PARTICIPATION AMONG YOUTHS IN SINGAPORE IN THE AREA

PARTICIPATION AMONG YOUTHS IN SINGAPORE IN THE AREA OF POLITICS

First, let’s take a look at social participation amongst youths in Singapore…

Youths involved in Community Service…

Youths involved in Interest Groups…

Youths involved in Uniformed Groups…

Youths involved in Arts and Cultural Groups…

Youths involved in Sports-Related Groups…

Presentation Highlights n n Youths in Singapore – Definition Encouraging Participation through the National Youth Forum Survey Results on Social Participation in Singapore (2002) Benefits of Social Participation

Definition of “Youths” n n Between 15 to 30 years old Approximately 700 K of Singapore population, meaning, youths form about 21 per cent of total population More than 40 per cent have post secondary education Mostly singles (about 80 per cent)

Encouraging Participation … through the National Youth Forum -Currently, there are existing forums to express their views on national issues, egs, ITE Students’ Seminar, Polytechnic Forums etc -However, more could be more done. Hence, the establishment of the National Youth Forum(NYF) - to provide a formal platform for youths from a variety of backgrounds to study policy formation and debate national issues

Encouraging Participation … through the National Youth Forum - to target youths from ages 17 to 21 - to target about 200 to 300 representatives from various education institutions, youth groups and community organisations Remaking Singapore 2003 Report

Encouraging Participation … through the National Youth Forum -Objective: gives youths a chance to deepen their understanding of rationale behind various government policies, to think through and put forward recommendations for changes they would like to see in national policies Remaking Singapore 2003 Report

Encouraging Participation … through the National Youth Forum -Mechanics The NYF will be held on an annual basis, comprising the following phases: -Foundation phase -Conceptualisation phase -Debate and decision phase -Follow-up phase

Survey on Social Participation n In 2002, the National Youth Council did a survey on the state of youths in Singapore The sample size was 1, 504 The survey explored indicators such as health, values and attitudes, and rate of social participation of youths

Table 1: Age, occupational status and social involvement Overall sample (N=1504) Involved in one or more group Not involved in any group 15 -18 76 % 24 % 19 -22 43 % 57 % 23 -26 29 % 1% 27 -29 27 % 73 % Student 74 % 26 % Non-student 30 % 70 % AGE OCCUPATIONAL STATUS

Table 2: Youths involved in social groups Types of Groups Percentage of Youths Involved (%) out of 1504 Sports-Related Groups 24 Arts and Cultural Groups 10 Religious Groups 10 Uniformed Groups 8 Interest Groups 4 Community Groups 4 Welfare and Self-Help Groups 3 Others 2

Benefits of social participation (Part 1) n n Leadership skills are taught through informal learning processes such as experiences in social groups Leadership experiences in social groups are excellent means for youth development, because a) provide a context for young people to learn team building, strategic planning, etc b) leadership roles provide opportunities for youth to be mentored by adult role models c) experiences in leadership equip young people with skills necessary to participate in everyday life

Benefits of social participation (Part 2) n n Social support and interaction eg, having adult mentors for advice Social competency eg, finding it “easy” to make new friends Citizenship values eg, aware that “service to others” is important Life satisfaction eg, feeling “happy” with life

What some youths say… “The time is well spent, we actually learn a lot more, and we treasure a lot more stuff, because we know we are more fortunate than other people. ” – Secondary school student, male

What some youths say… “For me, even one lone ranger has a good idea, but without the support of others, he or she cannot carry out. ” – Secondary school student, female

What some youths say… “I do quite a range of activities with my volunteer group. I do management committee work. I am also involved in direct service work. I work with the intellectually disabled. That’s what I do every Saturday” – University student, male

In Summary, Participation in social groups not only yields personal benefits, but also channels the creative energy of youths towards the betterment of society. Participation in social groups nurtures the imagination, ideals, energy and vision of young people in a supportive environment. – Youth. sg

Thank You!