Josephians in the National Youth Council Leaders Course

Our Josephians Aarush Nair (LE607), Kate Nattaya Sia (MN520), Krishnakumar Girijesh (MN617), Guo Rui Ting (MN617) and Sai Shashank (LE609) seized the opportunity during the June Holidays to participate in the prestigious National Youth Council (NYC) Leaders Course. Students across tertiary institutions are nominated and endorsed by their schools to participate in this course which seeks to develop a national pipeline of youth leaders.

All participants of the NYC Leaders Course are put through various experiences that are curated to develop self, community and thought leadership. A key objective and thread that underpins the various experiences during the course is to enable youth leaders to navigate increasingly complex challenges and issues, and to embrace diversity of perspectives and views in society. The course also seeks to empower youth leaders by gaining a deeper understanding of issues that impact Singapore so that they can collectively strive to make a positive impact in the community.

Kate shared that the course enabled her to appreciate how, ‘diversity in perspectives can be a catalyst for innovation. Dialogue and the exchange of ideas when discussing national issues can contribute significantly to problem-solving and decision-making’.

Similarly, Girijesh realised that, ‘we may not always have such opportunities to meet others in the community from different backgrounds. My group included students from ITEs and Polytechnics. Their perspectives offered rich insights on issues during discussions and most importantly, I’m immensely grateful for the friendships forged.’

One of the highlights of the NYC Leaders Course this year was a learning journey to the Semangat Yang Baru: Forging a New Singapore Spirit Scenario Experience, put together by the team overseeing the development of the Founder’s Memorial. Rui Ting shared that this learning journey, ‘allowed me to appreciate the aspirations of our forefathers and how they overcame obstacles with values such as boldness, resilience and integrity. Their experiences inspire the present generation of Singaporeans and such values will enable us to confidently write the next chapter of the Singapore story’.

Additionally, the youth participants had opportunities to engage meaningfully with the community directly. Sai Shashank shared how ‘the deep and immersive engagements provided opportunities us to critically explore national issues such as our food security, defense, and shifts in our society that will be brought about by an ageing population. Some of the issues we discussed have no clear solutions and the way forward will mean we must be attentive, sensitive and engage with many diverse views.’

All participants also had the benefit of engaging experts in various sectors including government agencies and policy makers. Aarush shared that he benefited from one of his mentors in the course, an Assistant Director at the Ministry of Trade and Industry. He added that, ‘we had a lively, engaging and extensive discussion on policy trade-offs and how authentic leaders offer valuable insights in policy making processes’.

To cap off the NYC Leaders Course this year, the participants and representatives of all schools were invited to a dialogue with Mr Alvin Tan, Minister of State for Culture, Community and Youth, and Ministry of Trade and Industry, as part of the closing ceremony.

Mr Alvin Tan reiterated that ‘youth can develop and hone their leadership skills by participating at such platforms. These platforms can prepare you to better navigate and even leverage on our rich social diversity in Singapore. Youth will also learn how to be comfortable with imperfection, and have the humility to learn from mistakes.’ Mr Alvin Tan also encouraged all participants to try and see if they can help develop other youth leaders. This is a crucial responsibility of leaders and more so in the case of a country like Singapore which must ensure there is leadership succession at all levels in society.

We are proud that our Josephians represented our school well and successfully completed the National Youth Council Leaders Course. We look forward to other opportunities for our Josephians to be enriched and gain leadership skills, so that they can effectively contribute to the community!