High 5 – 1st July 2016 by Mr Lee Tzi Wang
Youth Day is on the coming Sunday, and all students can take the following Monday as a celebration or a good break. I would like to share 3 areas which a youth can concerned about – Health, Wealth and Security, and what youth can start to do to develop in these matters.
Health
The recent outbreak of Zika virus in Brazil has caused global alarm, and Singapore’s first Zika case was discovered just about a month ago. We are vulnerable to more diseases to come. We have heard of “Health is wealth. No amount of money in this world can buy health.” Indeed, health is an important entity in our life. Failure to take good care of it will cause us to be unproductive in our work and may require medical support for a long period of time. Remember the sharing by the NKF patient who came down during our Founder’s Day Week. We need to watch our diet and lifestyle to have healthy kidneys and bodies. Let’s be careful not to be too immersed in our computers, personal devices which can rob us of our health, and even our family time.
As youth, we need to have discipline to take good care of our health by having a balanced diet, regular exercise, and sufficient rest and sleep.
Wealth/Aspiration
Every youth hopes to study well, graduate with a recognised certificate, and get a well-paying job in the future. But we are vulnerable to the global forces. The recent separation of UK from the European Union has impacted a dip in the global economy. Singapore’s economy is affected too. It was reported in the Straits Times 8 Oct 2015, according to data from the Ministry of Employment and Labour in South Korea, more than 1.1 million young people are having difficulty in finding jobs, and 32 per cent of those employed are holding non-regular jobs. It’s no longer the case that having a good certificate/degree can guarantee a good job. We need to explore, develop and master the right set of skills to be future ready. It is good to start to pursue your interests, and tap on your strengths to build a portfolio of achievements. This can help you to be prepared for Early Admission Exercise (EAE) for Polytechnics one day, or for any career interview. Our upper Sec classes have been going through the recent Study SMART Series to master over the various subjects. Take each session seriously and deepen your mastery. On Monday, you have written a letter to your future self either 6 months or 1 year to come. Hopefully everyone would work hard to pursue your destiny.
As a youth, we need to start to discover our passions, strengths and interests, to deepen our skill mastery, and to actively search for possible education and career options through ECG programmes.
Security
The Paris Attack on 13 November 2015, the Orlando Nightclub Shooting on 12 June 2016, and the Istanbul Airport Attack on 29 June 2016 are good reminders for us not to take our security for granted. We need to constantly stay vigilant and to do our part in making Singapore a safe place to live. One of our NE messages says “We must ourselves defend Singapore.” Today, we commemorate SAF Day. All Singaporean male youths will rise up to go through military training and play their part in protecting our nation. Many of your male teachers have already contributed in maintaining peace, or are regularly being called up to do their part.
As youth, we need to treasure the security and peace right now, and to do our part to protect our nation when opportunities come.
Time is precious, and it constantly passes. As youths, let’s treasure our time, preserve our health, discover our future, and to treasure and uphold the peace and security we have. Wishing everyone a fruitful weekend ahead and happy Youth Day!