Singapore Tamil Youth Conference 2016 Manifesto NUSTLS Singapore Tamil Youth Conference 2016 Manif | Page 91

Issue 15: Overseas Community Involvement Programmes (OCIPs)
Post-Panel Discussion
What can be done to increase the outreach and promote community work in foreign Tamil
communities/diasporas?
Recommendation 1: Make OCIP Mandatory in Secondary Schools
• Allow students to engage in OCIP which brings them to their regional communities (e.g.
Tamil students to foreign Tamil communities, Malay students to foreign Malay
communities)
• This could be part of a cultural exchange programme, where students learn more about
their community and identity as well.
• Some communities which Tamil students can go to will include Malaysian Tamils
(Bumiputeras), Narmada Valley Tamils (India), Jaffna Tamils (Sri Lanka), and Rohingya
Tamils (Myanmar).
• These OCIPs can be carried out via collaboration with NGOs such as ‘Save the Rohingya’.
• Apart from providing basic necessities to these foreign Tamil communities, these OCIPs
will equip these communities with skills sets e.g. ICT skills and give them the ability to
sustain themselves.
• There needs to be an exit plan such as handing the project over to locals to let them
sustain on their own.
• Project mentors or alumni are to guide the subsequent teams to ensure that they stay on
track to their vision and sustain their motivation.
Recommendation 2: Perform Needs Analysis of Foreign Tamil Communities
• Before embarking on any concrete OCIPs, the needs of the foreign Tamil communities
have to be ascertained accurately so that a truly impactful project can be created.
• Needs analysis ought to be performed by collaborating with overseas organisations or
universities e.g. University of Malaya and conducting on-the-ground surveys. Also,
homestays with the locals and seeing them through their daily lifestyles will give us a
greater idea of their current needs.
• For instance, in India, there has been a shift in focus on water treatment and
management to help the rural areas in times of scarcity. Singapore Tamils can step in to
see what we can offer to them.
• There should also be periodic reviews of OCIPs conducted at these regions to see if the
needs are adequately addressed or if the needs have evolved.
Issue 15: Overseas Community Involvement Programmes (OCIPs)
PAGE 91