On January 27, SSA Management Committee Vice-Chairman Mr Lee Cheng Wee led a team of eleven SSA youth representatives to participate in the inaugural National Inter-Racial & Religious Confidence Circle (IRCC) Convention at the Suntec Convention Centre.
Organised by the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth, the convention serves as a platform for leaders from IRCCs, religious organisations and community groups to come together and be updated on key developments on cohesion building and efforts in fostering community resilience.
Ms Grace Fu, Minister for Culture, Community and Youth, gave the Keynote Address to the crowd of 600 participants in attendance. Thereafter, Guest-of-honour President Halimah Yacob gave her Opening Address, urging Singaporeans of all races and religions to reach out to each other to forge a spirit of mutual respect. She added that it is the willingness to embrace the diversity of ethnicities and faiths that embodies Singapore’s strength as a country and put it in good stead when confronted with crises such as a terrorism attack.
The second part of the event was held with five concurrent interactive breakout sessions which were facilitated by local and international community activists, communications experts from Facebook, as well as academics from the Institute of Policy Studies. A wide range of topics, such as managing threats which undermine social trust, addressing inconvenient questions on race and religion, building community resilience, as well as countering online extremism and youth radicalisation, were examined.
With respect for the dignity of life as the core concept, practitioners of Nichiren Buddhism believe that every individual possesses the inherent Buddha nature (the potential to achieve happiness) and must be respected for their humanity regardless of their differences. Reaffirming this belief system, the SSA representatives are determined to work together with the community to contribute to peace and harmony in Singapore.
