SINGAPORE: Youths need to be more sensitive to the threat of terrorism, said Alex Yam, Member of Parliament for Yew Tee, on Saturday (Nov 5) at the Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC Resilience Workshop and Dialogue 2016 – “United We Stand!”
“We’ve been at peace for a very long time, so it’s not so much complacency but a lack of awareness of our surroundings that could pose a danger to us,” he said.
The dialogue at Woodlands was attended by more than 300 youths from schools and tertiary institutions in Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC as well as community leaders.
It aims to raise awareness among youths on terrorism threats and its impact on society and provide a platform for them to interact and exchange views with grassroots leaders on staying vigilant as a community.
The event also saw various demonstrations such as Basic CPR Awareness and Improvised First Aid Skills (IFAS) to equip youths with the knowledge to handle emergencies.
In the face of recent global and national terrorism threats, Mr Yam said that it is important for young people to deepen their understanding of the different races and cultures.
“Accepting and understanding are really on two different planes. You need to understand why there are differences to be able to accept it, rather than to brush it away and just accept it,” he said.
“Getting different people from different backgrounds to come together and really have a heart to heart talk with each other will be very useful,” he added.
