeavors. We have also
established a good working relationship with other community organizations as
well as the Police Force to value add and provide relevant expertise for the
Youth-In-Action Programme. Mendaki has also sought to engage informal groups
who have expertise in diverse areas such as music, arts, sports and entrepreneurship to come forward and engage
our youths.
6.
I
am also heartened that my call for more players in the youth sector has been
answered. Several new as well as established Malay/ Muslim organizations have
now come on board to take up the challenge of providing the much needed
services for youth. Among these organizations are undergraduates from Singapore
Management University (SMU), National University of Singapore (NUS) and Nanyang
Technological University (NTU). These students though busy with their studies,
take the time to plan developmental camps for children from low-income
families. Clubilya a newly formed society was formed by volunteers who were
helping high- risk youths. This group of volunteers felt that this was their
calling and went out to form a society dedicated to this mission. They are now
helping Mendaki in a project. And the Fellowship of Muslim Students?
Association (FMSA) is currently helping with our Out- of -School youth
programme.
7.
These
are examples of young people who have made good in their lives and are coming
forward to serve the community and contribute to building the lives of others.
I am confident that the community can do more given the large Malay youth
base. Research has shown that youths
derive a lot of positive development and experiences through active
participation in the community and I am sure this is what is driving these
young people to continuously be engaged and give back to the community.
Recognising
our Youths as Assets and Harnessing their Strengths
8.
I would also like to appeal to all the young
people here in the auditorium today to seek and find positive experiences
through healthy activities and avenues. What is important is that you are
passionate about something useful and constructive. Find your niche and stay connected to your community. A good
example would be Mohd Zaki bin Jalil, a teacher and nature enthusiast who set
up the first Butterfly Garden at his university and is a member and volunteer
of the Nature Society Singapore, Education and Plant Group. Despite that he
still finds time to volunteer with the National Parks. He has also presented a
paper at an international conference on Turtle Tourism. Zaki found his niche
and did not wait for someone to prompt him to act. He took it on. This is the
spirit that we want to see in our youths.
9.
This was what Prime
Minister Lee Hsien Loong meant in his National Day Rally Speech when he called
for youths to engage their ideals and energies to build a new generation and
Singapore?s future. This was a target set for all young people out there. The
future is bright for our young people today as there are boundless
opportunities that can be seized. The Government together with youth
organizations and voluntary welfare organizations are creating platforms and
avenues for our youths to showcase their talents in areas that they excel in.
10.
The rising tide of globalisation and the
rapid exchange of information have exposed us at times to some undesirable ills
that may have an impact on the social fabric of our nation. We therefore need
to continuously work and protect our younger generation against these
undesirable influences. That is why I applaud the YDSN?s efforts in coming up
with a VCD on the importance of staying away from drugs and channeling their
energies on developing their potential and talents.
The Declining drug rates ? A cause for celebration
and recognition
11.
Although the number of drug abuse cases has fallen
significantly in 2004,
I would like to take this opportunity to remind us all that the fight against
drugs is far from over. There are new challenges. We are now seeing new trends
in the type of drugs being used which is linked to the changing lifestyle of
our youths. In the past, Heroin was the choice of drug but today new synthetic
drugs such as Ketamine and Ecstasy are gaining popularity. CNB recently noted
that 55.7% of the drug cases involve
synthetic drugs as these are consumed in groups in the clubs. This is a
worrying trend. At the same time, it gives us an insight into how quickly the
use of synthetic drugs can grow in the midst of ignorance and complacency and
in the name of ?fun?. We cannot allow our young generation to be pick up a
habit that is going to destroy their lives.
12.
Therefore as a community we will need to stay
vigilant and try new strategies and best practices that will prevent our youths
from negative influences. New and innovative measures must be identified to
instill a sense of connectedness to the community and develop the competencies
in our youths that will safeguard them from these social ills. The way forward
is to implement upstream strategies and to start engaging our youths early.
13.
Community organizations, parents and youth should
work together to provide the opportunities for our young to live life to the
fullest and to channel their positive energy towards worthwhile pursuits. We
will need to recognize our young as our assets and harness their strengths to
realize their potential.
14.
To conclude, I would like thank NCADA for sponsoring
the production of the video and to congratulate Youth Development Sectoral
Network on their 1st year Anniversary. Continue your good efforts towards
positive youth development and capacity building for us to continuously
understand the youth psyche and issues today. To all the young people here I hope
you will enjoy the event today and all the best for your future.
Thank you.
