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Month-long celebration of harmonyDate : 2 July 2009
The Straits Times - Month-long celebration of harmony02 July 2009 At least 80 activities planned for National Orange Ribbon event By Ang Yiying THE orange ribbon is back. A month of celebrations kicked off yesterday, centred on this symbol of warmth and friendship among different racial and religious groups. An 18-day drive was launched to collect 201,000 pledges in support of racial harmony, an effort to be led by the youth and extended to everyone. At least 80 community activities will be held during the month-long National Orange Ribbon Celebrations. The organisers of the Singapore Youth Olympic Games (YOG) 2010 will also ride on the event to reach out to the community and rally volunteers for the sporting event next year. The orange ribbon debuted on a national level last year, in an effort initiated by OnePeople.sg, the national body that champions racial harmony. In order to hit the target of 201,000 pledges, members of the public are invited to make their own personal pledges in writing or online. The 201,000 figure is a nod to the 2010 games. At the launch of the event yesterday at Evergreen Secondary School in Woodlands, OnePeople.sg chairman and Central Singapore District Mayor Zainudin Nordin said the celebrations start with the youth because they are the future flag bearers of racial and religious harmony. The adviser to the Singapore YOG organising committee, North East District Mayor Teo Ser Luck, noted that the values embodied in the orange ribbon were in sync with those of the Olympic spirit: 'The YOG, as you know, is not just about sports. It's about the culture, it's about inculcating the right educational values - values of respect, values of friendship, values of excellence. We think this event itself showcases what Olympism is about.' Mr Zainudin added that sports was also a way to cut across barriers of race, religion and language. The activities this month include a July 18 carnival at which a structure, made up of written pledges folded into paper stars, will be unveiled. Organisations and individuals have committed to making 90,000 pledges so far. Evergreen Secondary students Salonee Sanjay Nemade and Sharifa Shahira Hazrath Muhd Faizal, both 14, have pledged to respect the cultures and beliefs of others. Sharifa, who is of mixed Chinese-Indian-Malay-Arabic heritage, said her background has given her an insight into different cultures, but she and her friend think Singapore still has some way to go to achieve total racial harmony. She noted that in most schools, students preferred to hang out with those of the same race, and speak to one another in their own mother tongues. The public can make their pledges on slips of paper available from the OnePeople.sg headquarters in Toa Payoh and the five community development councils. Pledges can also be made and read online at orangeribbon.onepeople.sg/2009 Online pledging will continue beyond July 18. (With thanks to SPH - StraitsTimes.com) Note : No reproduction or downloading of this Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) article is allowed in any medium. Permission has to be obtained from SPH. IN CELEBRATION OF RACIAL HARMONY AND THE OLYMPIC SPIRIT The National Orange Ribbon Celebrations (NORC) 2009*, spearheaded by OnePeople.sg, has launched a nation-wide drive today to garner pledges from people as a show of their personal commitment to live in harmony as one gracious society. The launch is part of the NORC’s overall efforts to celebrate racial harmony and the Olympic spirit. The launch event was held in Evergreen Secondary School, joined by 200 students and staff, and graced by the five Mayors and the Chairman of OnePeople.sg. 2 Mr Zainudin Nordin, Mayor of Central Singapore District and Chairman of OnePeople.sg, said, “this pledge drive is a movement that will enable us to express our thoughts, actions and personal commitments on Racial Harmony. This will encourage us to relate to, and look out for each other as a dependable friend regardless of race, language or religion.” Pledging Support for Racial Harmony and Singapore Youth Olympic Games 2010 3 The objective of the pledge drive is to garner 201,000 pledges from people in support of Racial Harmony and the Olympic spirit. To date, there has been strong support for the pledge drive, with 90,000 pledges committed by people from all walks, a significant response coming from our youth. Pledging is also available online at the NORC micro site http://orangeribbon.onepeople.sg/2009. Background 4 The month long National Orange Ribbon Celebrations (NORC)*, held in July since 2007, is a national platform to celebrate racial harmony. As Singapore will be hosting the world’s first Youth Olympic Games in 2010, NORC 2009 also seeks to connect young people with the Olympic values of Excellence, Friendship and Respect. Themed “Many Races, One Gracious Community” NORC 2009 will highlight our cultural diversity through sports, encourage active participation in community outreach programmes and raise greater awareness of the SYOG games and athletes.
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For media enquiries, please contact: * NORC 2009 will be held on 18 July 2009, and graced by Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew.**Spearheaded by OnePeople.sg, in partnership with the Community Development Councils (CDCs), Self-Help Groups, People’s Association, Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS) and Ministry of Education (MOE). |
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