SSEAYP helps to foster deeper friendships and greater understanding among the youths of Japan and ASEAN

Speech by Mr Lawrence Wong, Acting Minister For Culture, Community And Youth, At The Welcome Lunch Reception Of The 39th Ship For Southeast Asian Youth Programme (SSEAYP)

Mr Toshio Kuzuma, Ship Administrator 
Excellencies 
Ladies and Gentlemen

1. I would like to extend a very warm welcome to all the young ambassadors from the 39th Ship for Southeast Asian Youth Programme. (or SSEAYP for short).
   
   

   Overview of SSEAYP: Relevance to present day

2. Since its inception in 1974, SSEAYP has played a key role in helping us achieve a greater sense of understanding, solidarity and progress within the region.
3. SSEAYP helps to foster deeper friendships and greater understanding among the youths of Japan and ASEAN. Over the past 38 years, more than 10,600 participating youth have benefitted from the opportunity to interact with one another. Through such interactions, they have made new friends, gained fresh perspectives, and developed a stronger sense of connectedness with each other.
4. Our aim of fostering regional integration, peace and progress are as pertinent today as they were four decades ago. With each successive SSEAYP, we see a more closely-knit ASEAN community steadfast in its cooperation and assistance in times of need.
   
   

   ASEAN Youth

5. Our young people play a key role in shaping the region’s future. Almost 60% of ASEAN’s population are below 30 years old. These 360 million ASEAN youths are our hope for the future.
6. All of you will eventually be the ASEAN leaders of tomorrow. I believe you can be a positive force for change, and make a difference in your respective communities, and in the region. So it is important for our young people to interact together. The more you do so, the better you will understand and appreciate one another, and the more you can find shared interests to work together on, for the benefit of all.
7. Across the region, there are already many examples of youths who have worked together to make a difference. The Singapore-ASEAN youth fund supports collaborative platforms such as the YMCA Regional Youth Conference where ASEAN youths can work together to deliver joint solutions for shared challenges. It has inspired a range of community service projects, benefitting the elderly and the disadvantaged, in the respective ASEAN communities.
8. I would also like to highlight the part our Japanese friends have played in strengthening the spirit of co-operation and mutual support in the region. Established in 2006, the Japan-ASEAN Integration Fund seeks to grow shared understanding and bonds amongst youth in the region, supporting programmes such as the Japan-East Asia Network of Exchange for Students and Youths (JENESYS). We deeply appreciate Japan’s continued support for youth development in the region and hope to build on this to deepen friendships and enhance collaborations.
   
   

   The Role of Participating Youths and SSEAYP Alumni

9. I am also very glad to see the strong leadership and community participation continuing among the SSEAYP alumni. They have continued to promote active volunteerism in the region, long after their graduation from SSEAYP. Let me share two examples.
10. Mr Elson Lee who was a SSEAYP graduate in 2002 partnered the Lao People’s Revolutionary Youth Union and the Bangkok Metropolitan Youth Council to launch Project Khong Lam in 2008. Together, they designed and built a school library to serve 500 students in Khong district, south of Laos. The project helped to provide a more conducive learning environment for the students and nurture a love of reading. It has also provided the youth volunteers from Singapore, Thailand and Laos a great opportunity to interact and to work together for a common cause. Elson has been invited to share his experiences with students from local tertiary institutions before they embark on their service-learning projects.
11. Another alumnus, Gerald Tang, initiated the “Free Meal Distribution Programme” which provides meals for the elderly in Telok Blangah every Sunday. This has since become a flagship community service project which attracts increasing numbers of volunteers to cook and distribute food for the elderly.
12. So to all the Participating Youth of the 39th SSEAYP contingent: I encourage you to take the lead in community-building and regional development. Your SSEAYP experience will give you new ideas and fresh perspectives. Leverage on this experiences to serve your fellow citizens, and do more for your community and country.
    
    

    Conclusion

13. Finally, I would like to thank the Government of Japan for their generous sponsorship of this annual exchange programme. This joint initiative is an invaluable platform to grow cultural and social awareness and action. I would also like to express my sincere appreciation to the families participating in the home-stay programme, for generously and kindly welcoming our guests into your homes.
    
    14. I wish all participants and officials of the 39th SSEAYP an enriching time in Singapore. I trust that you will find this leg of the journey culturally rich and rewarding. It is my hope that you will look back upon your days here with great fondness, and that you will come back and visit soon. Have a wonderful stay in Singapore and a memorable onward journey.