National Youth Achievement Award Ceremony 2024: Spread Positivity And Reignite Kindness

SINGAPORE, 27 November 2024 – The Singapore Prison Service (SPS) introduced the National Youth Achievement Award (NYAA) in the year 2000 for young inmates aged between 16 and 30, as a platform for them to learn, grow, and serve the community during their incarceration. Since then, more than 2,400 inmates have completed the programme. This year, 94 inmate participants completed the NYAA programme, an increase from 89 in 2023. Among them, 66 inmates achieved the Gold award, 27 achieved Silver and 1 was awarded Bronze.

The NYAA Ceremony 2024 was held at Institution TM1 today to celebrate their achievements. Themed ‘Spread Positivity And Reignite Kindness (S.P.A.R.K)’, the 2024 edition of the NYAA highlighted the importance of fostering positivity and kindness in our fast-paced society. Mr Eric Chua, Senior Parliament Secretary, Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth and Ministry of Social and Family Development was the Guest-of-Honour. In his speech, Mr Chua highlighted the longstanding partnership between SPS and NYAA, and underscored both organisations’ commitment to instilling positive values, skills, and experiences in participants. He commended the participants for embodying the transformative power of S.P.A.R.K in their initiatives. He encouraged them to build upon their NYAA experiences and maintain their positive mindset so that they can remain focused on rebuilding relationships with their loved ones and lead meaningful lives after their release.

Earlier this year, the inmate participants took part in the Yellow Ribbon Prison Run to show support for the Yellow Ribbon cause as one of NYAA’s Healthy Living Activity. With $5 being donated by corporate donors to the Yellow Ribbon Fund for every kilometre covered, they raised $19,700 by walking and running a total of 3,940km around the exercise yard.

Community Leadership Initiative Projects

As part of the NYAA Gold Award requirements, the inmate participants developed and implemented four Community Leadership Initiative Projects (CLIPs) in collaboration with various community partners. One of these projects was a collaboration between SPS and Jenaris Home, a welfare home under Blue Cross Charitable Institution (BCCI), where the inmate participants created a life-sized Monopoly Board Game for Jenaris Home’s residents who are suffering from mental health issues. The game aims to provide cognitive stimulation to the residents in a fun and engaging manner, while promoting and strengthening social interactions among them. The project has earned a place in the Singapore Book of Records as the Largest Monopoly Board Game. Other projects included organising a Games Day for the residents of Lions Befriender, making personalised cards for nurses under the Be Kind SG initiative, and collaborating with New Hope Community Services to make birthday cards and festive cards for seniors.

Superintendent Chng Kuok Leong, Chairperson of the NYAA Ceremony 2024, said, “I am heartened by the close collaboration with the National Youth Achievement Award Council for the past 24 years. This collaboration has provided a platform for our young offenders to learn new skills, develop whole person qualities and most importantly cultivate the attitude of helping others in need. This is important in their rehabilitation journey, and I congratulate them for their achievements.”