NCSS ANNUAL CONFERENCE 2008
13 NOVEMBER 2008
‘50 YEARS OF REACHING OUT, CHANGING LIVES'
SPEECH BY RADM (RET) KWEK SIEW JIN
President, National Council of Social Service
Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports
Mrs Yu-Foo Yee Shoon, Minister of State for Community Development, Youth and Sports
Mr Niam Chiang Meng, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports
Distinguished speakers, guests and partners
Ladies and Gentlemen
Good morning. It gives me great pleasure to welcome all of you to the NCSS Annual Conference 2008.
2 2008 is especially significant for the social service sector as it marks our 50th Anniversary. The theme for this year’s conference “50 Years of Reaching Out, Changing Lives” serves as a reminder to us that despite the progress that the sector has made over the last 50 years, the journey of serving the community has not ended. This conference, I am told, holds several ‘firsts’. For the first time, the Conference is attended by almost 500 participants. This is because we have extended invitations to charities from other sectors such as the Arts and Heritage, Health, Education, Sports and Community for this Conference. We have also here with us several government, corporate and training partners including representatives from the TOTE Board and the Singapore Police Force. Indeed, with such a diverse audience, this Conference will be an excellent platform for dialogue and exchange of ideas.
3 I am also pleased to note that, for the first time, we have extended the Conference to a full day session so that we can cover a wider range of exciting topics. As you can see from the programme, the Organising Committee has assembled an extensive array of expert speakers and panelists to keep you fully engaged. We are particularly privileged to have with us Mr Ong Keng Yong, Director of Institute of Policy Studies, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy and Ambassador at Large, who will be sharing with us his strategic views on Social Service, Good Governance and Graciousness. We would also like to thank our other distinguished speakers and panelists for taking the time to share their knowledge and views with us.
4 And yet another first for this annual conference is the support we have got in the form of sponsorships by various partners. On this note, I would like to thank our sponsors, KPMG, the Hay Group, Stone Forest, EON Consulting and Training, and SSA Consulting for their generous support which will certainly go a long way towards enhancing the capability of the sector.
5 This morning, we will have three award presentations. One of the awards, the VCF Scholarship, for local and overseas studies in the fields of social work, psychology, counselling and other courses, was launched in 2002. I am glad to note that it has been given out to 40 individuals already, and eleven more will be joining their ranks today.
6 For the NCSS-YES2 competition award, the student participants have contributed many outstanding projects such as the one by Hwa Chong Institution. Their project focuses on instilling a love for learning by using an interesting format to teach Maths and Science during their tuition classes for children from low-income families. Another project by Temasek Junior College managed to raise $14,500 for the Andrew and Grace Home.
7 The AIESEC NTU-SSTI International Essay Writing Competition, an online essay writing competition, attracted 84 entries from local and overseas youths, sharing their views as well as possible solutions on the challenges faced by VWOs.
8 Last, but certainly not least, I would like to thank Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports, for honouring us with his presence. Indeed, we are grateful to Minister for his continual support to NCSS and the social service sector. Thanks also to Mrs Yu-Foo Yee Shoon and Mr Niam Chiang Meng for joining us at this conference. The presence of Minister, MOS and Permanent Secretary of MCYS is a strong testament of the Ministry’s support for the members of NCSS and the social service sector.
9 On that note, let me also thank all of you for being here today. I hope that you will have a fruitful day of interesting and stimulating presentations and discussions, and I hope that you will also take the opportunity to share your views and knowledge during the panel sessions.
Thank you, and have a good day.