Committee of Supply 2022: A Strong, Caring, and Inclusive Singapore

  • 10 Mar 2022

The Ministry will focus on longer-term rebuild towards a more socially resilient Singapore - building a home where we care for one another, where everyone’s voice is heard, and where our shared beliefs unite us as a nation. Let’s strengthen our “Sense of Us”, reinforce our social compact and Together, we can shape the society we want to see.

Click here to view COS 2023

Key Announcements:

Arts and Heritage

Revitalising Our Arts and Heritage

  • $12m in Continued Support to Emerge Stronger
    • Extension of Venue Hire Subsidy to June 2022
    • Folding Arts and Culture Resilience Package features into suite of grants
      • Dedicated support for transformation projects with new Sector Transformation Fund by NAC, to improve audience experience, organisation efficiency, and diversify and expand revenue streams
      • Inclusion of Organisation Transformation Grant in NHB's Heritage Research Grant and Project Grants, with increased grant quantum of up to $40,000, and new eligibility of business associations
      • Enhanced support for Self-Employed Persons (SEPs) through incorporation of SEP Grant into NAC’s existing Presentation & Participation and Capability Development grant schemes
  • Strengthening Sector Capabilities
    • Recently launched Arts and Culture Digital Roadmap to promote more widespread digital adoption
    • Enhancing Conditions for SEPs
      • Though capability development, improved protection and working conditions, and new ways to contribute to the creative economy
    • Developing Vibrant and Inclusive Arts and Culture Spaces
      • To keep up with emerging trends and better meet the needs of our practitioners
        • Tanjong Pagar Distripark
        • 45 Armenian Street
        • Kampong Java
      • Encourage Cultural Philanthropy with $150m top-up of Cultural Matching Fund 


Charting New Directions

  • Preserving and Celebrating our Shared Heritage
    • Preservation of Padang as a National Monument on National Day 2022
    • Engagements on Singapore’s second UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage nomination
    • Founders’ Memorial Travelling Exhibition in April 2022 
  • Our SG Arts & Heritage Plans 2.0
    • Wider public engagements to develop next Arts and Heritage Plans
    • New 5-year plans targeted for launch in 2023 
       

Sports

Bring Sport Back

  • Jumpstart Mass Participation Events
    • New Blended Events Grant-Bring Sport Back edition of up to $50,000 per award, to be rolled out from March 2022
  • New ActiveSG Leagues and Competitions
  • Enhance ActiveSG Academies and Clubs
    • New programmes and practice zones for Street Dancing in five new locations from April 2022
    • Collaboration with National Sport Associations to expand offerings for the ActiveSG Badminton, Table-Tennis and Gymnastic Academies
  • Increased participation with Sport Interest Groups
  • Optimising and Repurposing Sporting Spaces
    • More capacity for the return of team sport and usage by interest groups

More inclusive opportunities through Para Sport Academy

  • New Para Sport Academy to benefit up to 500 participants from different disability groups across 10 sports, rolled out in phases from March 2022
  • First phase includes sports such as Cerebral Palsy Football, Para Canoe, Para Athletics, Wheelchair Basketball, Wheelchair Tennis and Para Swimming
  • New Advisory Panel for the Para Sport Academy to advise how to enhance para sport pathways and ecosystem development

Sport Green Plan

  • Supporting the Singapore Green Plan 2030
  • Greener Sport Infrastructure and Precincts
    • Working towards the first Green Mark SLE Platinum sport facility in Punggol Regional Sport Centre by 2024
    • Plans to transform Kallang Alive precinct into a sports and recreational Green Mark District
  • Ensuring that all SportSG supported events attain green certification by 2023
  • Greater participation in 3Rs (Reduce, Recondition, Recycle)
    • Expanding sport waste collection programme by 2025
    • Exploring initiatives to recondition sport equipment
  • Rallying the sports community, including the National Sport Associations, Team Nila, and the ActiveSG Sport Centres, to advocate for sustainability practices

Extension of the One Team Singapore Fund

  • Extended for 5 years to catalyse support for Team Singapore through matching of donations
  • Expanded to cover more areas of support for High Performance Sports

     

TeamSG CARES

  • Former and current Team Singapore athletes will be able to tap on Active Citizen Grant for Team Singapore athletes to start ground-up initiatives from March 2022 

Opportunities for the Vulnerable through SportCares

  • Collaboration with ComLink
    • Providing more sport programmes in 21 different towns such as Queenstown and Bukit Merah
  • Mentoring Programme
    • Helping youths through different life stage transitions
  • Bursaries, Scholarships and Internships
    • Supporting youths to pursue tertiary education through a Social Innovation Scholarship
    • Offering youths flexible industry attachment opportunities within SportSG
    • Children, youth and persons with disabilities from low-income families, can participate in ActiveSG Academies & Clubs programmes through the SportCares Bursary Scheme

Uniting Singapore through Unleash the Roar! (UTR!)

  • 10 School Football Academies launched in Jan 2022
  • Strategic Partnerships with La Liga (Spain) and Borussia Dortmund (Germany)
    • Regular exchange programmes and potential scholarship placement opportunities for talents identified
    • Borussia Dortmund will help customise a UTR! coach development programme for promising youth coaches, to be launched in 2022
    • Sharing of best practices and insights at youth development coaching workshops between local and Borussia Dortmund coaches

Community

Strengthening Inter-Racial and Religious Confidence Circles (IRCCs)

  • Workgroup to develop recommendations to strengthen the IRCCs’ capabilities, increase diversity among IRCC members, and to build more cohesive networks within the community 
  • Recommendations to be ready later this year
     

Enhancing the Community Dispute Management Framework

  • Strengthening neighbourliness, increasing the mediation take-up rate, improving Community Disputes Resolution Tribunal processes, and enhancing our processes and resources for a targeted response

National Integration Council Alliance for Action 

  • Mobilising partners to create interaction opportunities between Singaporeans and newcomers, share positive stories on integration, and equip people to tackle sensitive issues relating to diversity and inclusion

Singapore Journey Website & Resources for New Citizens and Other Newcomers

  • Refreshed e-learning module on Singapore Citizenship Journey
  • New “Welcome to Singapore” e-book providing comprehensive information on life in Singapore, available in April 2022

Smart Residents’ Committee (RC) Centres

  • Further develop RC Centres as focal points for local community life
  • More accessible and better equipped centres with Smart Access Control System, community living room, and study and work spaces with laptops, progressively rolled out from the second half of 2022
     

More Singapore Together Partnerships Expected in 2022

Youth

Safeguarding Youths’ Mental Well-being

  • Broader Network to Drive Partnerships on Mental Health Issues
    • Expand Youth Mental Well-being Network to address mental health issues beyond youths
  • Growing Peer Support Networks in Community
    • Partner Youth Sector Organisations to run peer support programmes 
    • Encourage trained peer supporters from Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs) to join Youth Corps Singapore, to continue serving community after graduation 
       

Supporting Youths' Future-Readiness

  • Mentoring Alliance for Action
    • Expand mentoring opportunities for youths through community partnerships
    • Connect youths to mentoring programmes and mentors on WeConnect
  • Youth Corps Community Internship
    • Provide IHL students with internship in community and social sectors, with priority given to ITE and poly students
  • Asia-Ready Exposure Programme
    • Develop cross cultural skills through online and in-person programmes (when possible) 
       

Expanding Youth Civic Participation Opportunities

  • Continue to support youths to develop ground-up projects through Youth Action Challenge
  • Partner Mediacorp to launch digital engagement campaign on promoting constructive civic conversations
     

Developing Somerset Belt into A Vibrant Youth Precinct

  • More civic participation opportunities: Partner IHLs to prototype students' works and realise their ideas
  • Enable youths to take ground-up action: Second season of ArtsXplore in the Belt, where youths use their skills for good, creating public installations on social causes
  • Place-make Somerset Belt: Platforms and funding support for youths to design and implement projects
  • Refresh Somerset Belt: Flexible structures and sheltered spaces, to support the range of programmes at the Belt
     

Volunteerism and Philanthropy

Matching needs on the ground through SG Cares Community Networks and SG Cares Volunteer Centres within each town

Extension of the Charities Capability Fund

  • Topped up with a further $26.5m and extended to FY2026, helping grow charities’ capabilities in governance, management and operational efficiencies

People’s Association Community Volunteering Initiative

  • Creating more volunteering opportunities for people to contribute to the community while fulfilling their volunteering aspirations

 

For full speeches, please visit https://www.mccy.gov.sg/about-us/news-and-resources

MCCY has also provided support for our various sectors over the last 2 years, to mitigate the impact of, and adapt to, COVID-19. See below for a summary of these grants, support schemes, and programmes: