Celebrating the 40th Ship for Southeast Asian Youth Programme

Speech by Mr Lawrence Wong, Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth at the welcome dinner reception of the 40th SSEAYP

Introduction

1. Welcome to shore, our friends from the 40th Ship for Southeast Asian Youth Programme (or SSEAYP in short). I understand it’s your first day here in Singapore and I would like to take this opportunity to extend a warm welcome to our friends from overseas, and to welcome home our Singapore Contingent. For our young ambassadors of SSEAYP, Singapore marks the mid-point of a journey that has taken you from Japan, to Vietnam, and most recently to Thailand and Lao PDR. I trust that you must have had many adventures and made many new friends so far.
2. Even as we gather here in celebration, we want to remember our neighbours in the Philippines and Vietnam, whose lives have been devastated by the typhoons. Together with governments and agencies globally, ASEAN member states have quickly come together to aid the victims through rescue and relief efforts. Japan, for instance, has sent in military troops to help with relief efforts, including medics with wireless mobile X-ray kits – developed after Japan’s 2011 tsunami disaster – to allow them to instantly assess the condition of their patients at ground zero. Some of us have also been so moved by the plight of our neighbours, we’ve personally made donations of food and clothes to the people in Tacloban – the city worst hit by Typhoon Haiyan. I am sure that ASEAN, Japan, and many others from across the world, will continue to work with the Philippines to help rebuild the lives affected by Typhoon Haiyan.
   

   
   Milestone: 40 years of ASEAN-Japan friendship

3. As a region, we will continue to be tested by such difficult events, but our cohesion and resilience will help see us through any challenges. In particular, we mark a significant milestone in ASEAN-Japan cooperation this year, with four decades of regional relations. Over the years, we have increased our collaboration across a broad front, in areas like security, economic development and people-to-people exchanges. SSEAYP is one key people-connector programme. It brings together young people like you, to help strengthen our regional linkages.
   

   
   Relevance of SSEAYP to the present day

4. Launched in 1974 by the Japanese Government with the support of ASEAN, SSEAYP reflects our collective desire to reach out, understand, and identify with peers beyond our national borders. Our aim of fostering regional integration, peace, and progress is as compelling today as it was 40 years ago.
   
5. This is my second time hosting the SSEAYP Welcome Reception, and I am heartened to see that the support for this annual programme remains strong. Amidst all the changes facing this world, SSEAYP’s purpose and existence remains a critical and relevant one. It serves as a bridge – connecting young people across national and cultural boundaries, and raising awareness of the similarities they share within the context of the wider regional community. Each successive SSEAYP strengthens the fabric of this community and better prepares us for cooperation and assistance, whether in good or challenging times.
   

   
   ASEAN support for youth 

6. I believe in the potential of young people – not just what they can achieve 10 or 20 years from now, but also their contributions to society today. Young people like all of you can make a difference, and we will continue to support their efforts through programmes like SSEAYP.
   
7. For example, as part of the ASEAN Young Professionals Volunteer Corp (or AYPVC) formed earlier this year, a project team comprising young volunteers from the 10 ASEAN countries went to an area in South Sumatra, Indonesia, which is prone to forest fires and haze. Together with local volunteers, the team visited a school and worked with it to improve its capacity to respond to disasters. The team provided the school with fire safety equipment, helped install a water system, and educated the local children on personal hygiene. Through the ASEAN Young Professionals Volunteer Corp, others have also been empowered to reach out and serve communities in Cambodia and the Philippines.
   
8. Supported by the Singapore-ASEAN Youth Fund (or SAYF), another team of young people from the Southeast Asian Leadership Initiative (SEALNet) went to Vietnam on a 15-day project to help raise awareness of the challenges faced by the disabled. For this project, the team made use of art to promote interaction between the disabled and the rest of the local community. To increase the project’s sustainability, the team also worked with like-minded local students and Non-Government Organisations. This was done through workshops and the mentoring of Vietnamese youth. In fact, more than 60 regional projects have received funding from the SAYF since its launch in 2007.
   
9. The good work put in by these project teams is a strong indication that young people have the desire and capacity to make meaningful and impactful contributions for the common good. But more can still be done. That is why in Singapore, we recently launched a new volunteer youth corps programme. This programme will provide training, mentorship, and funding, as well as match young volunteers with critical community needs. Some of these needs may be specific to Singapore, but we also want to work with our regional partners to provide more opportunities for young people to interact with one another, and make a difference in the lives of others.
   
10. Both the Singapore-ASEAN Youth Fund and the volunteer youth corps represent Singapore’s commitment to provide quality and diverse platforms for youth interactions. This commitment is echoed by other members of ASEAN, and by Japan. In addition to SSEAYP, Japan has also supported regional youth cooperation through the Japan-ASEAN Integration Fund and the Japan-East Asia Network of Exchange for Students and Youths 2.0 (or JENESYS 2.0). We thank Japan for its continued support of youth development in the region, and we look forward to further projects to deepen friendships and strengthen collaborations.
    
    

    Closing remarks

11. Finally, to our SSEAYP ambassadors here this evening, I trust that your voyage so far has given you fresh perspectives and insights. The late US President John F Kennedy once said, “The problems of the world cannot possibly be solved by skeptics or cynics whose horizons are limited by the obvious realities.” So as you continue to experience first-hand the diversity of Japan and the ASEAN region, I encourage you to think about how we can expand on our shared aspirations and dreams, and make them realities. In sharing and learning from one another, I believe you will forge a unique and invaluable SSEAYP experience that will prove useful in your future endeavours.
    
12. Singapore is honoured to play a part in this experience. I hope that all of you will enjoy your time here in Singapore through the series of activities that the National Youth Council and volunteers from the SSEAYP International Singapore have planned for you. On this note, I bid you all a pleasant evening ahead, and a fruitful journey onward.