Speech by President Halimah Yacob at the NCSS 40-Under-40 2023

Ms Anita Fam, President, National Council of Social Service (NCSS)

NCSS Board Members

Distinguished guests

Ladies and gentlemen

and future leaders of Singapore's social service sector,

I am pleased to join you today as we gather as a community for the fifth time under the NCSS 40-Under-40 initiative. The programme for young leaders has proven to be transformative for the sector.

The theme of this year’s 40-Under-40 is “Strengthening Connections, Partnering for Impact”. This is timely as the need for a collaborative, impactful and resilient social service ecosystem is more crucial than ever. With demographic changes, such as a rapidly ageing population and smaller family units, societal challenges are becoming more diverse and complex. Often, these challenges are also interlocking. For example, lower-income families may need help to search for stable employment, housing or to manage medical issues. More holistic and sustained support is required to address these multi-faceted issues and, more crucially, to ensure that stratification does not worsen or become entrenched.

As sector professionals, you understand the importance of your work in providing timely interventions to those in need. Your dedication to serve has empowered those in need to achieve their full potential, even as they face seemingly insurmountable challenges. More importantly, your passion has inspired others to heed the calling of the profession and further amplify your efforts. Social service professionals, in essence, represent the heart of our community.

Of course, you are not alone on this journey. I am glad to hear that NCSS has been supporting SSAs to transform service delivery, adopt technology and leverage resources and partnerships so that they are resilient and able to deliver services more effectively for the longer term. Salary guidelines and structured career pathways ensure a pipeline of sustained manpower. At the same time, initiatives like today’s 40-Under-40 programme nurture the next generation of leaders who shape the sector’s future. Since its inception in 2019, the initiative has gathered 160 individuals from various sectors, including the social service, healthcare, private, and public sectors, to come together to collectively share ideas on bringing about social change. Today, we have a strong community of young promising leaders with the heart to serve and a passion to collaborate and innovate for the greater good.

Cho Ming Xiu, Phua Chun Yat and Felicia Chua are examples of leaders who have leveraged connections through the 40-Under-40 initiative to make change happen:

a. As executive director of Campus PSY, a non-profit organisation that focuses on mental health awareness, Ming Xiu was in charge of piloting Well-being Circles at various constituencies in the north-east district of Singapore in 2022. The nationwide initiative provides community support to residents with mental health concerns by running programmes that cater to the mental health needs of the respective neighbourhoods.

b. Having met Chun Yat of Samaritans of Singapore and Felicia of Suncare SG at the different editions of 40-Under-40 through the years, Ming Xiu saw synergy in the work of their respective organisations. Together with the Singapore Association for Mental Health, Ming Xiu, Chun Yat and Felicia co-curated the “You Matter” Peer Support Training to equip student leaders in Punggol West with basic mental health literacy and peer support skills, with the long-term aim of building a community of peer supporters within the neighbourhood for youths.

c. To date, three runs of the programme have been conducted, with a majority of participants indicating that they are now more aware of the community mental health resources available and feel more confident in supporting their peers who may be facing mental health challenges. Such a programme is especially critical in this day, as we hope to support and improve the mental health of our youths.

This collaboration is just one of the many examples of meaningful projects that have come about because of the 40-Under-40 initiative. It is a testament to the power of innovation and collaboration and the adoption of a person-centric lens in the work that we do. When passionate individuals from diverse backgrounds come together with a shared vision to improve the lives of those they serve, they bring fresh ideas to the table and come up with solutions best suited to our service users’ needs. I trust that you’ve had many fruitful discussions with your fellow participants and sector leaders over the last two days and I look forward to hearing from you at our engagement session later.

I am heartened to hear that the 40-Under-40 alumni actively support each other in projects and collaborations. Many are also here today to share their experiences with the new batch of participants. I encourage every one of you to make the most of this opportunity, fully immerse yourself in the experience, and dare to dream big. Together, you can shape the future of Singapore's social service sector, solve complex social issues, and create a society that leaves no one behind.

Thank you.