DPM Tharman Shanmugaratnam at the NYAA/ITE Gold Award Presentation Ceremony 2016

Mr Sam Tan, Minister of State, Prime Minister's Office and Ministry of Manpower

Mr Baey Yam Keng, Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth 

Prof Leo Tan, Chairman, National Youth Achievement Award Council,

Mr Bruce Poh, Director and Chief Executive Officer, Institute of Technical Education,

Excellencies,

Lecturers, Parents and Award recipients,

Distinguished guests, Ladies and gentlemen,

It is such a pleasure for me to be with you this morning at the inaugural NYAA/ITE Gold Award Presentation Ceremony.

The future of every country lies in its young people. That’s all the more so for our own country, because our future depends entirely on our people -  each citizen, how we develop our skills, and how we work together, overcome challenges, and keep findings ways to make the future better than  the past. 

This is why we have youth development programmes such as the National Youth Achievement Awards (NYAA) are of such importance. Over the past 20 years, the NYAA, working with partners like the Institute of Technical Education (ITE), has helped many young Singaporeans to discover their interests and abilities, and develop themselves to their fullest potential. I want to congratulate everyone involved in the NYAA for this exhilarating journey of youth development!  

For those receiving the NYAA award, it is but the start of the next mile in your own journey. A journey that will bring new experiences, and give you opportunity to learn something outside what you are already familiar with – in other words, outside your comfort zone. It will help you develop skills for life, such as empathy, thinking outside the box, and cultural flexibility and sensitivity. I’m sure it will also help you discover more about yourself, and your sense of purpose in life. 

Two of our many role models  

We have many success stories of ITE Alumnus who have excelled in leadership and in their contributions both in Singapore and in the international arena. 

Bruce Tong

One outstanding example, and NYAA Gold Award holder, is Bruce Tong, who discovered his love for long-distance running and photography through the NYAA Programme. He also uses them to serve the community and his alma mater.

Bruce’s own experience of being poor made him resolve to help the needy in any way possible as he grew up. In 2014, Bruce ran 1,000 km, or a million metres, over five weekends to help raise over $100,000 for the ITE’s fund for needy students.

Bruce loves to capture nature and the environment in photographs. His work has been featured in various publications, including The Trees of Istana, which was commissioned by President S R Nathan in 2013, and the Garden City Book which commemorated Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s 90th birthday in 2014.

Mohammad Adam Shah Asri

The winner of this year’s HSBC-NYAA Youth Environmental Award is Mohammad Adam Shah Asri from ITE College West. He was an outstanding leader in the Green Ambassador Club (from 2014 to 2015). He also played an active role in the ‘Balik Kampong’ project, a ground-up initiative that revolves around the community building, sustainable living and being a positive change in society. Adam will be joining three other winners next month (July) to study the impact of Climate Change on wildlife in Andorra, a principality in the Pyrenees mountains, between France and Spain.

Bruce and Adam are two of the outstanding young Singaporeans we are recognising. As a group, students from ITE in the NYAA Programme have also made Singapore proud. For instance, a logo design competition commissioned by the Canadian High Commission in 2015 to mark the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Canada and Singapore was won by students from ITE College Central. In fact, the High Commission was so pleased with the winning entry that it used the logo on its official letterhead for the whole year.

Conclusion

I am really glad that so many NYAA participants in the ITE have put effort and energy into their interests and excelled.

The large number of recipients today is also the result of the efforts of both ITE and NYAA in providing opportunities for students to develop themselves in an all-round way, and to engage in impactful community work.  The two organisations have collaborated on many national projects, offering opportunities to hundreds of volunteers at such events. (These events include the “Clean & Green Singapore School Festival”, the “No Cleaners Day” to show appreciation to the cleaners in the three ITEs, the “Return Tray Project” at Tampines GRC with student volunteers from ITE College East, as well as in many “Eco Projects” in the South West District by students from ITE College West.)

Finally, I would like to extend my heartiest congratulations to each student who is receiving the NYAA Gold Award today. I also hope that you will keep learning, keep pursuing things that you are interested in, and keep deepening your skills as you go through life.  I hope too that you inspire your peers through your actions, and find your own ways to contribute to building a strong community.