SENG KANG SECONDARY SCHOOL Quality & Innovation: Our Way to Success
HUMANITIES DEPARTMENT
SOCIAL STUDIES (2023 NEW SYLLABUS)
Name: ________________________________( ) Class: _____ Date: ___________
Issue 1: Exploring Citizenship and Governance
Chapter 4: How can citizens and the government work together for the good of society?
FOCUS: Achieving positive outcomes for society
Explain the role of government, formal and informal groups and individuals in working for the
good of society.
1. Addressing the needs of society
This requires various stakeholder to respond to issues and challenges facing different groups in
society. The challenges faced by groups are complexed and people could benefit from more
personalised care.
Factor Elaboration with Examples Link – Impact on society
Government The government can create By doing this, the National Council of
opportunities for the community to Social Services helps provide strong
show care to those around them by support to recruit and manage
setting up structures and national volunteers more effectively, so that more
programmes and providing resources volunteers can be recruited and can be
in a targeted manner. motivated to contribute their time and
skills more pro-actively and effectively in
An example would be the National order to enable various SSAs to reach
Council of Social services. This is a out and help the needy to solve their
governmental agency set up to develop problems and lead a better quality of life.
resources and enhance the capabilities
of Social service agencies. The NCSS
has developed the Volunteer
Management Toolkit 2.0 to provide
SSAs with a framework and guidelines
on how to manage volunteers effectively.
Citizens Individuals can offer their knowledge, By doing this, individuals can contribute
(Individuals) skills and experiences and initiate their skills, time and knowledge to help
new efforts. the needy such as the elderly at risk of
dementia by volunteering to carry out
For example, individuals can offer their useful and meaningful activities so that
support in various volunteer roles that the elderly can be meaningfully engaged
can meet the needs of various and this helps them to prevent and delay
stakeholders. An example would be the dementia and enjoy a better quality of
Age well programme (AWE), that life.
promotes active ageing and healthy
lifestyles for seniors to reduce the risk of
dementia. Volunteers here carry out
various activities like physical exercise
and brain-stimulating activities.
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SENG KANG SECONDARY SCHOOL Quality & Innovation: Our Way to Success
HUMANITIES DEPARTMENT
SOCIAL STUDIES (2023 NEW SYLLABUS)
Citizens Community groups can use the By doing this, community groups such as
(Community resources, programmes and the RSVP is able to tap on programmes
groups) structured provided by the and support structures to improve their
government to supplement their skills and knowledge to help the seniors
efforts to address the needs of to improve their health, mental well being
society. and IT skills, thus ensuring active-ageing
and supporting the government in better
An example would be Social Service meeting the needs of a rapidly ageing
agencies such as RSVP Singapore population and to help the elderly lead a
which engages citizens to volunteer in more meaningful and better quality of
order to promote active ageing. One life.
area of the RSVP is the MyBuddy
programme where the RSVP assigns a
buddy to recently discharged patients to
monitor their physical and mental well-
being. Another example is the Cyber
Buddy Programme where RSVP
volunteers conduct courses and share
knowledge about Information
Technology to seniors to help them lead
a more meaningful life using technology.
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SENG KANG SECONDARY SCHOOL Quality & Innovation: Our Way to Success
HUMANITIES DEPARTMENT
SOCIAL STUDIES (2023 NEW SYLLABUS)
2. Influencing Decision-making in public affairs
Societal problems are complex and require longer-term solutions.
Factor Elaboration with Examples Link – Impact on society
Government The government can provide citizens
with equal and fair opportunities to
participate and influence public policy
decision making.
By doing this, the government plays an
An example would be the War on important role in providing citizens with
Diabetes that was launched by the equal opportunities to participate in
Ministry of Health in 2016. A Citizen’s formulating public policies by pro-
jury was created to help develop actively seeking their views and inputs to
community-based and community driven improve existing policies or formulate
recommendations to combat the problem new policies to successfully tackle
of diabetes. MOH then utilised 14 out of complex issues like fighting the war
the 28 recommendations to implement against diabetes through ground-up
nationwide. initiatives and suggestions directly from
citizens and community groups. This
enables to government to implement
solutions that are more readily supported
by citizens and are more effective in
helping manage and reduce the
incidence of diabetes in Singapore.
Citizens Individuals can influence decision- As a result, individuals can be involved
(Individuals) making in public affairs by sharing in the formulation of public policies and
their opinion with the government help to offer feedback that can improve
through engagement platforms. and enhance the ability of these policies
to solve complex societal problems to
For example, would be Reaching more effectively meet the needs of
Everyone for Active Citizenry @ Home society.
(REACH). This platform allows for
individuals to express their views on
public policies and share their concerns
with the government. This can be seen
in 2021 where the Ministry of Health
boosted manpower in the healthcare
sector after feedback was given by
healthcare workers that they were
overworked.
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SENG KANG SECONDARY SCHOOL Quality & Innovation: Our Way to Success
HUMANITIES DEPARTMENT
SOCIAL STUDIES (2023 NEW SYLLABUS)
3. Strengthening citizens sense of belonging
As unity among citizens develop, they become attached to fellow citizens and their country. They will
show care and take action to help one another as they feel they have an important place in society.
Factor Elaboration with Examples Link – Impact on society
Government The government can provide every
citizen with a stake in the country’s
affair and provides structures and
funding to strengthen citizen’s sense
of belonging.
An example would be the Singapore By doing this, the government plays an
fund which was launched in 2016 to important role in helping community
provide funding in support of ground-up groups and individual volunteers support
projects that build the national identity or projects to create a stronger identity and
meet social and community needs. sense of belonging among citizens such
Among the many projects, the as the Between Two Homes project
government provided funding to the which was able to create a stronger
‘Between Two Home’ project set up to sense of belonging and re-create the
help the relocated residents of Dakota kampong spirit for the relocated
Crescent retain their precious memories residents of Dakota Crescent and help
from their previous estate. The them enjoy a more comfortable living
government also provided training and environment in their new estate.
support for volunteers such as
introducing the volunteer toolkit to better
equip volunteers with the skills and
knowledge to contribute in helping the
relocated residents of Dakota Crescent
bond better with their neighbours and
new environment in Cassia Estate.
Citizens Individuals can play an active role
(Individuals) from the ground up in strengthening
And the sense of belonging of fellow
Community citizens by sharing and building
Groups common spaces; experiences and
values.
For example, individuals joined the By doing this, the community group
Between Two Homes Initiative. The Between Two Homes and individual
initiative include weekly house visits and volunteers were able to create a stronger
potluck parties to create a stronger sense of belonging and re-create the
sense of belonging for residents who kampong spirit among the relocated
were relocated from Dakota Crescent to residents from Dakota Crescent by
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SENG KANG SECONDARY SCHOOL Quality & Innovation: Our Way to Success
HUMANITIES DEPARTMENT
SOCIAL STUDIES (2023 NEW SYLLABUS)
the new Cassia Estate. helping them bond together more
effectively in their new estate.