Reading this reminds me that I used to be navie too.
New faces can drive youth to take action
Inspire us to care more
MY PEERS and I face one problem: We are often too self-absorbed to care about the world around us.
As such, I would like the newly elected NMPs to highlight measures we can adopt to encourage youth to become more involved with charities and social causes.
On paper, probably everybody has done at least a short stint of charity work. However, most of this was only to fulfil compulsory volunteer work hours at school.
Many of us cease once we fulfil those requirements or leave school.
Although I got involved in some volunteer work in my last year of university, I could have done a lot more.
Why the failure to go beyond the required hours? Perhaps the local charities do not reach out enough to potential volunteers like us.
Or maybe it's due to the stressful nature of our education system, coupled with the prevailing obsession with academic success, that keeps students trapped in a bubble of sorts.
The NMPs have to address these root causes and suggest solutions to these problems.
The benefits of nipping this problem in the bud are enormous. An avid youth volunteer gains a clearer perspective of life and develops a sense of empathy towards his fellow men. These things can't be learnt in a classroom.
Jonathan Kwok, 24, has graduated with honours in economics from the National University of Singapore (NUS).
Fire up youth sports
THE Asian Youth Games have come and gone, and all credit to our young athletes for having put on a rousing performance.
But they might have done even better if a greater proportion of youth actually supported them at live events.
This does not bode well for the Youth Olympic Games that Singapore is hosting next year.
If we youth are not fully behind our young athletes for a continental competition, how will we fare at an international one?
I put the collective lack of passion for local sports down to sedentary lifestyles. I myself lack the passion to even jog regularly or go swimming.
My peers and I have become so addicted to technology and studies that we are largely oblivious to the benefits that sports can offer.
This is where NMPs like Ms Joscelin Yeo, a former sportswoman herself, can contribute.
She could be a poster girl for making sports an integral part of every young person's life. She could exemplify the values of discipline and sportsmanship that come with indulging in sports.
From chairing community sharing sessions with sporting associations and schools, to sharing her own experiences as a form of inspiration, the possibilities are immense.
I believe that she can persuade more youth - like me - to not just take up more sports, but support local sporting events as well, hence putting us in good stead for the Youth Olympics.
Jonathan Liautrakul, 19, has a place to read arts and social sciences at NUS.
Speak the inconvenient truth
IN THESE challenging times, we need to tackle contemporary problems that will be inherited by the younger generation - us.
Global warming is one such problem.
Although Singapore's contribution to global emissions is small compared to other industrialised nations', we still have a moral responsibility to do our part to work against climate change.
With sea levels predicted to rise by between 18cm and 59cm by the year 2100, tiny Singapore has a vested interest in stemming the rising tides.
In fact, a four-year study commissioned by the United Nations and World Bank reported last year that climate change is causing irreversible damage to farmland.
Since Singapore imports almost all of its food, we cannot turn a blind eye to this problem any more.
I think NMPs are particularly well positioned to offer ideas that can mitigate the crisis. They are fresh on the job and can provide external perspectives and alternative opinions. So there's no better time than now for them to highlight the issue of global warming.
Ow Yeong Wai Kit, 20, has a place to read arts and social sciences at NUS.
