Speech by Mr Gan Kim Yong, Minister for Health & Chairman of the Ministerial Committee on Ageing, at the National Senior Volunteer Month Closing Ceremony

Mr Koh Juay Meng, President of RSVP Singapore,

Senior Volunteers,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Good morning.

2.            I am very happy to join you this morning to celebrate the closing of the inaugural National Senior Volunteer Month, organised by RSVP Singapore.

3.            This is a significant milestone. In previous years, the senior volunteerism campaign by RSVP only lasted a week. This year, for SG50, RSVP decided to challenge themselves to organise a national senior volunteer month and managed to involve some 1,800 senior volunteers in 50 activities reaching out to 14,000 persons.

4.            What a feat! I think you deserve a big applause! And we are very proud of you.

Successful Ageing

5.            In the RSVP organizing committee and each and every volunteer here, I see the future of Singapore. It is a future of longer lives. It is a future where we worry less about ageing, but celebrate more of our longevity. It is a future where older persons are less constrained by ill health or loneliness, but more empowered to live a full life and shape the society they aspire have.

6.            Inspired by the thousands of Singaporeans we spoke to, many of whom are active agers, the Ministerial Committee on Ageing has put together an Action Plan for Successful Ageing. This is a blueprint that sets out what we aim to do over the next decade in order to empower Singaporeans to age well.

7.            The Action Plan includes over 60 initiatives aimed at achieving three objectives. First, to create more opportunities from longevity. We want to challenge the concept that our silver years is a period of decline and instead encourage individuals to continue to learn, to grow and to develop in new ways regardless of their age.

8.            Second, we want to foster a cohesive community with inter-generational harmony in Singapore. We want to enhance the young’s understanding of older persons, and to create communities of care to support older members of their communities.

9.            Third, we want to build a city for all ages. We will be making enhancements to different aspects of our city infrastructure – from housing to transport to public spaces – to enable our seniors to age confidently in place.

10.         We hope that over time, through the various initiatives under the Action Plan, we will be able to start a much more positive and exciting conversation about ageing in Singapore.

Senior Volunteerism

11.         Ultimately, seniors are our best advocates for successful ageing.  One example is Ms Linda Quek. She is a volunteer team leader with RSVP’s Mentoring Programme at Lakeside Primary School. The school has shared how she and her team, with patient encouragement and guidance, transformed one of their quieter students to become more self-confident and participative in class discussions. Our seniors have much to offer in this respect.

12.         To achieve successful ageing in Singapore, we also need the support of civic organizations to jointly catalyse programmes with us. Community partners such as RSVP Singapore play an important role in bringing together like-minded seniors and creating more opportunities for Singaporeans to give back to the community. The NSVM saw a wide range of volunteering opportunities for people of all ages, including caring for elderly patients at Ren Ci Nursing Home and engaging youths with Down Syndrome. For example, the Fun with Food programme was a collaboration between RSVP and the Singapore Down Syndrome Association, involving some 20 seniors who taught beneficiaries how to prepare simple meals such as bento sets. This is in addition to the nine core programmes that RSVP runs that reach out to more than 150,000 people.

13.         To promote the good work of organizations such as RSVP, President Tony Tan announced that he will champion a National Movement for Senior Volunteerism during the Opening Ceremony of the NSVM last month. I believe that with the President’s support, we will be able to unleash the creativity, energy and talents in our older people as they continue to contribute towards community development. 

Conclusion

 14.         Let me end by saying that even as NSVM draws to a close, let today not be the end, but the start.  I hope that RSVP will continue to keep up your good work in advancing senior volunteerism and building a growing corps of seniors of all ages and expertise, pursuing various causes in society. Not just for one month but throughout the year.

 15.         I would like to give my heartiest congratulations on an excellent job by Juay Meng, his fellow board members, RSVP staff and all volunteers. We look forward to many more partnerships and collaborative opportunities with the various partners present here today.

 16.         Finally, to our senior volunteers, thank you for joining us today. I hope that all of you will continue to grow as volunteers and stay active.

 17.         Have a good time, and I wish you the best of health and happiness.

 18.         Thank you.