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My fellow Board Members
Distinguished Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen
Students
A very good morning to all of you. I am pleased to join you here today at the Finale of CampTeen, OnePeople’s flagship Youth Racial Harmony Ambassadors Programme. Let me start by congratulating all of you for successfully completing the programme. You have spent 4 days, living, learning and working together. I hope you enjoyed the Camp and made new friends while you had fun. I am eager to see what you have in store for us today.
2 CampTeen was first started in 1994, by the Self-Help Groups, Chinese Development Assistance Council, Yayasan Mendaki, Singapore Indian Development Association, The Eurasian Association and Association of Muslim Professionals, when OnePeople was formerly known as the Central Singapore Joint Social Service Centre. The idea then was to introduce a yearly camp which will foster cross-cultural learning, understanding and deepen relationships with youths from the various ethnic groups.
3 I am proud to say CampTeen has been successfully running for 15 years, forging friendships among thousands of multi-racial youths who have gone through this journey with us. With the strong foundations laid by the Self-Help Groups, and with the support of the Community Development Councils, and People’s Association, OnePeople, since its launch in 2007, has further built on the objectives of the Camp and has now grown this initiative to a Racial Harmony Ambassadors Programme to groom youths like you to lead racial harmony efforts in Singapore.
4 This year’s CampTeen is very special as it is in celebration of the world’s first ever Youth Olympic Games right here in Singapore. In less than a year, we will be showcasing Singapore to the world. Come August 2010, there will be some 5,000 thousands athletes from all over the world visiting Singapore with 20,000 local and international volunteers. The Youth Olympic Games provides an excellent opportunity for us to show the whole world, who we are, and what we are made of. Thus, the slogan we chose to adopt for CampTeen “What Are You Made Of” strikes the very heart of the values that we would like each and every Singaporean, to promote during the Games in 2010 and beyond; the Olympic spirit of Excellence, Respect and Friendship.
5 As you would have learnt, the Olympics is not just about the athletes and the Games. It is about humanity. It is about building friendships and a better world of peace through sports. We have heard of Olympic heroes who have re-defined history. These are real stories that we can draw inspiration from, people who have broken boundaries of race and nationality to achieve excellence despite all odds. Let me share with you two examples.
6 In the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, Jesse Owens, discredited Hitler’s theory of the superiority of the Aryan race by being the first African American to win four Olympic Gold medals in a single Olympics, setting four Olympic and two World Records. He achieved this despite racial segregation he and his family had to face back then in the United States. This feat of Jesse Owens also served as a shock to Hitler as he considered Blacks, nothing close to being humans at that time. However, Jesse Owens through his actions showed Hitler and the world it is personal excellence and not race or nationality that distinguishes one man from another.
7 In the Winter Olympic Games in Torino, for the first time, a Chinese national topped the skier category. Never before did China enter the finals of any sport in the Winter Olympics, which was traditionally dominated by Western nations. But Han Xiaopeng from China showed great determination and courage, after surviving two major accidents that could have almost left him crippled, to win the gold in the skiing category in the 2006 Winter Olympics. Even though China’s geographical conditions are not perfect for skiing in most places, Han Xiaopeng has demonstrated that you can indeed do what you desire if you put your mind to it.
8 There are many such uplifting stories in the history of the Olympics. It is such strength, and noble pursuit of the human character which makes the Olympics a movement for humanity and worldwide harmony.
9 I trust you had an interesting dialogue with one of our very own Olympic icons, C Kunalan. I understand that you have learnt many useful lessons from him including some that could improve your personal lives, especially in increasing your chances of courtship. Most importantly, I hope the dialogue, has opened up your eyes to issues of ethnicity and the value of diversity, a core asset of our nation.
10 The true value of learning is to put into practice what you learn. As Ambassadors, you should walk the talk. First, you must, when you go back to your schools, implement what you have leant over these four days. Make it a point to know your schoolmates who are from different backgrounds, understand their cultures and build friendships. Sometimes just a simple gesture as saying ‘Hi’ helps to break the shyness.
11 Second, do share what you have learnt so that people can benefit from your experience. I am told that you have collected a wide range of photos showcasing your learning journey. Download these photos on your Facebook, do some slides up in YouTube and write about it in your Blogs. I welcome you to join my Facebook. I keep in touch with my residents, friends and get to interact with youths all over, by posting pictures of my experiences and sharing my thoughts on various community issues through Facebook. By sharing what I have learnt and hearing from others, I get to broaden my knowledge, understand different viewpoints, and exchange new ideas. You can invite me on your Facebook, I know most have you have a Facebook account, so take this opportunity to link up with me online and we can start sharing our experiences. And do use the new media to spread your experience to your other local and international friends as well. This way, you can share with the whole world useful lessons you have acquired from this Camp.
12 I also understand you have worked hard at coming up with project ideas to promote racial harmony and the Olympic values. I challenge you to implement these projects and turn your ideas into reality. This should be your mission. I can assure you that OnePeople will give our full support and guidance to enable you to see through your projects.
13 As OnePeople’s Youth Ambassadors, I would like you to be role models and inspire other youths to come on board to join our cause. I would also like to see you doing your part for the 2010 Youth Olympic Games. There are many opportunities for youths like you to get involved in showcasing Singapore’s unique harmony, and our diverse cultures to our foreign delegates. When the Games arrives, I would like each and everyone of you to be part of the action, carrying the Singapore spirit with pride, to host a memorable Games for Singapore and the world.
14 The future of racial harmony in our country, very much depends on our youths. If you look at Singapore, the people in our country are our only natural resource. The government can set the policies but it is the people who decide the extent and level of harmony that we will have in our country. The growth and prosperity of our nation very much depends on our people, and the relationships between our diverse communities. If we do not make an effort to continue build and strengthen our relationships with people of different races, and religions, then our only natural resource will deplete in strength. You as future flag bearers of our country should never let that happen to Singapore.
15 I wish to see all of you continuing your journey beyond this Camp and I count on you to live the Olympic spirit and build stronger bridges for our future.
16 In closing, I would like to thank the Singapore Olympic Games Organising Committee for their support. I would also like to thank all our youth wing members, and participating schools and organisations for making CampTeen a memorable occasion.
I wish you a pleasant afternoon ahead.
Thank you.
well done, kids! |
It's nice being able to write your blog etc, without having to worry.
Me & 25 others professional family men unemployed for many mths did enrolled for PCP, professional conversion program organise by WDA & conduct by BCAA. Course Specialist Dip in Facility & Energy Mgmt, SPURS funded course, promising 1000$ mthly allowance.
Been 2mths we have yet to received any allown. Is this the way government agency conduct their business? We have no income, with family, yet WDA & BCAA expect us to continue?
Pl help us resolve the matter urgently.
Thank you!
Central Singapore especially in areas like Little India, Jalan Besar, Farrer Park has the highest crime rate. Everyday, HDB residents have their clothes, bicycles, shoes and other items stolen. Every Sunday, foreign immigrants congregate there and commit crime. They have punched and robbed old residents, loiter around HDBs to look for opportunities to create fast crime. What next? Will they break in buildings, kidnap children?
The police and volunteers that patrol the area do not check IDs and make their presence felt. As a result, the foreign immigrants and criminals outsmart the patrolling police by committing crime when no patrols are conducted. Instead, tough action by the police and town council members need to be made to ensure the area is patrolled well. When foreign immigrants are checked stringently and some are deported, they will be wary not to commit crime and linger around if they are intending to commit crime.
The area has also many illegal traders at the Jalan Besar thieves market where stolen items are traded there. The high traffic by unethical people have seen many hit and run accidents when traders knock pedestrians and run away. The lack of police visibility in this crime prone area is to be blamed. The lack of policy makers making stringent policies to register licenses for bicycles or for trading of goods causes crime to prevail.
Please do something. WE NEED TO DIFFERENTIATE SINGAPORE AS A SAFE, FIRST CLASS ASIAN COUNTRY. Do not let higher population dillute this status.