By: Mrs Yu-Foo Yee Shoon, Minister Of State For Community Development, Youth And Sports
3.30 pm at Beyond Social Services
Ladies and Gentlemen
I am happy to join you to launch the BABES programme spearheaded by Beyond Social Services, which aims to reach out to teens with troubled pregnancies.
Beyond Social Services has teamed up with six other community agencies to reach these troubled teens through an SMS service, youth workers and an on-going youth friendly publicity campaign.
They want to raise public awareness of services available to young women with unplanned pregnancies. These young women are often in a vulnerable position with few or no one to turn to for help.
Ground-up initiative
The BABES programme is indeed a worthy effort that the community should support. I am especially heartened to note that this is a ground-up programme by non-profit and voluntary groups.
This is as it should be. When needs on the ground are identified, we should respond. But instead of simply raising it as feedback, we can mount a programme to directly address these needs. Seven like-minded groups came together for this one common purpose.
I want to commend Beyond Social Services, Andrew and Grace Home, Rose Villa, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Tanjong Pagar Family Service Centre, Family Life Society and aLife for taking this up.
The range of services offered by these partners includes shelters, guidance and counselling, medical services as well as post natal follow-up. The involvement of these agencies will be of great help to the teenage girls in crisis.
I am sure the passion of the partners will ensure that the programme will be successful.
Extensive reach
It is also very public spirited of SMRT to offer their stations as poster venues to help bring the message island-wide.
Troubled teens can call the National Pregnancy Helpline and social workers trained to handle youth issues will follow them up. The Helpline 1800-MUM-TO-BE (1800-6868623) has been in place since February 2004. As at the end of 2004, the Helpline has received more than 1,500 calls.
There is also an SMS service where teens can seek help. Yes we must use technology to reach out, and SMS is THE mode of communication for many young people these days.
Everyone has a part to play
Before I end this short message, I would like to take this opportunity to urge everyone to play his or her part to help in this outreach. When we come across a young woman who somehow ended up with an unwanted pregnancy, we should reach out with a helping hand, rather than lament or ask why she ended up in that situation.
I would also like to add that the family is the first and most important line of support for teenagers in trouble. Pregnant teenagers who are in distress really need the emotional support of their parents. As parents, this is the least we can do.
Further, parents can and should encourage their children to seek help early so that they can make informed and responsible choices. Parents can also call the Helpline or SMS, and I am sure the social workers will be more than willing to walk them through the process.
Conclusion
Lastly, it leaves me to say that while it may be just a phone call or an SMS, we should not under estimate the power of a patient listening ear and a kind word. These can lead to a wonderful helping hand for the teenager in need. Indeed, what starts out as a mere phone call or SMS can make that critical difference.
MCYS SPEECH NO: 08/2005
DATE OF ISSUE: 21/02/2005