A BI-MONTHLY
P U BL I C AT I ON BY
T HE MINIST RY
OF
H O M E A F FA I R S
H³
I S S U E
1/5
Volunteers at
HTC 2011
Foreword
2
Yellow Ribbon
2
Culinary
Competition
Finals
A Helping Hand
3
to Heartstrings
Yellow Ribbon
4
Tribute of Love a lunch to celebrate Mother’s
Day
Dialogue with A/
N I N E
6/7
P Ho Peng Kee
— Rallying the
of HT Volunteers
8/9
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Club Fan Club
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J U L Y
2 0 1 1
at HOME TEAM CONVENTION 2011
With the launch of the Home Team
Volunteers Network and Home
Team News website, Deputy Prime
Minister and Minister for Home Affairs Teo Chee Hean acknowledges
the value of having volunteers in the
Home Team and engaging the community.
By: Tan Yi Wen (Home Team News)
For 18 years in the Ministry of Home Affairs,
former Senior Minister of State for Law &
Home Affairs, Associate Professor Ho Peng
Kee was an ardent champion for volunteerism in the Home Team (HT).
To further engage volunteers and develop a
network of volunteers in the Home Team,
Assoc Prof Ho will chair the newly formed
Home Team Volunteers Network and its
steering committee.
Hearts & Spirit
Join the Home
J U N E
HOME TEAM VOLUNTEERS
I N T HI S
I S S UE :
Home Team
Many Hands
One Heart
Our Home
10
Assoc Prof Ho said: “A
key task of the steering
committee is to see how
HT volunteers can learn
from one another in
promoting a greater sense
of common identity and
purpose."
With the network, Assoc
Prof Ho feels it is a good
platform to continue his
work in MHA, this time as a
‘chief volunteer’.
(Continued on Page 5)
PAGE
foreword
2
H³ is dedicated to all volunteers who lend their hands to the Home Team. With one heart and mind, they
endeavour to keep our home safe and secure.
What an exciting two months it has been! For those of you who have been keeping up with the latest
happenings with us, you probably know about the many new developments for Home Team
Volunteers. At the recent Home Team Convention, DPM Teo Chee Hean lauded our volunteers as a
special breed of people. You may be an ordinary member of the public, but I cannot place greater
emphasis on your unique contribution to the Home Team, both individually and collectively.
A recent key initiative at the Ministry-level is the setting up of a Home Team Volunteers Network. Whilst
our volunteers will continue to be engaged and deployed through the various MHA departments, what the
Network will do is to provide an over-arching support system. Its focus would be to promote greater
interaction, enhance training and development, introduce cross-deployment for those who wish to do
more and generally make your volunteer experience in the Home Team a more satisfying one.
I look forward to serving alongside you during my time as a fellow Home Team Volunteer. May we grow
from strength to strength, whilst playing our part to keep Singapore a safe and secure home for all!
A/P Ho Peng Kee
Chairman, Home Team Volunteers Network
Creating Chances
through Culinary Contest
Culinary Genius at work
The Yellow Ribbon Culinary
Programme was kicked off
with the culinary competition
finals on 29th April 2011. The
Yellow Ribbon Culinary
Programme was incepted
with the focus to continue
developing the culinary skills
of the participants and providing them with opportunities for continual education
through a certified course.
For the last two years, Singapore Hotel Association Training and Education Centre
(SHATEC) Institutes partnered YRP in the organisation
of the Yellow Ribbon Culinary Programme and successfully conducted two classes of
the Certificate in Basic Culinary Skills Course.
Bon Appetit!
H³
This year, 46 inmate participants from the Yellow Ribbon
Culinary Competition com-
Many Hands
One Heart
peted for the rare opportunity to cook their winning
dishes for their family members during the Yellow Ribbon Tribute of Love
“Mother’s Day Luncheon”.
Only a total of 10 finalists
from 3 teams made it to the
finals.
Judged by seasoned chefs
from the Singapore Chefs
Association: Tony Khoo,
Executive Chef at Marina
Mandarin; Louis Tay, Executive Chef at The Tanglin Club
Singapore; Eric Neo, Executive Chef at Crowne Plaza
Changi Airport Hotel and
Chef Lawrence Toon from
Shatec Institutes, the finalists
served a three course meal
based on western cuisine
using a selected array of ingredients and planned their
meal on a $60 budget.
Our Home
To up the ante, a mystery
ingredient was introduced 15
minutes before the cooking
started.
"Through the Yellow Ribbon
Project culinary competition,
inmates are given the opportunity to demonstrate their
capabilities to potential employers. We encourage employers in the F&B industry to
give ex-offenders a second
chance to break the offending
cycle and hire them based on
merit," said Ms Paulin Chua,
Assistant Director of Food
Services, Business Enterprise
& Industry at the Singapore
Corporation of Rehabilitative
Enterprises (SCORE). H³
Cool? Check out what
comes next on Page 4 Tribute of Love!
ISSUE
NINE
PAGE
3
A Helping Hand to Heartstrings
event, over a
4 km stretch
Helping Out of walk from
Marina Bay
at the ComSands, EsplaChest Heart- nade Walk,
strings Walk Promontory
Sidewalk and
back to the
MBS Event Plaza while maintaining
the safety and security of everyone.
VSC Officers
In the early hours of 22 May 2011
@ 6.30 am, braving a slight drizzling of rain, a group of 80 Volunteer Special Constabulary (VSC)
officers from various divisions,
specialist units and VSCHQ gathered at Marina Bay Sands Event
Plaza. They were there not as
participants for the ComChest
Heartstrings Walk 2011 but
rather as volunteers to assist in
the security coverage of the walk
for both VIPs and participants
alike.
Sacrificing a precious Sunday
morning away from the comfort
of warm beds and families, these
VSC officers were part of a VSC
Corporate Social Responsibility
(CSR) project where VSC will
reach out to social organizations
and community initiatives and
contribute beyond the Singapore
Police Force to the nation and
community. At the walk, they
were involved in ensuring the
smooth flow of both VIPs and
human traffic throughout the
With the drizzle giving way to a
bright and sunny day, the Walk
was concluded successfully and all
the VSC officers involved gave a
strong mandate that they were
glad to be part of this VSC CSR
outreach as they were able to
contribute to community at large
beyond the normal policing duties
they perform with SPF. Going
forward, VSC will definitely be
involved in more CSR projects
with such strong supports from
the officers. H³
INSP Woong Teck Leong
VSC Corporate
Communications
In Their Words…
Why did you volunteer for
this event?
“It is a good opportunity to
contribute to the community
in another way other than
contributing via operational
duties”
SSgt Dave Tan, E Div
“Sacrificing a
precious
Sunday
morning away
from the
comfort of
warm beds and
families… (to)
Do you find your
contribution meaningful?
“Yes as it is always good to
contribute beyond policing
duties back to society, especially in charity events like this
Heartstrings Walk 2011”
A/Insp(V) Anna Lee, J Div
(1st on left)
contribute
beyond the
Singapore
Police Force to
the nation and
community.”
“The ultimate expression of generosity is not in
giving of what you have but in giving who you are.”
~ Johnnetta B. Cole
PAGE
4
ISSUE
NINE
THE YELLOW RIBBON PROJECT’S
Tribute of Love
LUNCH TO CELEBRATE
The intense culinary competition (See Article on Page 2)
took a step back on 14th
May 2011 as the 10 finalists
from the Yellow Ribbon
Culinary Competition came
together with a common
goal to give their family
members and loved ones a
treat.
MOTHER’S DAY
support received throughout their
incarceration.
The event was rounded off with a
family bonding session to promote
family reconciliation. One family
member gratefully said that,
"Nothing can be deemed more
satisfying than a heart-warming
meal cooked with love and tears
by your family member."H³
Polished and appearing confident, the 10 finalists under
the tutelage of chef mentors
from Shatec Institutes, took
the rare opportunity to whip
up their winning dishes for
their loved ones and family
members at the Yellow Ribbon Tribute of Love, Celebrating Mother's Day Luncheon. The 3 course lunch
were dedicated to their family members as their tribute
of love for the relentless
H³
Many Hands
One Heart
Our Home
“Nothing can be deemed more satisfying than a heart-warming meal
cooked with love and tears by your family member.”
~ Tribute of Love Participant
ISSUE
NINE
PAGE
HOME TEAM VOLUNTEERS
AT HOME TEAM CONVENTION 2011
more than 60 entities, such as the
Police’s Voluntary Special
Constabulary, the Civil Defence
Auxiliary Unit and Yellow Ribbon
Project to help ex-offenders.
These volunteers partner Home
Team officers in various frontline
operations, on-the-ground
deployments, and also lend their
support and expertise in areas of
religious counseling, mentoring
and skills training for inmates.
VSC Sgt (V) Sheik Osman shaking hands with DPM Teo
(Continued from the Cover Page)
He added: “My job is to help
everybody see the big picture.
This way, our volunteers will see
themselves as part of a big Home
Team family.”
The network was announced by
Deputy Prime Minister and
Minister for Home Affairs Mr Teo
Chee Hean, who was Guest-ofHonour at the Home Team
Convention 2011.
In his first Annual Address at the
start of the convention, Mr Teo
said: “The network will allow us
to develop an over-arching
support system which seeks to
enhance opportunities for training
and development, crossdeployment or even new
volunteer opportunities within the
Home Team according to each
individual’s aspirations and
motivations.”
The Home Team Volunteers
Network includes members of
the public from all walks of life,
such as working adults, grassroots
leaders, students, teachers, senior
citizens and even former Home
Team officers.
Some of the volunteers also serve
“My job is to
help everybody
see the big
picture. This
way, our
volunteers will
see themselves as
on MHA boards, councils and
committees, such as the Board of
part of a big
Visiting Justices and Board of Inspection, the National Council
Home Team
Against Drug Abuse and the
Citizenship Committee of Inquiry.
family.”
Mr Teo said: “We want to
celebrate our volunteers in the
Home Team family and underscore how much we appreciate
their contribution, helping us to
shoulder the mission of keeping
Singapore safe and secure.”
A/P Ho Peng Kee
Chairman,
HT Volunteers
H³
The Home Team has more than
16,000 individuals volunteering in
“We want to celebrate our volunteers in the Home Team
family and underscore how much we appreciate their
contribution, helping us to shoulder the mission of
keeping Singapore safe and secure.”
~ DPM Teo Chee Hean
5
PAGE
6
ISSUE
Dialogue with A/P Ho Peng Kee
Rallying the Hearts and Spirit of Home Team Volunteers
Even before the Home Team Volunteers Network was launched on 15
July 2011, the team that put it together had been engaging volunteers
to solicit their views and feedback. Take a peek at one of the dialogue
sessions with the former Senior Minister of State for Law and Home
Affairs Associate Professor Ho Peng Kee.
By: Jeraldine Phneah (Home Team News)
As a volunteer public education instructor with the Civil Defence Auxiliary
Unit (CDAU) sharing about fire safety and other emergency
response tips has been Warrant Officer (WO) Alvin Lee’s forte for the
last three years.
While he is passionate about engaging with the community on
emergency preparedness, he was thrilled at the chance to learn and
work with the Singapore Civil Defence Force’s (SCDF) paramedics
during a cross deployment exercise.
“To catch the reader's attention, place an
WO Lee, whose profession is an Administration Officer, felt the experience
was very fruitful here.”
and helped him bring a fresh perspective to his public education sessions with the community.
interesting sentence or quote from the story
He recalled how some of his fellow public education instructors wanted to contribute beyond educating the
community about safety but did not get the opportunity to do so as they had since dropped out.
He thought cross deployment could be one
way to help further engage volunteers.
“It would be good to provide exposure of different kinds, I think together with a more solid
recognition policy, we can attract, retain and
sustain more volunteers,” he said.
WO Lee shared this at the newly formed
Home Team Volunteers Network's first series
of volunteer dialogues.
The network was announced on 15 July 2011
during the Home Affairs Ministry’s annual
workplan event, Home Team Convention 2011.
A Snapshot of the Dialogue Sessions led by A/P Ho
An initiative by the Home Affairs Ministry’s HR
Partnerships, former Senior Minister of State for
Law and Home Affairs Associate Professor Ho Peng Kee helms the network’s steering committee.
“The Home Team would like to let volunteers who are willing to go the extra mile know how else they can
contribute,” he said supporting the need for more cross deployment and development.
“Even though the heart is important, the skills are also important and we want you to be the best that you can
be in what you are doing.”
The Deputy-Chairman of the steering committee is the Home Affairs Ministry’s Permanent Secretary Mr Benny
Lim.
H³
Many Hands
One Heart
Our Home
NINE
ISSUE
NINE
PAGE
7
(continued from the previous page)
Dialogue with A/P Ho Peng Kee
During the dialogue, volunteers shared their hopes for more training and
recognition.
One prison volunteer said courses were often conducted on weekdays.
As volunteers have to balance their full-time jobs with their volunteering
efforts, more weekend courses will allow more volunteers to attend.
For Mr Andrew Ignatius, Head of the Voluntary Special Constabulary (VSC)
team in Jurong Police Division, recognition was important in sustaining the
spirit of volunteerism and he suggested state recognition could be given to
Home Team volunteers.
The good news for these dialogue participants was their voices would be
heard.
Listening Intently at one of the Dialogue Sessions
Cross deployment, training and recognition are areas of focus for the Home Team Volunteers Network.
Assoc Prof Ho said the Ministry values their volunteers as they are one of the Home Team's “key distinctions and strengths”.
He envisions that the network can enhance existing ministry initiatives and “get more people onboard to make the voluntary experience an even better and more effective one.”
This is to ensure the “Home team's basic mission of keeping Singapore safe and secure can be better carried out” he added.
The people behind the Home Team Volunteers Network are from the Home Affairs Ministry’s HR-Partnerships branch.
Its division head, Deputy Director Ms Philomena Chong, said: “Volunteer management is very much like HR management and it is a
very specialized field with many good practices that we can implement.”
She hopes all the volunteers would see themselves as Home Team volunteers through this network and feel like a part of the Home
Team.
“This is something we want to foster because the Home Team is so big and there are plenty of opportunities for more interaction and
to learn from one another,” she said.
While there are other plans in the works to rally and update volunteers, such as an e-newsletter and a website, the network’s first
series of dialogues had already gotten good reviews from Home Team volunteers.
Staff Sergeant Tommy Chu, CDAU emergency service volunteer, said: “This is a very clear effort that the ministry as a parent organization is doing something to engage the volunteers.”
He added that the dialogue provided networking opportunities as it enabled volunteers to interact and share their viewpoints.
However, Mr Chu hopes some of the issues raised will be followed up on as more volunteers will then be encouraged to discuss their
views.
For Crime Prevention Ambassador Mr Lionel De Souza, he felt the dialogue was a good platform for him to share experiences and
exchange ideas.
He added that networking would bring volunteers of different groups together and help them understand what is happening on the
ground and in other divisions.
“When volunteers from many walks of life come together, they can fit the whole jigsaw puzzle,” he said.
H³
PAGE
8
ISSUE
NINE
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