Opening Speech by Mr Lee Meng Tat, Chairman, Singapore Cancer Society (SCS)
For SCS’s Inaugural Youth Summit, 13 July 2024
Mr Tan Kiat How, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Digital Development and Information (MDDI) & Ministry of National Development
Mr Tay Kuan Ming, Director of Corporate Services for Singapore Cancer Society
Council members of Singapore Cancer Society
Participants of Youth Summit 2024
Ladies and Gentlemen
Thank you for joining us at the Singapore Cancer Society’s (SCS) inaugural Youth Summit, held in conjunction with SCS’s 60th Anniversary.
Today, we also celebrate the 8th Singapore Cancer Society Interschool Competition, a cornerstone of our youth engagement initiatives and the first ever Youth Conversations dialogue session.
Cancer remains the leading cause of death in Singapore. In 2020 alone, 16,060 new cancer cases were diagnosed in Singapore. According to the Singapore Registry Report 2021,prostate, colorectal and lung cancers were reported to be the three most common cancers amongst males, while breast, colorectal and lung cancers were reported to be the three most common cancers amongst females. These alarming statistics send an urgent message to educate the community on cancer care and it is important for us to start with our youths.
Educating youths about cancer care is vital for fostering awareness on risk factors, early detection, prevention and reducing the stigma associated with the disease.
From preschoolers to tertiary-level students, SCS provides educational programmes, training, and support to help our youth understand and avoid cancer-related risks. Our programmes include school talks, the Smoke-Free Ambassador Programme, a Smoking Cessation Programme and of course, today’s Youth Summit.
In 2023 alone, our Youth Outreach programme successfully reached 2954 students through school assembly talks and engaged 766 young individuals as part of the SCS Smoke-Free Ambassador Programme. Moreover, through Youth For Causes, 10 dedicated teams of students partnered with SCS to raise a total of $62,535. In their effort to raise awareness and fundraise to support the cancer community, these projects recruited close to 1,000 volunteers and reached out to an estimated 11,400 individuals. These numbers reflect the collective effort and passion of our youth in championing the cause of a cancer-free society.
Held in celebration of our 60th Anniversary this year, SCS goes one step further by launching our new youth initiative – the SCS Next Gen Rising: Youth Against Cancer. The rallying power of youths as advocates over the years has not gone unnoticed. From the success of the SCS Interschool Competition, SCS Smoke-Free Ambassador Programme, mini-Relay For Life project in schools, YMCA Youth For Causes, volunteering in support of SCS flagship events and programmes, and participating in school talks, youths have played a significant role in amplifying the cancer conversation by appealing to their peers. With the SCS Next
Gen Rising initiative, we hope to inform, empower and collaborate with youths to allow the next generation to take charge in the fight against cancer.
To commemorate the launch, SCS is having our inaugural Youth Summit today. We have an exciting day planned ahead with industry experts such as Dr Eileen Poon, Senior Consultant at the Division of Medical Oncology, National Cancer Centre, Singapore, to guideall of you today to be advocates against cancer. In addition, two of our key youth events will be occurring concurrently – the annual SCS Interschool Competition and our new Youth Conversations.
The SCS Interschool Competition seeks to provide a platform for full-time tertiary students from ITE, Polytechnic, Junior College, and University to work with schoolmates to conceptualise and execute creative ideas that will drive SCS’ mission to Minimise Cancer and Maximise Lives. This year, SCS has expanded our annual Interschool Competition by bringing content creation experts from TheSmartLocal down to the final live competition to equip students with content creation skills as well as guide participants to improve their campaign ideas. Students will have the opportunity to research and learn more about cancer which encouraging them to adopt healthier lifestyle choices to reduce the risk of developing cancer.
In celebration of SCS’ 60th Anniversary, SCS is running our first ever Youth Conversation dialogue session, a platform for youths, aged 13- 35, to be part of the wider cancer conversation. As participants engage in the panel sharings, roundtable discussions and a Health Advocacy Empowerment workshop conducted by SHINE Children and Youth Services, SCS hopes that each of you here will be empowered to become cancer advocates, healthy living ambassadors, SCS volunteers and SCS fundraisers. We also hope that you will take this opportunity to make meaningful connections with your fellow groupmates and subject matter experts. I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to SHINE for partnering SCS in making this Youth Conversation possible. SCS continues to remain resolute in our commitment to providing holistic care and support to cancer patients and their families, while also empowering our youth to become agents of change in the cancer cause.
Together, let us strive for a future where cancer is minimised, lives are maximised, and where our youth will lead the charge towards a cancer-free world.
Thank you and have fun at the activities today.
Closing Speech By Mr Lee Meng Tat, Chairman, Singapore Cancer Society (SCS)
For SCS’s Inaugural Youth Summit, 13 July 2024
Mr Tay Kuan Ming, Director of Corporate Services for Singapore Cancer Society
Council members of Singapore Cancer Society
Distinguished Guests and Participants of Youth Summit 2024
Ladies and gentlemen,
Thank you for joining us for the Awards Ceremony segment of SCS’ inaugural Youth Summit 2024. I am heartened to see the energy, creativity and dedication by our youths today. Your fresh ideas, and your willingness to enthusiastically participate in our inaugural youth summit gives me a sense of hope. Together we are making a significant impact and paving the way for a more robust cancer conversation, infused by the ideas and perspectives of the youth. Earlier today, we officially launched the SCS Next Gen Rising: Youth Against Cancer
movement initiated to inform, empower and collaborate with youths to allow the next generation to take charge in the fight against cancer.
Over the course of the day, the Youth Summit participants were split into two main events –the 8th Singapore Cancer Society Interschool Competition and our first ever Youth Conversations dialogue session. In this age of social media, youths possess a powerful tool to spread knowledge and positive messages. By raising awareness and advocating for healthier choices, you become ambassadors of change within your communities, and this will cause a positive ripple effect across society.
Participants enjoyed informative workshops by TheSmartLocal and SHINE Children and Youth Services at the Interschool Competition and Youth Conversations respectively. Through these workshops as well as the panel discussion during the Youth Conversations, participants in each event worked with their teams to raise cancer awareness and debunk misconceptions about cancer.
The finalists from the SCS Interschool Competition worked on creating storyboards to raise cancer awareness under the guidance and expertise of TheSmartLocal. The participants of Youth Conversations came up with insightful strategies to debunk misconceptions about cancer. You were innovative and your drive to contribute to the collective fight against cancer was clear today – thank you. I would also like to congratulate the winners of each event, who will be announced later this afternoon. Win or not, we believe that every storyboard and every strategy that has come out of the Youth Summit today is worth expanding on.
We hope that you can take home the knowledge, skills and ideas and use them to rally your friends and family members to join the cancer conversation. Keep in contact with the people you have met through the event today, maybe even work with them to put your ideas into actions. These connections may last you a long time as you collectively use your voice and experience to raise awareness about cancer.
Before I end, I would also like to thank our Smoke-Free Ambassadors – some who are here with us physically, and those who have logged on via Zoom. The Smoke-Free Ambassadors are students from different uniformed group – Brownies, Girl Guides and Red Cross Youth. They have worked to raise awareness amongst their peers at schools about the harmful effects of smoking and its relation to cancer. I am impressed with their young minds and their creativity in coming up with ways to present to their schoolmates and amplify the message on World No Tobacco Day. Thank you, Smoke-Free Ambassadors for all your hard work!
Today’s Awards Ceremony is not a closing ceremony. It is the end of you or learning phase and the start of your journey to make a difference. Share what you learnt through your social media accounts. Strike conversations with your friends and family members. Become an advocate against cancer so that we can strike out cancer.
On our end, the Singapore Cancer Society will continue to remain resolute in our commitment to empowering our youth to become agents of change in the cancer cause. Reach out to us with your ideas. Together, let us strive for a future where cancer is minimized, lives are maximized, and where our youths will lead the charge towards a cancer-free world.
13 July 2024