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VOLUNTEERS would achieve a whole lot more if they performed fewer 'superficial activities', said the new man at the helm of the National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre (NVPC).
In businessman Stanley Tan's books, these include making short do-gooder trips to other countries to stay with the poor, dig wells for villagers or get immersed in the lives of the less fortunate.
These short trips with a charitable element - referred to as 'voluntourism' - have become increasingly popular with student groups as well as adults, but he feels this may not be the best way to teach young people the meaning of giving or inspiring them to be volunteers.
Mr Tan, 51, the new chairman of NVPC, told The Straits Times: 'We need to give them a value-system in giving.'
By that he means helping the young to see that 'giving' need not mean grand gestures and big commitments. But what troubled him was how to reach out to a younger generation that 'wants more and more': a problem not only in Singapore, but also in other economically successful societies.
Read the full story in Tuesday's edition of The Straits Times.
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