A Showcase of Talents
Indeed, the SYF has always lent itself as a natural platform for students of different ethnic communities to come together in celebration. It has been a fiesta for building friendship, strengthening bonds and honing skills. It has also been a fete in which toils of sweat have been shed and one in which hours of practices and dedication have been put in by all. In 1970, the participants at the opening ceremony received the highest tribute paid by Mr Ong Pang Boon, then Education Minister, for braving the rain and soaking to their skins at the opening ceremony. He said "They stood fast and went on with their performance in excellent spirits, despite the heavy downpour... This display of discipline and steadfastness augurs well for the future of Singapore."
The 'examination syndrome' eventually crept into the psyche of many in the early 70s. The hours of preparation that went into the event slowly took its toll on its participants, resulting in an outcry from schools, parents and students. As a result, the festival was scaled down to a one-night event in 1975.
The Spirit Fights Back
As the festival continued into its tenth year in 1976, the spirit behind the SYF was nevertheless not lost despite the "low-key" status that it adopted the previous year. Commemorating its tenth anniversary, the SYF 1976 bounced back with much fervour; this event saw the production of a beautiful commemorative first-day cover and for the first time too, the festival adopted a theme. With 'ASEAN' as its theme, SYF 1976 was celebrated with a big bang with performances resonating the cultures of our ASEAN neighbours.
As an artistic platform, the SYF has never ceased to feature new creative groups. The annual SYF Art and Crafts Exhibition, for instance, made its debut in 1968 at the Victoria Memorial Hall. The voices of young budding musicians began to be heard; the composition of Cerise Lim, then a Secondary 3 Methodist Girls' School student, were sung at the SYF 1969.
From then on, there was no holding back; the big gets bigger, and the good, better. By 1976, drama presentation became a feature of the festival for the first time. Thirty-six plays were submitted by 25 secondary schools, of which 8 were selected for presentation at Victoria Theatre. The Singapore Youth Orchestra, which came under the auspice of the Ministry of Education in 1980, gave concerts at the festivals as well. From 1990, the Choral Festival - a festival within the festival - was also staged to promote choral excellence among schools. As part of Singapore's 25th anniversary celebrations in 1990, community songs were sung at the opening ceremony, bolstering national identity and togetherness. Fringe events featuring performances at the National Museum, the Chinese Gardens, the Jurong Bird Park and the Parkway Parade were organised from 1991 onwards. And in 1992, a 4-km mass jog received an overwhelming turnout of 50,000 students. At the 1996 opening ceremony, a flypast by 7 pilots from the Youth Flying Club took place over the National Stadium for the first time. The National Heritage Trail, introduced in 1997 as an event of island-wide search and inquiry into national artefacts and relics, added yet another dimension to the festival.
Also noteworthy are the Track and Field championships that were held since 1967. It provided opportunities for our talented athletes to compete for top honours in the sporting arena. Many recognise the championships as nurturing grounds for the nation's bests.
A National Event
It was in 1994 that the SYF gained the highest accolade, when then Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong declared it a national event. The same year also saw participation extend to include older youths from tertiary institutions and organisations such as the Polytechnics, the Institutes of Technical Education (ITEs), the universities, the youth clubs, the National Youth Council and the People's Association. Partnerships and collaborations were further forged in the 1990s, elevating the festival to be heard beyond the National Theatre, the Jalan Besar Stadium, the Kallang Theatre and the National Stadium - common venues for the festival. As part of the outreach efforts, 38 concert bands took
their performance onto Orchard Road in 1992 and the Shell-MOE partnership in 1995 resulted in a series of School Band Fiesta in the Gardens during the festivals. The introduction of cash incentive prizes for the finalists of the Display Band Competition and winner of the 'Best Drum Major' award, donated by The Shell Companies in Singapore, further heightened the profile of the event.
Reaching Beyond
Beyond an artistic showcase and later a community-outreach focus, the SYF celebrates the vitality of youths through many other platforms in its multifarious and innovative programming. The flashcard display introduced in 1988 was one example. Involving 5,200 pupils from 16 schools, a series of 13 murals formed a giant backdrop to the performances at the parade grounds of the National Stadium. In 2000, through state-of-the-art technology, flashcard display became an animated showpiece.
The SYF at the turn of the millennium adopted a different theme each year, espousing the values and aspirations that youths ought to seek. This started in 2002 with 'Opening Hearts', followed by 'In Harmony', 'Wings to Soar' and 'Myriad of Colours' in 2003, 2004 and 2005 respectively. Evidently too, the SYFs of the 21st century began to embrace diversity; the SYF 2002 for the first time, included the participation of students from the Singapore School of the Deaf, the Tanglin Special School and the Delta Senior School. In that same year, the festival included a fund-raising component, raising a sum of $100,300 for the President's Challenge. Such philanthropic spirit has its roots as early as 1985, in which a sum of $3,000, collected from the festival's ticket sales, was donated to the Community Chest of Singapore.
Indeed, as the SYF journeys into the next decade, in celebration of our cultural and artistic diversity, let us continue to be conscious that "the strength of the fabric of our nation comes from recognising, accepting and celebrating our differences and assimilating them into our shared experiences." (Miss Seah Jiak Choo, Director-General of Education, 2004)