With heart, you can play your part

Tick one or all: No time? No confidence? No idea where to start? Let's talk, say young Singaporeans who have overcome these issues. Their message:

- By JAN LEE

While his peers were busy with schoolwork and weekend plans, then 16-year-old Mohammed Aizam Abd Rahman was working part-time as a banquet server while caring for his 69-year-old cancer-stricken grandmother. He was close to her. She had helped his mother raise him after his father died of a sudden heart attack when he was 9.

Her medical bills put a strain on the family's finances. His mother worked as a laboratory assistant.

But the community stepped in to help.

"Neighbours sending food over, teachers and friends checking in on me at school these small acts got us through the day-to-day," says Mr Aizam, now 26. He is majoring in political science at Northwestern University in Illinois, the United States, on a scholarship.

"It made me realise that if people come together to help one another, anything is possible," he adds.

Mr Aizam's grandmother won her battle with ovarian cancer and lived to the age of 80. She died in 2024.

His experience growing up motivated him to give back, including starting an online tutoring service run by 1,800 volunteers for students of lower-income families during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Mr Aizam is one of three young Singaporeans who wants to inspire others to contribute to the community. Their message to their peers: Yes, you can, even if you are juggling school, work and the transition to adulthood.

The three are among those contributing to the SG Youth Plan, either by participating in the SG Youth Plan Quest online (go.gov.sg/sg-youth-plan-quest) or through in-person engagement sessions like the SG Youth Forum.