Overview Of People’s Association In Singapore
The Mission of People’s Association
People Association (PA) aim to build and bridge communities to achieve one people, one Singapore. This is done by offering programs to connect Singaporeans of all ages, people to people, and people to government. PA can organize a wide range of programmes through establishing the network with 1, 800 grassroots organizations (GROS), over 100 community clubs (CC), 5 community development councils, national community leadership institute and water venture. As the community grows more complex and diverse, PA released a list of strategies to achieve its mission, which is to continue to extend their outreach to the residence to enhance the quality engagement among residents.
One of the strategies is to build volunteer groups by providing platforms such as CCs. With PA’s effort, residents can initiate and take ownership to organize activities and participate together with the community. Besides attracting volunteers, PA is trying to bridge youth involvements in the community. Youth organizations such as the People’s Association Youth Movement (PAYM) will reach out to age 12 to 35, offer a wide spectrum of programmes to empower them to create a vibrant community. Programmes such as the Community Leadership Programme (CLP) is developed to expose youth residents to glass root works and a wide range of volunteer activities. Moreover, there are initiatives that bring residents of different race and background together. Passion card, a membership card of the People’s Association, that offers its members with exclusive privileges when they sign up for course and programmes. It serves a purpose of bringing people together via a host of programmes and activities organized by PA and Community Clubs.
PA has managed to connect people closely with the help of technologies. Technologies such as web portals act as a connector between people and PA. Allowing people to bond and connect in real-world relationships more conveniently.
People, Process and Technology
People Process Technology Residents who want to know more about People Association Individual can go to PA official webpage or download PA APP to read about People’s Association PA Webpage & APP Individuals who want to know the recent events held by PA Individual can go to People’s association Facebook and Instagram accounts. PA always post recent event photos and progress there Social Media Member of the community who wants to become a volunteer Individuals can register on PA webpage. There is registration form for PA Volunteer and Community Development Council Volunteer.
Individuals who want to sign up Passion card membership PA has developed an online web portal for Singaporeans and Permanent residents to book events and facilities. Individual can login to OnePA online web portal and be direct through Sing pass and make fee payments online. Passion card will be mail to applicant.
Member of People’s Association (Passion card member) -Register the courses organize by People’s Association at discount rates-Incorporate with functions needed become an ez-link card-Collaborate with POSB and introduced debit and credit Passion Card-Partner with National Library Board (NLB) and enabled NLB Membership card function-Tap for more points accumulation function which allows users to cumulate points with merchants such as cold storage and guardian Contactless ePurse Application (CEPAS)Barcode with NRIC, enabling borrowing of book using NLB borrowing station. Talented trainers or business entities who wish to become a CC course Trainer Interested personal can download a PA Trainer Application from PA webpage. Shortlisted candidates will be notifying to attend an interview
There is an initiative named Ask Kopi Kakis (AKK) for residence to learn about the key government policies and schemes that they can benefit from. Residents can get AKK policy booklets through nearby CCs or download them online. PA webpage: e-brochure Residence want to find out their Community development Council details and other details such as neighborhood CCs They could enter their blk number and postal code in PA Community development council database to retrieve this information.
Singaporean and PRs who need to seek legal advice There are voluntary lawyers volunteer through PA to provide legal consultations in select CCs. Residences who seek legal advices could download a timetable of the available legal services provided by CCs and book an appointment through the CC. e-brochure PA webpage, Telecommunication PA Collaboration with Government Agency/Organization Singaporeans age 25 and above who wants to enjoy SkillsFuture Credit scheme.
People’s Association is one of the training providers for SkillsFuture Credit scheme. This scheme gives residence $500 credits with periodic top ups to upgrade their skills on course provided by skillsFuture. Residence who want to attend course on SkillsFuture@PA course can login to one. pa. gove. sg, PA online portal to apply for the course. Courses will be conduct in 15 Community clubs.
Elderly pedestrians above 60 years old Passion Silver Concession Card, which will allow them to continue to enjoy concessionary fares when traveling on public transports-Seniors with this card can enjoy special privileges and benefits from community clubs, People Association outlets and participating Passion silver merchant outlets on top of the existing passion card benefits-Passion Silver Concession Card holders can complete pedestrian crossing with increasing time by tapping the Green Man + in selected pedestrian crossings Green Man + function in pedestrian crossings.
Ecosystem Diagram of People’s Association
People’s Association (PA) has a wide range of the network that serves the community members in different ways. The goal is to enhance quality engagements to achieve one people, one Singapore. PA has a web portal that allows community members to sign up as volunteers and service the community they live in. Volunteers can choose to become a CDC volunteer or a certain grassroots organization Volunteer. Grassroots organization volunteer can later become a grassroots leader to help organized and manage activities, events, and programs. They will work closely with Community clubs, other PA networks such as the CDC, and are eligible to apply to use the facilities in the CCs. Community members can become a PA member and sign up programs organized by PA through OnePA online portal. Like these events, activities are organized and help by volunteers, the community can participate in these activities free of charge or at a very low cost.
People’s Association also works closely with other government agencies such as the Land Transport Authority, Health and promotion board, National Library Board for events and programs engage the residents. Silver Passion Card is a collaboration work between LTA, NLB and PA. With this card, seniors could enjoy benefits such as:
- concession fare for public transport
- extended time at the pedestrian crossing with Greenman + Sign
- discounts and privileges at PA participating stores and events organized by PA
- replace the NLB membership card with PAssion Card.
Through such collaborations, one card has the feature of multiple cards. This also helps Singapore in becoming a Smart Nation. On top of Government Agency, PA will collaborate with organizations too. PA introduce PA debit and credit card through the collaboration with POSB as POSB is known as the “People’s Bank”. They also organize events such as POSB Passion Run for Kids annually to further engage the community and strengthen the community bond. Another example is the NTUC CDC Milk fund. Together, NTUC and CDC has gathered 1. 5million that will benefit 7, 500 children for low income group. The fund will be given in NTUC voucher form, for eligible applicant families to buy milk powders form FairPrice outlets.
Accolading news received by People’s Association
People’s association has continued to foster racial harmony and social cohesion since it was found on 1 July 1960. Now, People’s association has progressed with a network of more than 1, 800 grassroots organizations, more than 100 community clubs and 5 community development councils providing services and programs to strengthen the bonds between people to people and people to government. This allows People’s association to better fulfil its mission to extend its outreach to more residents and enhance quality engagements.
Many of the grassroots organizations such as Community Sports Clubs, People’s Association Youth Movement, Community Club management committees and many more are formed for many years. With years of progressions, many of these grassroots organizations are fully developed to be able to organize and manage activities to the community through volunteers. Volunteers will work with PA to plan sustaining activities that may occur on a weekly or even daily basis. These grassroots organizations or clubs will also involve in planning large annual community events.
Take an example, PAYM that was established in 1971 has grown to have 65 sustainable community service programmes organize by 35 Youth Executive Committees. These youth volunteers in the committee engaged and help resides such as elderly and those with special needs regularly through the programmes. Another example is the Community Sports Club (CSC). There are 89 CSCs as of 2018, organizing various sports activities for the nationhood residents. Keat Hong Community Club has organized the 16th Singapore Community Game on 11 Mar 2018 and the game has expected to draw 8, 000 participants. Achieving close social cohesion will bring people together. This helps in preventing the emerging social trends such as the rise of fake news that “potential to split communities apart, to divide the people from the Government, (and) to divide the people from each other". There is a twitter post of a collapsed Punggol Waterway Terrance photo that was later discovered to be a hoax on Nov 11, 2016. Grassroot organizations could alert and warn the communities through its network, allowing people to come together to verify information and cross check for each other.
Negative news received by People’s Association
One of the key strategies for PA to meet its mission is to build volunteer groups. Thus, benefits are given to grassroots volunteers, for spending time and giving back to the community. This includes MND Grassroots Organization Scheme that allows grassroots organization volunteers to be able to apply BTO HDB or executive condominiums under the scheme. Grassroots leaders are also eligible to apply primary schools for their children within constituencies they reside in under Phase 2B of primary school registration.
Although these benefits are introducing for good intention and to encourage people to volunteer in the community, there were residents exploited these benefits. An experienced volunteer at Sriville residents’ committee in Marine Parade GRC noted that areas with good primary schools usually get most of the volunteers. These volunteers only join so their children get priority in primary school enrollment and quit after their children have started school.
Due to exploits, the government had to strength the Primary school registration scheme in 2015. In the new scheme, grassroots leaders must commit at least 2 years to get priority in primary school registration. And priority is only to the constituencies they live rather than in two areas where they live and where they choose to serve. Furthermore, the nature of volunteers is different from employees. They are not chosen through a set of interviews and they are driven by self-regulation when it comes to doing a task. People’s association may not familiar with the volunteers they are recruiting. Thus, there might be cases where the volunteer is apathetic or negligent towards the volunteer duties. One recent case happens in March this year, where a volunteer pushed and hurt a young boy in the Chingay celebration in East Coast Grassroot Community. Despite the young cried badly, the PA volunteer did not apologize to the father of the child. Instead, the volunteer insults the father that he is unable to educate his children. This incidence may reflect badly on the good public image of the PA Organization.
Area of Improvements
People’s Association has developed a system to attract community residents to volunteer in helping the community. This is a sustaining strategy, much the same as “teaching a fisherman how to fish”. Most of the activities and events are organized and managed by volunteers, the success needs to factor a portion of the PA’s involvement and the effort of the grassroots leaders. Despite the clocked-up schedule in the Community Clubs, it is still hard when it comes to getting engagements for all retired residents. Some seniors may choose not to participate due to lack of interested in the activities while others might be physically unfit to travel to the activity venue, which is mostly the neighbourhood CC. Some of these people face the danger of isolation.
Instead of spending the efforts and resources to organized activities for these retired residents to gathers and spending time, the focus should also be direct to guiding them on how to organize activities on their own. For example, teach them how to utilizes the HDB void deck chess table, or how to use the exercise equipment’s that are next to the playgrounds. In the time when there are no activities, elderlies could still phone up their friends that are met in community events and gather together to enjoy quality time together.
Although there are Community Clubs across the neighborhoods, not all residents known the services it provides, and much may have never the booking facilities before. Besides posting the available webpage in PA webpage, PA may try to increase its awareness through flyers and newspapers.
