Stewardship Asia Centre’s NextGen Steward Leaders Summit 2025

Speech by Mr Eric Chua, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Culture, Community and Youth & Social and Family Development at Stewardship Asia Centre’s NextGen Steward Leaders Summit 2025 on 22 March 2025

Mr Rajeev Peshawaria, CEO, Stewardship Asia Centre,
Steward Leaders,
Friends, partners,
Ladies and gentlemen,

1. Good morning. First of all, I am very happy to join all of you right here at the NextGen Steward Leaders Summit today.

Introduction

2. Now, if you Google “stewardship”, one definition you will get is “the careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one’s care”.
3. But true stewardship is more than just safeguarding what we have – it is about nurturing and growing the resources and values that we have today for tomorrow’s generation. As steward leaders, all of you have an important role in shaping a better tomorrow through the actions and choices that you make today.
4. The theme of this summit is “Bridging Values for Tomorrow”. This gives us a chance to reflect on the values and qualities that have led us to our current achievements, and how we can build on them to shape a better future – your future of tomorrow.
5. This year, we celebrate SG60, a significant milestone in our nation-building. This is a time for us to celebrate our achievements. And it is also a time for us to reaffirm the values that will carry us forward and strengthen our connections with one another.
6. To be sure, the world that we live in today is a fast-changing one, and we continue to grapple with complex challenges:
1. Geopolitical tensions, climate change – these could increase economic dislocation, and the cost of living.
2. Amid economic transformation and technological advancements, individuals are at risk of being displaced, especially if they fail to stay relevant in today’s global economic order.
7. Rajeev’s (CEO, Stewardship Asia Centre) welcome address on the importance of having a stewardship mindset resonated very deeply with me at a personal level. Now, this spirit has always run deeply through Singapore’s veins – our strong desire and determination to create a better shared future for all of us, for future generations of Singaporeans.
8. It is through steward leadership, along with our courage, grit and unwavering spirit, that this improbable nation we call home has defied expectations and achieved remarkable success.

Stewardship Values

9. So, what are the stewardship values that our youth leaders should have in an increasingly uncertain and complex world?
10. First, central to our nation’s success is believing in the value of interdependence.
1. Singapore’s multi-racial social fabric underscores that our very well- being is inextricably linked to the well-being of others around us.
2. Our economy, too, flourishes because of the deep connections we have built with our regional and international partners.
3. Even as the global currents grow turbulent, with countries turning inward, many are turning to reshoring, we must remain committed to staying open and connected.
4. Peace and prosperity will only arise when we understand our interconnectedness and work collaboratively for shared success.
11. Being a generation that is well-exposed to various influences and experiences, youths today have diverse views, and are able to think critically and discuss constructively on social norms and policies.
1. When we create more channels for our youth to contribute meaningfully, we build consensus and strengthen the very fabric that binds Singapore society.
12. Second, taking ownership of building the future that you hope to live in.
13. You may be overlooking your own capabilities if you think that you are too young to do something, or too young to make a difference, or to do whatever you think is right in your own context. But actually, no effort is too small to make a difference. All of us can make a difference – no matter how small or big the act.
1. You can share and encourage your peers to step forward to make a difference for the wider community today:
1. Be a volunteer and make a difference to someone’s life by taking up volunteering opportunities offered by the Youth Corps Singapore for instance.
2. Be a mentor to younger folks who are navigating life choices.
3. Tap on the National Youth Council’s Young ChangeMakers grant to implement your ideas that can make changes to your community for the better..
14. Third, it is about really having a long-term view of things. Like architects who must envision structures that last centuries, our predecessors in Singapore understood that careful planning was crucial for Singapore’s future.
1. They did not just build for their time. They built a foundation that was strong enough to carry future loads, and engineered supports deep enough to weather unknown storms.
2. This foresight in planning, to look beyond the immediate horizon, has given us the robust framework we stand upon today.
15. A more recent example is the development of Changi Airport Terminal 5.
1. This is a key move to strengthen the competitiveness of our air hub, our aviation sector, and to support our ambition of becoming a global aviation hub.
2. Travel volume is expected to double by the mid-2030s. With T5’s capacity to handle 50 million passengers a year, this enables Singapore to capture the growth in international travel.
3. T5 will also be designed to be pandemic-proof – it can operate as smaller sub-terminals, with spaces that can be converted into quarantine or testing facilities during a pandemic.
16. Now, it is our turn as leaders to continue thinking long-term, to extend and reinforce this bridge, forging new paths that will sustain generations to come.
17. Finally, a pre-requisite of building for the long-term is creative resilience – the ability to find innovative solutions to emergent challenges.
18. Coincidentally, today is also World Water Day. It is therefore relevant and apt that I quote Singapore’s creative resilience in securing our water supply.
1. Almost 25 years ago, we strengthened our water resilience by developing our infrastructure and diversifying our water sources with the introduction of NEWater as one of Singapore’s four national taps.
2. There was initial scepticism and multiple challenges. I remember political leaders of the time had to openly and publicly drink NEWater to show everyone that NEWater was fine. Now, we had the dedication of our scientists and engineers to overcome multiple challenges to help us bring NEWater to the public, and that made us a leader in the implementation and innovation of reverse osmosis technology.
19. I encourage all of us to continually build on our abilities and strengths, so that you can contribute to a strong and resilient bridge, carrying all of us forward.

Becoming Steward Leaders of Tomorrow

20. To bring Singapore from SG60 to SG100, SG120, or even SG200, we hope to partner youths – young people like yourselves – more deeply to build the future Singapore we wish to see and to live in.
21. We are developing an SG Youth Plan through a year-long series of engagements, to demonstrate the Government’s commitment to journey with young people to bring your aspirations and ideas into fruition.
1. We hope you and your peers will come forward and participate in the SG Youth Plan engagements, contribute ideas and take action to shape the future you want to see beyond today’s Summit.
2. The more youths join us in these engagements, the more ideas and ripples of positive change we can create together.

Conclusion

22. Now, the path ahead holds not just challenges, it also holds hope and promise for all of us. The future is not something that just happens to us. It is something that we build, together, today.
23. So let us all as steward leaders embrace these values that will guide us. Let us construct bridges strong enough for future generations to tread upon.
24. I look forward to hearing all your thoughts and views.
25. Thank you, all of you for being here, and I look forward to a candid, honest, no holds barred conversation about your Singapore; our Singapore. Because it is our society, it is our nation, and our home to build and to construct, and to make sure that it is a home – a best home – that is fit for future generations of Singapore.
26. Thank you.