Commander Heah Yong Chian is the first Royal Ranger to receive the National Youth Achievement (NYAA) Gold Award through the RR program. In a ceremony held on 28 October 2011, Yong Chian received his award from His Excellency, Tony Tan, President of the Republic of Singapore.

The Gold Award is the pinnacle of the National Youth Achievement Award (NYAA) programme that provides young people aged 14 to 25 years old, a platform to develop and maximize their potential though their participation in five (5) areas – service, adventurous journey, skills, physical recreation and a residential project that will benefit the community. The award programme is a full member of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award adopted in over 130 countries worldwide to recognise exceptional youth development. Successful recipients of the NYAA Awards are also eligible for CCA points from their respective schools/institutions. To date, Royal Rangers has raised a total of 19 NYAA Bronze Award recipients and 11 NYAA Silver Award recipients – through its child-led, adult-facilitated Christian mentoring programme.

Yong Chian is also a GMA holder, FCFer and one of the first two rangers to have earned the Sabre in Singapore.

Upon reflecting on his journey, Yong Chian shared, “I was constantly challenged by my leader and mentor, Commander Daniel Yue to rethink my motivations and purpose for doing the different sections. This challenges me to think about what’s next and how to bring myself to another level”.