Central Singapore Community Development Council

to aid in local administration of governmental policies and schemes. They are funded in part by the government although they are free to engage in fund-raising activities. CS CDC is unique as it caters to the largest district in Singapore in terms of population, and which encompasses a broad spectrum of residents.

CS CDC serves the Central Singapore District through a wide range of schemes, services and community programmes.

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History

"'Originally conceptualised by former Prime Minister Mr Goh Chok Tong in 1996, the CDCs were established in November 1997 to better serve the residents of Singapore. According to Mr Goh, “the establishment of CDCs is part of the process to build a tightly-knit, compassionate and self-reliant community”.

In 2001, the original nine CDCs were restructured into the present five CDCs for more efficient administration, and focused on software instead of hardware. Since then, the CS CDC has been progressing along this path for the betterment of the residents under its jurisdiction.

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The Central Singapore District

"'The Central Singapore District is one of the largest areas in Singapore. Geographically, it is located along the median line of the island, in the heart of the country. The District comprises the following political divisions:
*Ang Mo Kio Group Representation Constituency (GRC)
*Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC
*Jalan Besar GRC
*Tanjong Pagar GRC
*Yio Chu Kang Single Member Constituency (SMC) [(2007, August 21). Welcome to CS CDC. Retrieved April 30, 2008, from Central Singapore Community Development Council Web site: http://www.centralsingaporecdc.org.sg/1162809844283/aboutus.]

Central Singapore encompasses the modern Central Business District (CBD) and shopping areas of Orchard Road, yet still retains the historically-rich areas of Kampong Glam, Chinatown, Little India and many others. It is the most heavily populated district, accounting for a quarter of Singapore’s population. The district’s range of residents is also unique: from the low-income group including a high concentration of destitute in Kampong Glam and Kreta Ayer, to the rich and successful in prime housing districts. [Central Singapore Community Development Council. (2007). Annual Report 2006/2007 (1st ed.) [Annual Report] . Singapore ]

Central Singapore is home to over 280, 000 households and more than 890,000 residents. Demographically, about 80% of the population is Chinese, and 31% of its residents are aged 50 years and above. [Central Singapore Community Development Council. (2007). Annual Report 2006/2007 (1st ed.) [Annual Report] . Singapore]

The current Mayor is Mr Zainudin Nordin.

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Organisation

"'CS CDC is an arm of the People’s Association (PA), a statutory board under the government Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS). The CS CDC has a number of departments dedicated to its services to the community, mostly pertaining to social service and community work.

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Vision

"'CS CDC envisions the Central Singapore community to be a caring, harmonious, vibrant, people-centred and self-reliant one. The Council works closely with schools, voluntary welfare organisations (VWOs), grassroots organisations (GROs), government and commercial agencies to achieve that vision and make Central Singapore the choice community for all. [Central Singapore Community Development Council. (2007). Annual Report 2006/2007 (1st ed.) [Annual Report] . Singapore ]

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Strategic Thrusts

"' CS CDC formulates its community projects, schemes and assistance programmes based on three strategic thrusts. Abbreviated as the simple ABC, these thrusts are the end motives for most of CDC’s activities. Individually, they stand for:
*A: Assisting the Needy
*B: Bonding the People
*C: Connecting the Community

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Assisting the Needy

"'The first thrust of the CDC lies in the most basic form of assistance to those in need. An overview of this strategic thrust includes:
* [http://www.centralsingaporecdc.org.sg/1162809844283/socialservices.html Social Assistance]
* [http://www.centralsingaporecdc.org.sg/1171263885011.html Job Search and Skills]
* [http://www.centralsingaporecdc.org.sg/1171615192004.html Seniors and persons with disabilities]
*Vulnerable families

Social Assistance

CS CDC’s social assistance falls under the ComCare fund under the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports, and can be broadly divided into two parts: financial and developmental assistance. Depending on the needs of the recipients, financial assistance is available for both long and short terms.

The Council also helps needy families achieve self-reliance by offering developmental programmes apart from pure financial assistance. These programmes, like employment assistance, financial counselling, as well as referrals to other agencies like the family service centre, complement its financial aid schemes.

Job Search and Skills

CS CDC provides a one-stop service for unemployed residents living within the Central Singapore District who are looking for career consultation and job placements. The Council’s career consultants provide job matching and skill upgrading services, working closely with employers to meet their recruitment and manpower needs. These services equip the unemployed with the necessary skills and knowledge in order for them to be more employable. In addition, job fairs, job preparation exercises and walk-in interviews for job seekers are organised on a regular basis.

On a monthly average, 452 new job seekers approach CS CDC for assistance. At the end of year 2007, 2920 of the Council’s registered job seekers have successfully found employment.

Seniors & People with disabilities

Central Singapore is home to a large number of elderly, as such, the CS CDC is amongst the first to introduce programmes catered specifically to the elderly. Some of the more popular programmes include:
* [http://www.centralsingaporecdc.org.sg/1171263916645.html Quality of Life grant:] to help community partners like grassroots and VWOs take care of their poor elderly constituents’ health and nutrition
*Central Singapore Safe Home Scheme
*Central Singapore Rides to Day Care Centre (RiDE) Scheme

Vulnerable Families

To help residents alleviate their reliance on financial assistance in order to create a self-reliant Central Singapore community, the Council also develops localised schemes and initiatives, both on its own or with community partners like VWOs and government ministries. Preventive, upstream programmes are implemented to help these families transcend their status quo, and they are also involved in community outreach programmes to ensure their integration into the other sectors of society. Notable schemes for vulnerable families include:
* [http://www.centralsingaporecdc.org.sg/1171263916645.html Talking Dollar & Sense]
* [http://www.passiton.org.sg Pass-It-On]
*Jumpstart Programme

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Bonding the People

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The second thrust of the CDC lies in the creation of a tightly-knit community through forging bonds between individuals in the district. An overview of this strategic thrust includes:
*Active Citizenry
*Arts
*Sports
*Heritage Trails
*Community Ownership
*Racial Harmony
*People with disabilities

Active Citizenry

CS CDC believes in promoting active citizenry, as the way to achieve a self-reliant community is to increase the number of stakeholders. The more the individuals care for their community, the stronger that community becomes. The CS CDC complements and provides services not accounted for by external agencies for the community in need.

Volunteers are also an essential part of CS CDC programmes. Currently, there are 200 active volunteers who have been involved in CS CDC projects and programmes (also see Youth Volunteers). Noteworthy programmes promoting active citizenry include:
*Bright Homes Programme
* [http://www.centralsingaporecdc.org.sg/1188381046884.html Nurture Programme]

Arts

CS CDC believes that bonding takes place through common interests, therefore an Arts approach is one of the ways the Council is reaching out to the community. The Arts is a platform for bonding and interaction, and there are 68 regular sessions taking place a year. Noted Arts bonding initiatives include:
* [http://www.centralsingaporecdc.org.sg/1168247214599.html Community Life Arts Programme] (CLAP!)
*CS CDC’s District Arts Festival – Arty Party

Sports

Sports is a good social gel capable of bringing people together regardless of race, religion or background. In addition to promoting community bonding, the sports programmes also encourage healthy living for everyone, most notably from these programmes:
* [http://www.centralsingaporecdc.org.sg/1167897947764.html Healthy Lifestyle Clubs] (HLCs)
* [http://www.centralsingaporecdc.org.sg/1171615444245.html Fitness@Work]
* [http://www.centralsingaporecdc.org.sg/1167897947545.html Free Kicks Soccer Clinics]

Heritage Trails

The Council has established various heritage trails to promote a greater sense of identity and ownership within the community. Organised tours and promotional literature on the heritage trails in various languages offer opportunities for residents to deepen their understanding of various customs, traditions and festivals of the different races in Singapore. The three main types of trails and their areas of coverage are as follow:
*Multi-racial – Chinatown, Kampong Glam, Little India
*Community and Heartlands – Toa Payoh, [http://www.centralsingaporecdc.org.sg/1168246908752.html Balestier, Jalan Besar]
*Natural and Environmental – [http://www.centralsingaporecdc.org.sg/1191387490961.html Farrer Park]

Community Ownership

The CS CDC actively promotes the community ties of identity, ownership and neighbourliness, as these are the ties which bind and bond residents of different races together. Community ownership programmes are based on common interests such as health, safety and security, like the following:
*Public Health Forums
*Public Health Protection Fund (PHPF)
*Community Safety and Security Programmes (CSSP)

Racial Harmony

Racial Harmony has always been one of Singapore’s core values. Central to CS CDC’s role in the promotion of racial harmony is the The Racial and Religious Unity Steering Community in Central Singapore ( [http://www.trustcentral.org.sg/ TRUST Central] ), which was set up as a archetype district-level body to develop deep, lasting ties among Singapore’s various ethnic groups.

TRUST Central supplements the efforts of Inter-Racial Confidence Circles (IRCCs) at the constituency level and Harmony Circles (HCs) at the local level. It aims to be the common point for exchange of information, best practices and resources amongst other like-minded organisations working to promote racial harmony. A core effort of TRUST Central is the TRUST Fund, which includes the following:
*Support for division’s racial harmony celebrations
*Training of Racial Harmony Facilitators
*Explorations in Faith
*Explorations in Ethnicity

People with Disabilities

CS CDC believes that people with disabilities are still very much part of Singaporean society and can contribute to the community as well as any other member. Schemes promoting bonding people with disabilities and mainstream society include:
*Going Places @ Central Singapore
*E3 – Quality of Life Grant for People with Disabilities
*Boccia Training
*Tree of Life

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Connecting the Community

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The final strategic thrust of the CDC focuses on establishing links between all sectors of the community, and to tap on the various forms of expertise present in the community, as the CS CDC cannot do and achieve everything on its own. Through a common goal, greater social cohesion can be fostered. An overview of this strategic thrust includes:
*Community Initiatives
*Youth Volunteers

Community Initiatives

CS CDC supports community-initiated projects that serve social good, address critical societal issues or are just of benefit to a target group within the community. Funding support and strategic ‘win-win’ partnerships have resulted in many partners and members of the public initiating and organising programmes that benefit the community. The two main programmes are as follow:
* [http://www.centralsingaporecdc.org.sg/1185156790501.html Mayor’s Imagine Fund (MIF)]
* [http://map.centralsingaporecln.org.sg/mapportal_cdc/home.htm Comcare Local Networks (CLNs)]

Youth Volunteers

The Council actively advocates volunteerism, and the youthful embodiment of CS CDC’s volunteering direction is the [http://www.centralsingapore.org.sg/site/high5youth/main.html High Five Youth] Programme. Pioneered in 1999 by youths for youths, High Five – under the aegis of the Council – provides training and opportunities for development, experiential learning and a platform for youths to come up with their own initiatives. They are involved in a broad range of projects in the areas of social services, forum and dialogue, arts and culture, as well as sports and adventure.

Help from the CS CDC comes in the form of guidance and financial support so they can contribute and lead various community projects as volunteers. Outstanding programmes include:
*D-Act
*Tapestry
*Singapore Rock
* [http://www.centralsingaporecdc.org.sg/1173593980846.html Youth Environmental Guardians (YEG) Programme]

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See also

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*Community Development Council

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External links

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* [http://www.centralsingaporecdc.org.sg Central Singapore Community Development Council]
* [http://www.trustcentral.org.sg TRUST Central]
* [http://www.passiton.org.sg Pass it On]
* [http://app.mcys.gov.sg/web/home_main.asp Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports]
* [http://www.pa.gov.sg/ People's Association]

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References

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