One of the recent awardees of the NYAA Bronze Award, Adventure Ranger Joel Lee or Outpost #01 gets interviewed and mentioned in a Straits Times article. In the article, Royal Rangers is also described as an international youth mentoring group.
The Straits Times Singapore, 17 August 2011
[blockquote]WHILE many teenagers spend weekends glued to the computer, Joel Lee opted to master the bass guitar and swimming.
He also took on leadership roles within the Royal Rangers, an international youth mentoring group based in churches.
Yesterday, he was among 450 recipients of bronze and silver awards handed out by Minister of State for Trade and Industry Teo Ser Luck at a National Youth Achievement Award (NYAA) ceremony at Singapore Polytechnic.
‘They may be ordinary (young people) but their efforts are no less than extraordinary,’ said Mr Teo in his speech.
Said Joel, 15, a Secondary 3 Hwa Chong Institution student who bagged a bronze: ‘I was really looking for a more well-rounded lifestyle and balance in my life.’
In February last year, he had signed up for the NYAA programme, set up in 1992 to spur young people to become active and responsible leaders.
The programme is open to those aged 14 to 25. This year, the NYAA council gave awards to 5,500 bronze and silver recipients.
To get the bronze and silver awards, they have to commit to activities in four categories: community service, adventurous journey, skills and physical recreation, for a minimum period of six months and one year respectively.
They can join as part of an organisation or independently.
Another recipient, Ms Parveen Jagatheesan, 18, said the programme was an extra but enjoyable commitment.
The nurse, who won a silver award, had taken up a cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) instructor course.
‘I’ve already taught my family members how to perform CPR at home on my own mannequin. I hope that I will be able to teach more people soon,’ she said.[/blockquote]