MacPherson MP Tin Pei Ling (third from left) discussing the HappYouth programme with youth leaders from the Character & Leadership Academy at the 12th Global Youth Leaders Summit last Saturday.
When MacPherson resident Tan Meng Huat, 66, needed to file a claim with insurer NTUC Income, he did not know what to do. The taxi driver, who lives in Geylang East Avenue 1, decided to seek the help of his MP Tin Pei Ling.
Within two days, Ms Tin replied with a set of instructions for him to submit his claims for the Self-Employed Person Income Relief Scheme. Said Mr Tan: "A lot of people said she was too young in 2011, but she kept trying and proved herself because her heart is in the right place." "Even though she didn't have much experience then, you can always tell she really wants to help."
Last Saturday, she teamed up with the social development enterprise Character & Leadership Academy to launch an initiative to help young people facing mental health issues in MacPherson.
The HappYouth programme aims to provide youth with an understanding of stress and depression as well as skills to mentor others who may suffer from these issues.
Mr Delane Lim, chief executive of the Character & Leadership Academy, said the main stress factor for young people now is securing jobs and providing for their families.
"We foresee that this impact will continue to worsen, but we are hoping that as we engage our youth in our programme, we can help them to see what other possibilities there are and how they can also be the eyes and ears for their own peers," he added.
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