Giving Back to Givers at the YMCA Honour Dinner

YMCA of Singapore celebrated the contributions and dedicated volunteerism of over 60 youth champions through the YMCA Honour Dinner. These honoured guests are youth who actively served in local and international service programmes.

Among them is 29-year-old Emmanuel Ang, who started his volunteering journey in 2016. After his first volunteering experience, he became a passionate volunteer and joined YMCA’s university service club, University-YMCA (Uni-Y). He eventually served as President in the Singapore Management University Chapter of Uni-Y in 2018.

“We always think of volunteering as a way to help others, but the volunteers themselves gain a lot out of the experience, too. We develop good experiences, important values and the desire to change the system for the better. It has been a privilege serving others. I have made many friends I keep in contact with even today and it has been a life-changing journey,” Emmanuel shared.

This was the second instalment of a series of YMCA events held in celebration of the YMCA’s 120^th anniversary. These events aim to acknowledge and encourage their youth clients for their hard work in empowering themselves, so they may uplift others. The first event celebrated the achievements of youth-at-risk.

“Our youth volunteers have shown immense passion and commitment to serving the community and supporting those in need. They constantly challenge themselves to go beyond their comfort zones to render what assistance they can to uplift the lives of others. We hope this event will express some of our sincere appreciation for their giving hearts and that fresh volunteers will be energised by these seasoned volunteers to engage in long-term service,” said Sharon Chan, Division Head (Programmes), YMCA of Singapore.

The YMCA of Singapore engages youth volunteers through a plethora of programmes, including a.) local community service programmes that serve youth with special needs through arts, sports, and vocational training, b.) international service programmes that support less privileged communities in regional countries such as Cambodia, Philippines and Indonesia, among others, c.) Youth For Causes, an annual programme in its 20^th run this year that provides youth with seed funding and mentorship to conceptualise and implement social service projects and d.) University-YMCA, a community service club under YMCA of Singapore, focuses on developing and empowering youth from local universities to impact the local and international communities through our service programmes.