Mr Sharael Taha asked how we ensure the continued relevance of our mentoring programmes. We conducted youth mentoring programmes in four M3@Towns at Jurong, Pasir Ris-Punggol, Tampines, and Woodlands last year, and will now be refreshing our approach to bring mentoring programmes closer to more youths. By the end of this year, we will offer at least one youth mentoring programme at each of our 11 M3@Towns.
One new mentoring programme we will be introducing at our M3@Towns, as well as mosques and Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs) is "Cool Yah Conversations". It adopts the concept of flash mentoring, a first of its kind approach in our mentoring programmes. Flash mentoring takes place over a shorter period and will combine interest-based activities like sports and games with impactful mentoring interactions in areas of personal development, educational transition, and career guidance. We hope that it will resonate with youths and lower barriers for them to get involved. Through this programme, we aim to reach 1,000 youths within a year, over and above the youths who will be engaged through our existing mentoring programmes under YMO.
To Mr Sharael Taha's query, beyond mentoring programmes, MENDAKI also offers their Future Ready programmes which help youth better understand the changing work landscape and provide avenues for them to explore jobs in growth industries.
Key to the success of these programmes are our passionate and dedicated youth mentors. Most have benefited from MENDAKI's many initiatives and now find ways to give back to the community.
One of them is Arinna Fithriyya Ridzuan. In 2019, Arinna received MENDAKI's Special Achievement Award for Excellence and Anugerah Cemerlang MENDAKI. Today, she works at the National Youth Council and has been a mentor to Nur Odelia Mohamed Azme since Odelia's second year of studies at ITE College Central through the #amPowered@ITE programme. With Arinna's support, Odelia learnt to build self-confidence and take charge of her personal development. Odelia is now working with MENDAKI's Care Advisors to explore potential post-tertiary pathways.
Our youth mentors also join me and my fellow Malay/Muslim Members of Parliament including Mr Saktiandi Supaat, Ms Nadia Samdin and Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim in the YOUth@M3 Engagement sessions, and various M3@Town programmes. These include Youth Edge for vulnerable youth which Ms Mariam Jaafar advises, the Youth Network Mental Health Townhall that Dr Wan Rizal champions and learning journeys to STEM companies that Mr Sharael Taha organises.
I hope our youth mentors continue to inspire others to join our mentoring community in supporting others to realise their aspirations. Chairman, in Malay, please.
(In Malay): Health is a blessing and we have a responsibility to take ownership of it. Leading healthy lifestyles also enables us to be active citizens in our community.
One good role model who takes care of his health is Mr Iylia Shukor. He actively encourages our Malay/Muslim community to adopt a healthy lifestyle by organising health programmes for them. When the fifth focus area of M3 was introduced last year, Mr Iylia tapped on the Saham Kesihatan programme to collaborate with more community partners. He has since organised monthly five kilometres brisk walking events with Kembangan Chai-Chee Community Centre, Braddell Heights Constituency Office, Wisma Geylang Serai and Kassim Mosque, as well as Qigong sessions at community centres in M3@Geylang Serai.
Dr Wan Rizal asked how M3 initiatives spur efforts to take charge of our community’s health. Volunteers like Mr Iylia show how Saham Kesihatan can empower the Malay/Muslim community to drive their own health programmes. Through Saham Kesihatan, they can receive support from M3 agencies, like PA MESRA and the HPB, to implement programmes on health, including for mental well-being.
Last year, over 500 participants took part in Saham Kesihatan programmes. They gave feedback that they enjoyed being part of a community which fosters a strong sense of support for one another to lead healthy lifestyles. This year, we aim to double the reach to benefit 1,000 participants. To achieve this target, I invite more individuals, like Mr Iylia, to leverage on Saham Kesihatan, to bring health programmes to our Malay/Muslim community.
Besides Saham Kesihatan, M3 agencies also work with HPB and the Jaga Kesihatan Jaga Ummah, or JKJU, network, where members regularly collaborate on initiatives that encourage healthier habits. In 2023, over 40,000 residents benefitted from JKJU programmes. We can expect more JKJU programmes at the M3@Towns throughout this year.
Through JKJU and Saham Kesihatan, our Malay/Muslim community also contributes to the national Healthier SG campaign which aims to help all Singaporeans take ownership of their health. I hope we will embrace this responsibility towards our health as we strive for a meaningful future together.
In looking to the future, we also take stock of how far we have come. Dr Syed Harun asked whether M3 initiatives have led to improvements in community engagement. Since its formation five years ago, M3 has developed structures and built networks for us to help the community more effectively, including the vulnerable. With this framework in place, we need more volunteers to step up and help make M3 initiatives a success.
Our volunteers comprise professionals from different fields who have been instrumental in the delivery of programmes at our M3@Towns – from initiating new programmes and befriending vulnerable families to connecting them with social assistance programmes.
Therefore, we continue to ensure volunteers are equipped with the skills and knowledge to engage the community effectively. Last year, we enhanced our Volunteers' Capability Building Framework with the M3 Seminar Series. This year, the M3 Engagement Coordination Office, or M3 ECO, and PA MESRA will work with the National Community Leadership Institute to organise workshops for volunteers. Through such workshops, they will learn to engage residents more meaningfully during house visits. The volunteers will also be able to increase their understanding of services at the national level, and therefore, help them to support residents in building strong and resilient families.
For example, through Project DIAN, volunteers will provide holistic support for Malay/Muslim families residing in rental flats. They will also journey with these families to better understand their needs and connect them to the relevant services.
One such volunteer is Mdm Eryannie Mohamad, a Project DIAN Ambassador from M3@Geylang Serai who was motivated to encourage parents to take greater interest in early childhood development. In November 2023, Mdm Eryannie and her fellow volunteers collaborated with MSR Interior Design to refurnish and repaint a beneficiary's home to provide a more conducive environment for their children's learning and family bonding.
