RSVP Singapore Appreciation Day & Silver Jubilee Celebration 2023

Speech by Mr Edwin Tong, Minister For Culture, Community And Youth on senior volunteerism

1. Good afternoon and congratulations to RSVP Singapore on your 25^th anniversary! It is really a major milestone.
2. Good afternoon Mr Koh Juay Meng, Chairman of RSVP Singapore, seniors volunteers in the room, distinguished guests and partners, ladies and gentlemen.
3. I am happy and honoured to join you for this year’s double celebration.
   1. First, to mark RSVP’s 25 years of accomplishments in growing senior volunteerism in Singapore, serving our community with heart, compassion and dedication.
   2. Secondly, to recognise your volunteers, donors, and partners. Many hands make light work, and they have made significant contributions to RSVP over the 25 years.
      
      

   Appreciation of RSVP Singapore’s 25 Years of Driving Senior Volunteerism

4. I remember attending RSVP’s appreciation day in 2021, and that was in the midst of COVID-19. I saw for myself, first-hand, how your commitment and volunteerism spirit remained strong, to make sure that Singaporeans were looked after.
   1. Your dedicated staff and volunteers embraced digital tools, developed new skills, and supported national efforts to help bring Singapore and Singaporeans through the pandemic.
   2. This spirit of innovation and commitment to giving back have enabled RSVP’s growth over the past 25 years.
5. RSVP started out with just 100 volunteers and two core programmes when it first started 25 years ago in 1998. And if you look around the room today, the 100 volunteers is now more than 500 volunteers. 
   1. Back then, many seniors were not well-versed with using computers, and the Internet was a bit of a mystery.
   2. RSVP stepped in and created Cyberguide to bridge the digital divide. This was very forward thinking, helping our seniors bridge the gap and making it more accessible and help them worry less about the Internet.
6. Today, RSVP continues to run Cyberguide alongside new programmes, while staying true to its original objectives and peer learning model.
   1. Just last year, RSVP launched the Majestic Smart Seniors Applied Learning Centre, Singapore’s first applied learning centre run by seniors for seniors.
   2. Since its launch, RSVP has partnered businesses like Google, DBS and Lazada to teach over 8,000 seniors how they can make digital payments and shop online.
   3. This is an important skill, because I know many seniors are worried about online transactions, internet security, worrying that they do the wrong thing and lose their savings. So these are all very important skillsets for them to have, and I am very grateful to RSVP for caring and reaching out to our seniors to teach them such skills.
7. Beyond digital literacy, RSVP deploys thousands of volunteers to support a wide range of beneficiaries.
   1. In 2022, RSVP deployed 3,500 volunteers to 12,000 volunteering opportunities by RSVP and partners like government agencies and the SG Cares Volunteer Centres.
8. Let me thank RSVP for your very strong partnership with my Ministry, MCCY, as the SG Cares National Intermediary for Senior Volunteerism, to actively engage and empower our seniors to embark on a very meaningful volunteer journey. And I am sure that the many stories that you know and tell; it is a lot more meaningful when you experience it for yourself and give back to the community. 
   
   

   Recognition of Senior Volunteers’ Contributions

9. Of course, none of RSVP’s work would have been possible without your dedicated volunteers.
10. We are here today to recognise those who have been very passionately but quietly giving back to society, from as far back as 1998. And if you indulge me, let me share a few stories of these volunteers. 
    1. Mr Chow Kwan Shing and Mrs Ada Chow volunteered as the first few Cyberguide trainers in RSVP’s founding years.
    2. They have seen the programme grow and benefit countless seniors, and Mrs Chow continues to teach the Cyberguide programme up till today.
    3. The Chows and other pioneer volunteers have helped individuals like Mdm Ng Soh Kheng, who initially joined Cyberguide to learn new IT skills in retirement.
    4. But in turn, having been inspired by what she saw and experience, Mdm Ng was inspired to begin volunteering with RSVP in various RSVP programmes, even training other volunteers.
11. Some seniors may experience feelings of self-doubt in their retirement, unsure of their ability to help others in their golden years. RSVP has taken active steps to empower our seniors, showing them that even in their senior years, they can make meaningful contributions, in the true spirit of SG Cares.
    1. Some of you may know Mr So Hon Fatt, RSVP’s Volunteer of the Year in 2018, who has been a very friendly face at RSVP since 1999.
    2. Although he had to quit strenuous activities at 82-years-old, he continues to volunteer regularly at RSVP’s headquarters, handling walk-in enquiries and registering course participants.
    3. Mdm Suseela Rajan has also been actively volunteering with RSVP since 1998.
    4. While a recent illness has hindered her return to active volunteering, she continues to participate in RSVP’s volunteer learning activities at 84-years-old, to stay cognitively engaged and socially connected with fellow volunteers.
    5. So earlier, Juay Meng, your Chairman, speak about what happens in the next 25 years, well that’s your answer – you can continue to be a senior volunteer!
12. I hope their stories and many more will inspire more seniors to want to stay active and to know that Singapore has a place for you – to be engaged as part of a community, to be included. And to continue to learn, grow and contribute towards volunteering. The more your give, the more you get back through the experience.
     
    

    Empowering Seniors to Volunteer for Active and Purposeful Ageing

13. As our population ages, Singapore is ushering in a new generation of seniors.
    1. With rising life expectancy and education levels, seniors are increasingly able and equipped to contribute their time and skills to uplift the community.
14. But seniors volunteer not just because they have the time, but really because they have the heart.
    1. They have the heart to empathise, having seen it and experienced, with the struggles of fellow seniors, care about the needs of the vulnerable in our society, and wish to guide the next generation who will build our future Singapore.
    2. They want to leave behind a better Singapore for their children and their children’s children, and many generations after that.
    3. And through volunteerism, our seniors put these values into action.
    4. While each individual act of care, might on its own seem small, together we can build a stronger and far more caring society that is always resilient in times of need and in times of crisis.
15. Ultimately, volunteering benefits not just society, but all of us and the volunteers themselves.
16. As the government seeks to support more seniors to stay active and meaningfully engaged, we will continue to partner RSVP to drive senior volunteerism under the 2023 Action Plan for Successful Ageing.
17. With RSVP’s deep understanding of senior volunteers, and years of experience in building capabilities and skillsets, and uplifting communities, I am confident that RSVP will continue to play a key role in developing senior volunteers and supporting partners to meet our evolving ground needs.
    
    

    Conclusion

18. In closing, let me go back to the two key reasons on why we are here. Congratulations to RSVP’s 25^th anniversary, a significant milestone, one that has been built on trust, strong leadership, and good foresight. I urge that you continue to do this in the next 25 years and beyond.
19. Second reason we are here is also to give thanks and appreciate all our volunteers. Let me say my heartfelt thank you to all of you. You might have started your volunteering journey for different reasons, but I am sure you are here today because you have found that through giving your time, talent and treasures, you get so much more in return.
20. I would like to end by thanking all of you for being part of the journey and look forward to many more senior volunteers supporting RSVP over the years.
21. Thank you very much.