by Kenny Chee

THE National Integration Council announced yesterday its broad plans to help Singaporeans and new immigrants build bonds with one another.

Improving communication between citizens and newcomers, through moves such as making English-language courses more accessible to new immigrants, is one of its plans.

Here is a look at some of the council's other moves to strengthen social ties, by making Singapore home to old and new Singaporeans, and creating opportunities for them to interact.

Using new media

New-media platforms, like blogs and RazorTV, a streaming Internet-TV news site, will be used to reach out to young, technology- savvy Singaporeans and new immigrants.

Content like online competitions and video clips will be developed to help them understand one another better. The council's various initiatives will also be put up on the Government's online feedback portal Reach at www.reach.gov.sg.

The public will be able to give feedback on the plans on Reach's discussion forums, including its Facebook and Twitter social-networking sites.

These new-media initiatives will complement those developed for traditional media, like newspapers and television.

Co-funding

The council will set up a $10-million fund to allow organisations, including private companies and societies, to seek co-funding of up to 80 per cent of the cost of projects that foster cohesion among citizens and newcomers.

The funds will be disbursed over a period of three years.

Projects that can be supported by the fund include those that help Singaporeans, new immigrants and foreigners to understand one another's culture and history.

This can be in the form of workshops that allow Singaporeans to appreciate the culture of new immigrants.

Activities that encourage Singaporeans to mingle and interact with new immigrants, like festival celebrations and dialogue sessions, can also be considered for co-funding.

Starting young

The National Education programme will be tweaked to help students here, both Singaporeans and new immigrants, pick up soft skills needed to prepare them for an increasingly globalised world.

These skills include learning how to accept new cultures and interact with people from different backgrounds.

Singaporean and international students will also be encouraged to have meals together and celebrate festivals in one another's homes.

This is meant to help them build friendships beyond the classroom.

The National Integration Council will also encourage schools under the Singapore education system to work with foreign schools here on joint community projects to help the less fortunate in society.

Forging Singapore identity

Existing orientation programmes to help new citizens understand Singapore's culture and history will be consolidated and enhanced.

These include the People's Association's National Education Experience Programme.

Citizenship ceremonies for new immigrants to become new citizens will also be reviewed, to better draw them in as Singapore citizens.

kennyc@sph.com.sg

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