TikTok & Halogen Mentorship Programme Launch Event

Opening Remarks by Mr Alvin Tan, Minister of State, Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth & Ministry of Trade and Industry, at the TikTok & Halogen Mentorship Programme Launch Event on 29 November 2023

1. Jerry (APAC, Social Impact Lead, TikTok), thank you very much for the opening address. Theresa (Director of Public Policy, TikTok Southeast Asia) and Ivy (Chief Executive Officer, Halogen Foundation Singapore), thank you very much for hosting. It is wonderful to see TikTok and Halogen come together with Mentoring SG.
2. Look around us. Effectively, we only have 725km² of land. If you look just there, you can already see another country. We are really small. And in this small, incredibly tight space, what are we trying to do? We are trying to make sure that we are as vibrant as possible, as relevant as possible, and as dynamic as possible. 
3. Many incredible companies choose to situate their businesses in Singapore. I won’t mention all of them, but it’s wonderful that TikTok is here, and there are many reasons why they are here rather than anywhere else in the world. In Singapore, not only do we enjoy great scenery around us, but we also have a stable and functioning society, which we cannot take for granted. 
4. We are constantly working to make sure that Singapore is vibrant. For example, we recently launched a testbed for a green data centre. Why is that important to TikTok? If there is no data centre, there is no internet and no TikTok. We would be back in the Stone Age. At the same time, we want to stay afloat even as the climate changes. But the more we consume data, the higher carbon footprint there is in our data centres. 
5. Earlier, I was speaking to a group of people who are building things, such as your smartwatches and phones. They’re the people building everything, from the circuits on your boards, your lightbulbs, to your projector screens. This speaks of Singapore as a hub – a hub for sustainability, technology, manufacturing. There is a lot of work done on the economic front, but what’s also incredibly important to a hub are the people.
6. That’s why we have movements like Mentoring SG and Forward SG, which are supported by the next generation of leaders taking Singapore forward. You all have a lot to contribute, and through movements like Mentoring SG and Forward SG, we want to work with you to build the Singapore that you want to live in. 
7. And that’s why Mentoring SG is very important. Mentors shape us. Mentors guide us. Mentors help us navigate life's challenging moments and life's good moments as well. So, therefore, I'm really excited to have TikTok and Halogen working together to promote mentoring. Leverage on your mentors, and we are going to be building up a mentoring movement in Singapore that all of you can be a part of. And when you guys are mentees, remember that there will be others behind you that you can also mentor; so you are not just a mentee, but you are also a mentor.
8. Thank you, and welcome.