Calling all Millennials and Gen-Zs, whether you like it or not, the future of Singapore is in your hands. Youths just like you have banded together for the Youth Action Challenge (YAC) to come up with project ideas to bring about change in the community.
Their ideas span from matching apps for seniors and youths to AI-powered job portals. And you get to have a say in which of these projects will eventually receive more funds to get implemented. Read on to find out more.
Image credit: National Youth Council
Think school project but at a national level and with much higher stakes. Youths aged 15-35 years old took part in the YAC programme where they brainstormed ideas that could potentially benefit the community.
They then went through a series of workshops and received feedback from industry professionals to refine their ideas. The next step was to pitch to a panel of judges, and now it’s up to youths in Singapore to judge these projects and support the ones they find the most impactful.
Teams that receive the most votes will stand to receive up to $30,000 in grants from this Participatory Budgeting exercise to turn their ideas into reality.
So, what are the different projects you can vote for? There are 39 initiatives which have been divided into 4 themes:
The projects following this theme aim to bring together seniors and younger generations as well as bring to light the plight of caregivers. For example, MemoryMates is the idea of an app that wants to connect different generations and engage them in intergenerational activities.
Image credit: St Joseph’s Home, Catholic Welfare Services Sg via Facebook
SOLEIL wants to offer resources for young people to learn caregiving knowledge and skills; while ReminAI wants to make use of AI to generate prompts and facilitate conversations between youth and seniors. Venka Media hopes to encourage intergenerational conversations among youth, professionals, and policymakers through the power of media.
In a bid to encourage bonding across ages, elderly and youths will be able to take part in workshops organised by OpenJio and pursue common interests together.
Yes, we know financial planning isn’t easy and neither is living with poor mental health. YAC participants strive to make things better on both fronts.
Image credit: Mindline
Just like its name, Savvy Savers is planning to make youth more financially savvy via an overnight camp, podcast, and Telegram channel. To make financial learning fun, Unicorn will go to schools and teach kids through easy and engaging games.
Imagine an app with a community of people who love deep conversations. Amble is exactly that, where users can anonymously sign up and match with others to have thought-provoking discussions. Friends Exploring Life Together is another project that will offer friendship coaching and befriending experiences.
It’s common knowledge that most of our supplies are imported from other countries. But Singapore is trying hard to change that and be more self-sufficient.
Image credit: Foodscape Collective via Facebook
Instead of discarding “ugly foods”, Bloom Superfoods is thinking of repurposing them into superfoods like Acai bowls. Greenairy wants to display hydroponics farming technology in schools so that kids get to experience sustainable farming from a young age.
If you’ve got a family member who loves gardening, you might appreciate Project DreamGreen’s idea of encouraging families to grow local produce together as a bonding activity. Aspiring farmers can look to Karang Foodie for help on how to navigate the agriculture industry.
Image credit: National Youth Council
It can be a struggle for elderly folks to access online services, especially when searching for jobs. Projects like MatchWise want to create a job portal tailored specifically for seniors with a more user-friendly experience.
Other groups that are usually at a disadvantage when it comes to job hunting are ex-convicts and persons with disabilities. The team at Resumify intends to create an AI-powered job portal to help these groups jazz up their resumes.
For a full list of YAC Season 5 projects, check the Participatory Budgeting platform.
Image credit: National Youth Council
Once you’ve scanned through all the projects and decided which ones you’d like to support, simply login to the Participatory Budgeting platform with your Singpass. Do note that only Singapore citizens and PRs between 15 and 35 years old can participate.
You’ll be allotted $30,000 in virtual funds to allocate amongst the different projects that matter to you the most. When the voting ends on 2nd March 2024, votes will be counted and translated into actual additional grants for the YAC teams to fund their ideas.
So kids, you’ve been given the chance to actively have a say in the future of these communities and support youths who are trying to make a difference.
Not only do you get to voice your opinion through voting, but you’ll also get a glimpse into the process of Government budgetary allocation. Just like this exercise, the leaders and policymakers also have to prioritise certain projects over others.
Image credit: National Youth Council
Just to seal the deal, here’s another incentive: once you’ve voted and completed a short feedback form describing your experience, you’ll stand to win:
Winners will be chosen based on your answers given during the feedback survey, so make sure you answer properly. They want to know your thought process when choosing which teams to fund and why you did so. Time to say your piece!
This post was brought to you by the National Youth Council.
Cover image adapted from: National Youth Council
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