Our Guest-of-Honour

President S R Nathan

Prof Leo Tan

Chairman, NYAA Council

My Parliamentary Colleagues

Distinguished Guests

Award recipients

Ladies and Gentlemen

It is with great pleasure and pride that I warmly welcome our Guest-of-Honour President S R Nathan and all of you to this 4^th NYAA Gold Award Presentation Ceremony.

This morning’s ceremony is significant. As a community, we are publicly recognizing and endorsing the outstanding achievements of so many young men and women.

The NYAA Programme was established a decade ago. To date, more than 45,000 youths have benefited from it. The Programme fosters discipline and character. It promotes confidence and teamwork. It teaches our young that leading a holistic life from an early age, where work, studies, family life and community service are well balanced, is the best preparation for challenges ahead.

To me, an important feature of the NYAA Award Scheme is that any youth, of whatever background, can sign up for it. Whether in community service, adventure training, leadership development, participation in the sports or the arts, there is no one determinant of success. Every youth on the programme stretches and challenges himself to reach the target he has set. In other words, nobody wins and loses, as in a competition. Why? Because everyone can be a winner. That is why the Award Scheme provides a gradation - from Bronze to Silver to the Gold Award. In this way, every participant can be the best he or she can be. This Scheme therefore epitomize what we are trying to achieve in Singapore.

Creating a conducive environment for young people to nurture their skills and hone their personalities remains a priority. This way, in time, our youths will emerge confidently to take their place in society as men and women of character and substance – as tomorrow’s leaders. Many are already showing great promise. Let me mention a few.

Vinothini Apok made history in 1998 by being the youngest youth leader in the world to be elected as a member of the United Nations Environment Programme Youth Advisory Council and Regional Youth Advisor for the Asia Pacific Region. She is now studying medicine in the UK. This year, she was elected as Chairman of the International Medical Student Network in the UK.

Ken Ong, a Gold Award holder from Ngee Ann Polytechnic and a PHD candidate in the UK, and Terrence Chia, another Gold Award holder and a PSC Scholar with Stanford University in the US, are currently representing the NYAA and Singapore at the International Gold Award Holders’ Conference in Canada.

And then there is Chong Kok Hwee, a Gold Award holder from a neighbourhood school. He had a shaky start in life, but developed through the NYAA over the years. Kok Hwee has represented Singapore at many international events. For instance, he was one of our representatives at the Commonwealth Youth Forum in Brisbane, Australia, in October 2001. In June, he was awarded the HSBC Youth Excellence Award for his outstanding community work. Most recently he was an NYAA representative on the organising committee of the Commonwealth Games 2002, held in Manchester, England.

These are ordinary young men and women who have benefited from the NYAA Programme. They are now making their marks at various levels. Some are serving at the community level, others at the national level. Still others have moved on to the world stage. They are Singapore’s youth ambassadors and help enhance Singapore’s image abroad.

To all of you here today, I say this. The NYAA will continue to provide you with the opportunities and platforms to stretch yourselves, like I did many years ago in school and university. How you achieve this depends very much on yourself. One way is by serving on the Gold Award Holders’ Alumni, a group Gold Award holders set up themselves.

Let me end by extending heartfelt thanks to some key people. First, on behalf of all of us here, I thank our President, Mr S R Nathan. Mr President, thank you for your encouraging support of youth development work.

The NYAA is also grateful to its Life Benefactor and Partner in Youth Development, Singapore Pools Pte Ltd for its financial support all these years.

Thanks are also due to the many NYAA Operating Authorities in Singapore, our valued partners in nurturing and preparing our youths for the future.

Lastly, and this is an important group, I recognize all parents here today. As a fellow parent, I encourage you to continue to take an active interest in the activities of your children. Support them. Cheer them on. You will never regret it.

Thank you.

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