The Organisation of Senior Volunteers in Singapore – RSVP Singapore and the Smart Nation and Digital Government Office (SNDGO) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at the weekend.
The Memorandum seals the partnership to engage seniors in the co-creation of Smart Nation initiatives and digital government services.
Dr Janil Puthucheary, Senior Minister of State for Health and Communications & Information, witnessed the signing of the MoU at the sixth annual National Senior Volunteer Month (NSVM) Opening Ceremony on 12 September 2020, where he was the Guest-of-Honour. The Opening Ceremony is the largest virtual volunteer outreach at a single location for this year.
Senior Digital-Savvy Smart Nation Ambassadors
The two-year partnership will help seniors harness and enhance their digital capabilities and expertise, and encourage more seniors to join the ranks of Smart Nation Ambassadors (SNAs). The aim is to raise 500 Smart Nation Ambassadors annually through RSVP to cultivate a pool of seniors who can become digital coaches and advocates.
Together, RSVP Singapore and SNDGO will also co-develop an online learning portal for SNAs to pick up soft skills, and information on Smart Nation initiatives.
As this online learning portal is open to the public, one can find courses such as familiarisation with digital government services, how to work effectively with youths, and even how to operate drones for leisure play.
Dr Janil Puthucheary said, “Through this partnership with RSVP Singapore, we hope more seniors will embrace technology and digital government services. Seniors can lead the digital transformation wave, and be active advocates in our Smart Nation journey.”
Embracing Senior Volunteerism In this Digital Era
National Senior Volunteer Month (NSVM) is organised by RSVP Singapore and is its annual signature event which promotes volunteerism among seniors and their families. The first NSVM was launched in 2015 by then-Singapore President Dr Tony Tan.
NSVM 2020 will be an entirely virtual format, themed “Embracing Senior Volunteerism In this Digital Era”. A highlight of this event is a panel discussion on “Volunteering in this Digital Era”, which will explore the pros and cons of virtual volunteering, how organisations or individuals can enhance the volunteering experience, and how we can enable more seniors to participate even as volunteering too goes virtual.
“We believe that the signing of this MoU is a step closer in working towards our belief that no seniors get left behind on our way towards becoming a Smart Nation. RSVP has deep experience curating volunteer training programmes and conducts digital and tech-focused courses at our dedicated training centre,” said Mr Koh Juay Meng, Chairman of RSVP Singapore.
photo credit: People photo created by tirachardz – www.freepik.com
