Singapore’s Community Development Councils (CDCs) are set to take on some new and bigger roles to help out residents. This comes after Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced a new job-matching program at the National Day Rally. According to a release from the People’s Association (PA), the CDCs will “step up to play bigger roles as aggregator and connector” in building stronger communities. This means they’ll be bringing job opportunities closer to people’s homes and helping to get more people involved in volunteering.
New Job-Matching Program
At the National Day Rally on August 17, Mr. Wong shared that the CDCs would be in charge of a new initiative to connect people looking for jobs with jobs that are closer to where they live. The CDCs were chosen for this because they have strong local networks with local businesses, small and medium-sized businesses, and other community partners.
The program, called Jobs Nearby @ CDC, is meant to help people find jobs without having to travel too far and also support local heartland businesses that need more employees. The South West CDC started a pilot version of the program on August 31, and the PA said all five CDCs will have it running by October.
A Focus on Volunteering
Besides helping with jobs, the CDCs will also act as a “matchmaker” for volunteering. This is part of an effort to encourage a “we first” society, which Mr. Wong also talked about at the National Day Rally.
The PA explained that by using their local networks, the CDCs will find and gather volunteer opportunities. They’ll also encourage people and organizations to step up and give their time and skills, and they’ll help different groups learn how to manage volunteers better. The PA added that CDCs will also work with local grassroots groups to help create “micro communities of help, where neighbours care for and help fellow neighbours.”
Adjusting Boundaries
The PA also announced that some of the CDC boundaries are changing to make the population sizes more even. Right now, the South East district is the smallest, with a population of 474,359, while the North East district is the largest, with 1,044,826 people.
Because of this change, residents in Aljunied GRC and Hougang SMC will now be served by the South East CDC instead of the North East. The PA also said that anyone currently getting help or involved in programs with the North East CDC will continue to be supported in the same way by the South East CDC. This change will be officially put into effect on October 13.
The mayor of the South East district, Dinesh Vasu Dash, welcomed the new residents and promised to “build and strengthen community initiatives that matter.” The North East mayor, Baey Yam Keng, said his district would work closely with the South East CDC to make sure the transition is smooth.
