from straitstimes.com:
Community centres continue to be important physical connectors for residents in digital age: Heng Swee Keat
SINGAPORE - Even as society adopts more digital technology and neighbours communicate more often online, Singapore's community centres will continue to serve as important physical connectors for residents, said Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat on Saturday (April 2).
He was speaking at the opening of the newly upgraded Fengshan Community Club (CC), which now has an additional 12,000 sq ft of floor area and facilities co-created with residents.
The new facilities include a culinary studio with halal cooking stations and a soundproof dance studio.
Besides Mr Heng, the other advisers to the East Coast GRC grassroots organisations - Miss Cheryl Chan, Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Maliki Osman, Minister of State Tan Kiat How and Ms Jessica Tan - as well as People's Association deputy chairman Edwin Tong, also attended the event.
Other new and upgraded features at Fengshan CC include a fourth storey that houses several seminar rooms and soundproof music studios. The rooms can be easily reconfigured, and the furniture are mostly movable, so they can be converted to study rooms for students after school.
Mr Heng said community centres - which can be found in every heartland estate - have played important roles in nation-building.
He said that in the digital era, more residents - especially young home owners - have been communicating through WhatsApp message groups and organising interest groups online.
"But, however useful online touchpoints are, they cannot fully replace physical interactions," he added.
Mr Heng noted that during the Covid-19 pandemic, community centres were the main venues for residents to get their vaccinations, and to collect their TraceTogether tokens and antigen rapid test kits.
"Before the pandemic, some residents had never set foot in their community centres. But having now done so, they are keen to explore what their community centres have to offer when Covid-19 recedes," he said.
At the spruced-up Fengshan CC's sheltered outdoor atrium, young people can gather for dance practices while seniors engage in exercises. Digital courses and career advancement talks will be held in seminar rooms and classrooms.
To cater to elderly residents, community partners such as NTUC Health will also house their programmes at the CC.
Miss Chan, who is MP of the Fengshan ward in the East Coast GRC, said: "To me, this CC is not just a building. It's a place where we create shared memories and realise our aspirations together... I hope that residents, volunteers and our community partners can join us to create a CC which they can call their second home."
