‘Sustained support’ for budding arts and sports talents as part of refreshed President’s Challenge

SINGAPORE: There will be “sustained support” for budding arts and sports talents, on top of other initiatives as part of the refreshed President’s Challenge. 
Set up in 2000, the initial scope of the annual fundraising event was to help build a more caring and cohesive society, and to help the less fortunate.
Its scope has since been broadened, with the adoption of annual themes like caring for caregivers and empowering people with disabilities, but it will now go “beyond social upliftment”. 
This is also in line with the increase in social spending, with President Tharman Shanmugaratnam also noting at the launch of the refreshed President’s Challenge on Wednesday (Sep 4) that community donations to the Community Chest have grown, while contributions to social causes are seeing the largest share of giving as well as volunteering.
The “refreshing and repurposing” of the President’s Challenge is “therefore timely” as it comes amid “positive developments”, which help to create a broader landscape of giving and volunteerism for many social causes, he said.
Mr Tharman added: “Its basic aim, going beyond immediate needs, will be to achieve sustained social impact: By uplifting aspirations and potential, especially amongst those who start with greater odds.”
The event’s expanded focus is not just about nurturing potential in arts and sports, particularly for those who are less advantaged, but also ensure that their development is sustained “over the years”. 
“In both sports and the arts, success is shaped by talent, but it also depends greatly on chances and even surprises,” said Mr Tharman. 
“Many of our best first stumbled upon something by chance, discovered they could be good at it and got some joy out of it, and then spent years developing themselves in the art or sport.”
“We want to widen those chances and opportunities for every talent to be discovered, and help them sustain their development over the years.”
Among some of the examples cited by Mr Tharman was national para-athlete Nur Syahidah Alim. Born with diplegia, which is a form of cerebral palsy affecting one’s ability to walk or stand, she was excused from participating in physical education (PE) during school.
But Nur Syahidah stumbled upon archery at 18 after attending an event organised by the Singapore Disability Sports Council (SDSC) and “has not looked back since”, he added.
The first Singaporean to become a world champion in para-archery after winning gold at the 2019 World Archery Para Championship, she advanced to the women’s compound open 1/8 elimination round at the Tokyo Paralympics.
Nur Syahidah also participated at the Paris Paralympics, exiting the women’s compound open competition in the round of 32 last week.
Mr Tharman said the one of the aims of the refreshed President’s Challenge is to give an “extra lift” to disability sports. 
He also used the example of para-athlete Colin Soon. The 19-year-old national para-swimmer, who is visually impaired, clinched multiple medals at last year’s ASEAN Para Games, showing “what is possible”.
Soon, who was at the event, told CNA: “I certainly hope this would definitely improve all areas of everyone’s sport and also raise the accessibility of it, such that more talents can be spotted, and also bring awareness to para-sports in general, and also make it a much better environment for everyone.” 
The President’s Challenge will also partner with SportSG to “expand chances and thicken the pipeline” of future talents, including by supporting SportSG’s partnerships with schools, Mr Tharman added.
The President’s Challenge will provide long-term funding of up to three or five years, instead of the current one-off model. 
Projects that have achieved good impact and have the potential to scale-up and be self-sustaining can get up to five years’ funding, according to its website.
This shift from a model of one-off funding to longer-term funding will give benefiting organisations time to grow or even be self-sustaining and to make a meaningful impact.
The President’s Challenge will partner with leading foundations and agencies that share its goals and principles, so as to leverage their expertise, networks and capabilities.
It will also partner with charities, including through multi-year funding, keeping in line with the aim to provide “sustained support” for deserving initiatives, be it in the social sector, arts or sports. 
“These partners will support selected President’s Challenge beneficiaries, including through co-funding, tracking their progress and mentorship,” said Mr Tharman.
There will also be fellowships aimed at developing young civic leaders and recognising ex-offenders who have turned their lives around.
Mr Tharman used the founder of Qi Pottery, Kim Whye Kee, as one example of why “we must give each and every one of them the opportunity to play their part and be beacons of hope”.
Mr Kim was one of his eight assenters when Mr Tharman officially launched his platform for the presidential bid in July last year.
Mr Tharman noted that he had served 10 years in jail for a series of crimes but had turned his life around. He added that the accomplished ceramicist will be doing his first overseas solo exhibition in Munich later this month. 
The Forward Singapore report was released in October last year, laying out a roadmap for a new way forward for Singapore.
It was outlined in the report that Singaporeans now chase meaning – and the evolving “Singapore Dream” must be reflected in key shifts around how its citizens define success across all areas of life. 
In a video message to Singaporeans in June, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong also reiterated his vision for Singapore to embrace a wider definition of success beyond the 5Cs, while at the launch of the Forward Singapore Festival last October, he had said the “Singapore Dream” is no longer solely about material success. 
“As PM Wong has emphasised, it (the Forward Singapore movement) must involve recognising diverse talents and moving beyond traditional metrics of success, to build a society where everyone feels valued and has the opportunity to contribute, no matter their starting point,” Mr Tharman said.
The President’s Challenge will be “a partner in this national journey”, he added, and will “ultimately be at the service of the broader and more vibrant meritocracy and tighter social compact that we are developing in Singapore”.