PA must refresh itself, reach out to wider group of Singaporeans and stay connected to youths: Lawrence Wong

SINGAPORE: As part of efforts to refresh itself, the People’s Association (PA) can do more to draw in the wider group of Singaporeans who are keen to pitch in and do something for the community, said Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on Saturday (Oct 29).

To cultivate in them a habit of getting involved, PA can offer platforms which go beyond the current grassroots structures and offer opportunities that are less structured and more flexible, he added.

Speaking at the PA’s Community Seminar 2022 at Our Tampines Hub, Mr Wong said that PA is an integral part of the “Forward Singapore” exercise – to engage Singaporeans on how they can refresh and update the social compact, and ensure Singapore remains a high-trust society.

“Over the past few months, we’ve heard from many Singaporeans about how we can continue to progress along our nation-building journey, what changes we have to take. And the Government will take these views on board, and we will consider carefully how our policies should be adjusted,” he added.

In line with this, it is important to think about how the PA must refresh itself, said Mr Wong.

While it has become synonymous with the community activities and events in Singapore’s housing estates, the PA’s task is not to be an event organiser, he pointed out. Instead, events are a means towards the more important objective of building cohesive communities, Mr Wong said.

COMMUNITY VOLUNTEER SCHEME

One way is for the PA to work more closely with the Housing and Development Board (HDB) to create opportunities for residents to play an active role in livening up the shared spaces in their neighbourhoods, he explained.

“PA can help to convene and bring together groups of like-minded Singaporeans to undertake projects in issues and causes that they are passionate about,” he added.

Mr Wong pointed out that the association is well placed to do this, given it knows the needs on the ground and have networks to bring in other stakeholders and partners where necessary.

To support more residents with diverse interests to be involved in the community, the PA will introduce the Community Volunteer scheme, which will offer them more flexibility in choosing the causes they wish to contribute towards and determining their level of commitment, it said in a factsheet on Saturday.

PA will match these volunteers with available opportunities or work with them to identify needs in the community and facilitate ground-up projects. It will also link volunteers to networks and resources and work with partners and other agencies to share volunteering opportunities.

From next year, PA will progressively roll out the initiative and offer an enabling grant of up to S$1,000 per project to further support volunteers’ efforts.

Interested individuals or groups who wish to find out more about the Community Volunteer scheme can approach any community centre or community club.

“We must always match our population’s aspirations, grow with them. And also important to look at how we can relate to them better, especially in a post-pandemic environment,” PA deputy chairman and Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong told reporters on the sidelines of the Community Seminar.

“So these are some of the measures that we’re taking, particularly in working with different community volunteers, supporting the causes that they are interested in, to build a relationship with them and also to see how we can do better in terms of supporting this organically created and initiated activities.”