Do you think individuals play a more important role than the government in addressing the needs of society? Explain your answer.
Individuals play an important role in addressing needs in Singapore. Individuals can address societal needs by offering their knowledge, skills and experiences and initiate new efforts. They can use the resources, programmes and structures provided by the government to supplement their efforts from the ground up. [Description]
For example, Mdm Malligesvari is a citizen who is passionate and concerned about helping the elderly to stay healthy. She volunteers as an instructor for Age Well Everyday (AWE) which promotes an active ageing and healthy lifestyle for seniors to reduce the risk of dementia. [Example]
This shows that individual volunteers can provide individualised support to meet others’ physical needs, like improved health and mobility. By providing their companionship, individual volunteers can also address intangible psychological needs for friendship and meaningful social connection. [Explanation]
The government also plays an important role in addressing needs in Singapore. The government can address needs in Singapore by creating opportunities for the community to show care to those around them by setting up structures and national programmes and providing resources in a targeted manner. [Description]
The National Council of Social Service (NCSS) develop resources to enhance the capabilities of Social Services Agencies (SSA) that are committed to meeting the needs of the elderly. It developed the Volunteer Management toolkit 2.0 to provide SSAs with a framework and guidelines on how to manage volunteers effectively. [Example]
With the government’s guidance, SSAs will have the knowledge to create comprehensive strategies to provide the elderly with essential resources like regular meals and proper housing. This will help to meet their basic physical needs for adequate food and shelter. [Explanation]
I think that the role of the government is more important than individuals in addressing the needs of society.[Make you stand]
As the government has extensive financial reserves, it is able to provide individuals with sufficient monetary aid needed to kickstart and sustain individual’s initiatives. Without the government’s financial support, individual volunteers would likely lack the funds required to carry out their programmes. [Explain your stand]