nEbO is committed to prepare youths to be Work, World and Life-Ready as its membership hits 100,000
Singapore, 4 December 2015 – nEbO, the junior membership arm of the National Trade Union Congress (NTUC) reaffirmed its commitment to prepare youths to be Work-Ready, World-Ready and Life-Ready as it welcomed its 100,000th member today.
Daryl Tan had no idea that he would eventually be the lucky member when he signed up for his nEbO membership at a school road show. The 18-year-old Republic Polytechnic student was ceremoniously welcomed as nEbO’s 100,000th member this afternoon at D’Resort. To celebrate this membership milestone, an intimate gathering (which was followed by an overnight stay at the resort) was held where Daryl met up with past and present nEbO members and champions who shared their own membership experience with him. More details on Daryl Tan can be found in Annex A.
nEbO was formed eight years ago as a pipeline between youths aged 12 to 25 and the Labour Movement. With the crossing of the 100,000 membership milestone, its programmes are specially created to be relevant to members, giving nEbO a credible voice to speak on behalf of Singapore youths, and can make a positive contribution to nation-building.
“Although we are here to celebrate a membership milestone, what is most important and satisfying for me is the impact nEbO has on our members. In small but significant ways, we have helped to shape their lives positively and equip them with skills to face the changes that the future may bring. Moving forward, nEbO will continue its focus in developing the leadership capabilities of our members. This will complement our existing engagement efforts which encourages like-minded youths to organise and participate in activities and is a key way to strengthen the community’s bonds. Ultimately, our youths are prepared to be Work, World and Life-Ready,” said Mr Lim Eng Lee, NTUC, Alignment Director (nEbO).
“There are many inspiring past memberssuch as Sebastian Tay and David Tay, who are contributing to society in their own ways now,” he added.
Sebastian Tay, a General Member of Singapore Bank Employees’ Union (SBEU), started out in the nEbO bowling interest group and he often lead his team to victory. “Throughout my journey with nEbO, I had actively participated in and spearheaded events. My transition from being a nEbOian to a full-fledged NTUC member has been an adventurous and eventful one. As I was already exposed to the Labour Movement, that made my transition from school to workplace easier. That understanding even gave me an edge when I entered the work force. Before joining nEbO, I never thought that I could do so much. But I now know that I can make a difference to the world, with what I’ve experienced with nEbO,” said Sebastian.
Another alumni who have benefited from nEbO is David Tay, who is currently a member of the central committee of the Singapore Teachers’ Union (STU).
“I am extremely proud of how nEbO has grown from strength to strength over the years. Many youth leaders have emerged from its ranks and they are organising more meaningful and engaging events for their fellow members. nEbO is definitely on track to impacting even more young lives in the future,” said David.
With leadership development a key focus for nEbO, members are regularly given opportunities to spearhead new initiatives. These new youth-initiated projects allow for fresh ideas from the ground level. Toh Lip An, a student from Singapore Polytechnic and a current nEbO Entrepreneurship Champion, shared: “I was given the opportunity to plan and organise events, even though I didn’t have prior knowledge or experience. Sometimes problems arise and I feel like giving up completely. But the mentorship of the nEbO advisors helped me to become a better person and worker. I’ve also learnt to push myself further, with the encouragement from the nEbO advisors, and become more resilient in times of difficulties,” said Lip An.
# # #