S'pore youths asked National Youth Council some hard questions about the new SG Youth Plan. NYC responded.

If you are a youth in Singapore who is anxious yet hopeful about what the future holds, here's the good news.

There is a new five-year roadmap known as the "SG Youth Plan" and it is specifically developed for youths, with youths, and supported by the whole of Singapore, to help every youth become the best version of themselves.

This is according to the National Youth Council (NYC), the national coordinating agency for youth development and engagement.

The plan was put together after a year of engagements during SG60 in 2025, involving more than 60,000 youths.

Over 415,000 responses were collected in total.

The result? The collective commitment has yielded over 20 initiatives that will be launched over the next half a decade addressing topics, such as careers, mentoring, mental well-being, social connections, and active citizenry.

So far, over 200 partners across the public, people and private sectors have all pledged their support to these initiatives.

The goal? Shape young Singaporeans who are confident about their future, connected to communities and contributing citizens to help build Singapore’s future.

Not convinced?

You do not have to take it from anyone because here are five questions, including difficult ones, crowdsourced from youths in Singapore, and sent to NYC to be addressed.

NYC responds to questions from youths

1. Why is a youth plan being introduced?

The world has changed quite fundamentally - whether it's about technology disrupting jobs, economic uncertainty, social fragmentation, an increasingly digital world, the list goes on.

The landscape that youths are facing has changed quite significantly compared to generations before.

The challenges and concerns of Singapore’s young adults are legitimate and while we cannot change the environment, we can respond to it with a positive agenda.

The needs, hopes and dreams of our youths are therefore the starting point and driving force for the SG Youth Plan.

2. What are youths most anxious about?

The concerns of Singapore’s youths can be broadly grouped into three areas.

They are optimistic about Singapore’s future and believe they have the potential to make the country a better place.

However, they do not have the same level of confidence in their ability to navigate the future, and achieve their aspirations in career and life.

Youths also desire for deeper connections with their family and friends, and wish for a Singapore where people from different backgrounds can befriend each other.

They are also keen on contributing and taking action in a variety of ways, to shape Singapore into a more equitable, cohesive and compassionate society.

As such, they hope to be equipped with the necessary resources, skills and knowledge to be able to make meaningful contributions.

3. I am a youth. What’s in it for me?

There's actually a lot in store!

The SG Youth Plan aims to uplift and support all youths to thrive.

Across three key areas, the plan has more than 20 initiatives shaped by feedback from our youths, so there's something for everyone.

Explore your path and navigate transitions confidently

Not sure what you want to do yet?

There's support to help you find and pursue what you're good at, whatever that looks like for you.

Heard of job tasters? These are bite-sized career exploration programmes that help youths experience different roles to understand what a job involves, so that you can make clearer choices on which pathway to pursue.

Many youths have shared that with the rapid pace of change in the job market, they would like more support to explore different job roles.

You can also visit the “Discover” website to take a quiz to find out their archetypes and receive personalised recommendations of job roles based on their strengths.

Having a trusted guide can also help you discover your strengths and interests, and encourage you to go beyond your limits.

This is why the SG Youth Plan is scaling up mentoring opportunities to help you navigate uncertainty, whether it’s choosing a career path or starting out in a first job.

Job exposure and mentorship is now available to everyone, not just those with the right connections!

The SG Youth Plan will also include initiatives to help you harness AI to future-proof their careers.

There will be programmes and workshops in areas such as vibe coding, which will help democratise AI opportunities for youths to help boost their employability.

There will also be more short-term overseas exposure opportunities and overseas internships. These chances for meaningful exposure to the region will broaden horizons, and enable young adults to build networks and gain real-world experience beyond Singapore.

New mental wellness programmes and adulting content are also being rolled out to help you navigate the big life transitions — because adulting is hard, and you don't have to do it alone.

The Somerset Belt is being transformed into a vibrant youth precinct by 2028, and at least 12 third spaces will be set up across Singapore to hang out, pursue your interests, and build your crew.

These are designed to be low-key hangout spots where you can pursue your interests, meet like-minded people, and ease into building a community naturally.

There'll also be over 20,000 interest-based opportunities every year by 2030, and “curiosity credits” for youths to engage in hobbies and learn a skill in an area that piques their interest.

Private operators will also offer affordable, flexible accommodation units across selected properties for youths, and there will be youth-centric programmes to equip up to 50,000 youths with skills to navigate family relationships annually by 2030.

This one's big — over the next five years, S$20 million will be committed to support youths turn their plans into action, up to 3,000 youth-led projects.

This will be anchored by a new micro-grant supporting small ground-up projects and a new Youth Action Marketplace: an anchor event that brings together challenge statements, sponsoring agencies, mentors, networks, and funders to help youths take their first steps towards being changemakers.

There's also no pressure to jump into the deep end straight away! There are plenty of ways to get involved at your own pace.

Through the Youth Corps Singapore, there'll be 16,000 volunteering opportunities and 2,000 youth leadership development opportunities annually by 2030, so you can find something that genuinely clicks for you.

A new SG Youth Policy Network will also bring together youth civic groups to equip them to contribute to policy discussions, and the next run of Youth Panels will take place in the second half of 2026 to bring youths together to shape policies and plans on issues they care about.

The Somerset Belt Youth Co-Lab will also empower young adults with real ownership over the programming and activities in the precinct.

If you have ideas about how Singapore could be better, these are platforms where your voice genuinely matters, however you choose to use it.

4. I want to contribute, but there are many other factors – such as time, knowledge and skills – that prevents me from being able to take action. What can I do?

The good news is that the SG Youth Plan was built with exactly this in mind.

Contributing doesn't have to mean making a huge commitment or having all the answers from the get-go.

If time is a constraint, the Youth Corps’ expanded volunteering opportunities mean there's plenty of flexibility to find something that fits around your schedule — whether that's a one-off activity or something more regular when you're ready.

And if you have ideas but aren't sure how to turn them into action, the new all-year round micro-grant and support ecosystem consisting of capability building workshops, learning journeys and mentors, are there to back you.

The key thing is — start where you are, with what you have.

There's a place for you in this.

5. Will the SG Youth Plan be just another government initiative?

The SG Youth Plan isn't just a government initiative — it's a whole-of-society commitment, co-created with youths and backed by private and public sector partners who all have a stake in seeing Singapore's youths thrive.

The plan was shaped by youth voices and perspectives, which is why it reflects what actually matters to young people — from mental wellbeing and finding your path, to having spaces to belong and opportunities to lead.

The SG Youth Plan is just a start. The spirit of co-creation with youths and stakeholders across society continues even beyond the plan's launch.

The plan is only as good as our success in reaching out to different segments of youths, and we can only achieve this if we work through partners to reach out to their networks of youths, be it through the education institutions, workplaces, and in the community.

You can start exploring opportunities via the newly launched Discover platform, designed as a one-stop digital platform to journey with you through life's transitions.

It seeks to be a trusted companion for every young Singaporean, offering tailored recommendations on relevant programmes and activities relevant, and connecting them to real-world relationships and communities.

Find out more about how you can chart your future with the SG Youth Plan here.

This branded content was brought to you by the National Youth Council.