Over $800,000 raised for social causes through Citi-YMCA Youth For Causes 2016

The Citi-YMCA Youth For Causes has wrapped up its 2016 programme with a celebration of youths, organisations and stakeholders who have made outstanding contributions to the community on 15 November 2016 at the YMCA of Singapore.

With aspirations to make Singapore a better place, 400 youths reached out to more than 1 million people through social media platforms and fundraising events in a bid to effect positive impact in the community and increase awareness for 46 Voluntary Welfare Organisations (VWO). Their passion, creativity and fresh perspectives helped raise over $800,000 through a period of 15 weeks for causes including Bone Marrow Donor Programme, Singapore Environment Council and Very Special Arts Singapore.

Speaking at the Awards Ceremony, guest-of-honour Minister for Education (Schools) & Second Minister for Transport Mr Ng Chee Meng shared on how other companies and professional groups can also play a part to meet the needs of the community. “This evening is a celebration of Citi Singapore and YMCA of Singapore’s commitment to empower and develop our youths to be concerned citizens and active contributors to society through the YFC. I would like to commend Citi and YMCA for their dedication and partnership in growing YFC year after year, involving our youths in charitable deeds and building a more caring society,” he said.

Organised for the 14^th year running, the Citi-YMCA Youth For Causes programme is a community initiative jointly organised by Citi Singapore and the YMCA of Singapore. Funded by Citi Foundation, the programme is a catalyst for social entrepreneurship and community leadership development among Singapore youths. Beyond that, working professionals are engaged as mentors to serve as an advisor, teacher and supporter to the youth teams, nurture them into community leaders and also facilitate ground-up initiatives that will benefit the community.

“Tonight’s Awards Ceremony is not about which team has raised the most funds. There are no winners or losers in the work of philanthropy, as all the youths engaged in this programme has worked tirelessly to make a real difference in our society,” said Mr Eric Teng, President, YMCA of Singapore. “But we feel it is important to recognise teams who have demonstrated extraordinary passion, dedication and determination because these teams can serve as role models for others and inspire us all to become more involved in the community.”

“Citi is honoured to partner with the YMCA Singapore on the Youth for Causes programme over the last 14 years. Our support goes beyond philanthropy, with the direct involvement of 50 of our employees serving as judges on the selection panels or as mentors to the youth teams. We are heartened by the continued success of the programme, as the initiative not only creates an awareness for important social causes in Singapore, but it also hones important skills such as project management and collaborative problem solving capabilities amongst the 400 participating youths every year,” said Amol Gupte, Head of ASEAN and Citi Country Officer for Singapore.

For their all-round excellence, Faith in Humanity Restored (FIHR) received the YFC Distinction, Best Fundraiser, Best Fund Management and Entrepreneurship Awards at the Citi-YMCA Youth For Causes 2016 Awards Celebration, a testament of their outstanding efforts in raising awareness and funds for Singapore Environment Council (SEC). This is the first time that the team has received awards despite being shortlisted for the YFC Awards Showcase when they participated in previous years. The team mobilised more than 1,000 volunteers from different schools and raised over $76,000, with an estimated public outreach of more than 300,000 people through street sales, donations and pledges

“Through this project, we have raised a lot more awareness on creating a greener and more sustainable Singapore. We reached out to a greater audience through our initiatives which include conducting workshops and inculcating green habits in hundreds of preschool children. During the street sales of snake plants, we introduced the idea of growing plants indoor to our buyers, and also shared how they can begin to become more eco-friendly. Every snake plant sold signifies the improvement of the overall air quality in the environment we live in,” said FIHR team leader Emil Lim. “Moving forward, we will continue to champion SEC’s cause through empowering our juniors to take on this project. Their fresh perspectives will allow them to creatively and limitlessly develop their own direction for the charity, along with our guidance,” he added.

A total of 12 awards were presented this year and the winners are as follows:

1	YFC Distinction Awards	Faith in Humanity Restored Project Carnation Project Edelstein Project Elysian Team Very Special Squad The Dreamswork Project Candourlites
2	YFC Merit Awards	Edutomahawk Project Imagin(ABLE) Super Project Heart for Metta Project Keep In Touch CHAN(ce) CHAN(ge) Project Kairos Visionary Youths Who Care Project Papillon Project Synapses Solacium Project Eido Project +65 Agape Colon-Rightbracket
3	YFC Best Fundraiser Award	Faith in Humanity Restored
4	YFC Most Innovative Award	Project WildCare
5	YFC Best Fund Management Award	Faith in Humanity Restored
6	YFC Best Volunteer Mobilisation Award	Project Edelstein
7	YFC Public Outreach Award	Project Edelstein
8	YFC Entrepreneurship Award	Faith in Humanity Restored
9	YFC Supportive Mentor Award	Ms Liang Xiuming Ms Angeline You
10	YFC Supportive Teacher Award	Mr Raymond Chia Ms Chney Chen Mdm Nurul Ayn
11	YFC Supportive VWO Award	Singapore Environment Council Boys Town
12	YFC Most Supportive School Award	Nan Chiau High School

Teams were assessed by their mentors, VWO representatives, and the Citi-YMCA Youth For Causes judging panel. The Judging Panel consist of management executives from various corporate sectors who volunteer their time and expertise to assess the teams on their projects.