SINGAPORE: The number of youth volunteers aged
between 15 and 24 make up the highest proportion in the
volunteering community, said Minister for Community Development,
Youth and Sports (MCYS), Vivian Balakrishnan.
He said the figure rose to 36 per cent last year
from 25 per cent in 2004 because of the government's emphasis on
volunteerism.
In a written reply to West Coast GRC Member of
Parliament Ho Geok Choo, Dr Balakrishnan also listed a series of
MCYS initiatives to promote volunteerism.
These included the Young ChangeMakers scheme
facilitated by the National Youth Council which provides youth with
seed funding of up to S$3,000 to initiate and implement projects
for community benefit.
More than 1,000 projects have been supported to date.
The MP had wanted to know what the government is doing to educate
youth about the values of volunteerism and community work.
-CNA/ac