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of our wild places Channel NewsAsia, 3 Feb 05 Youth volunteers help Feedback Unit revamp website SINGAPORE : The Feedback Unit is getting a group of 28 young Singaporeans to help revamp its website. They will conduct brainstorming and discussion sessions over the next few months to get ideas on how to promote youth participation in feedback activities. They will also explore the use of new technologies and the development of a youth community website. The Singaporeans, aged 15 to 25 years old, have responded to the Feedback Unit's call for help to make its website more usable and user-centric. They comprise mostly students, with a handful of working adults. Five are residing overseas. Dubbed the 'Youth Panel', these youth volunteers are heavy Internet and SMS users drawn from the Feedback Unit's People Forum database. New features in the website will include using SMS to give feedback, dedicated community webpage for youths and Mobile blog or Weblog. Feedback Unit says this is the first time it is forming a youth panel to help generate new ideas for its revamped website. - CNA The Straits Times, 6 Feb 05 Feedback to Govt: Don't be an answering machine by Sarah Ng GIVING the Government feedback is just like talking to an answering machine: You don't always get a call back, so you don't know if your message got across, say some young Singaporeans. This gives rise to the view that their feedback goes into a black hole, and the scepticism that policymakers are not really interested in their views. To dispel this notion, the Feedback Unit, for the first time, has enlisted 28 Singaporeans, aged 15 to 24, to help think up ways to revamp its existing website to engage young people more. Some 16 of them turned up for an informal discussion yesterday in Olio Dome Restaurant at Wheelock Place. During the two-hour session, chaired by Dr Wang Kai Yuen, chairman of the Feedback Supervisory Panel, some of the youngsters wondered if the Government was really interested in their views since it didn't seem to respond to feedback given. One student said: 'It would be nice to know what happens to our feedback. Otherwise it's like talking to an answering machine.' One suggestion was to have policymakers respond directly to each contributor or reply to the feedback collectively online. Added Ms Joanne Lin, 24, research and public education coordinator with the Singapore Institute of International Affairs: 'They must show us that when we contribute our ideas on the website, they are really listening to and pondering over our feedback. We want to know that our contribution did not just disappear into some black hole.' More can also be done in raising the profile of feedback channels, such as advertising in places the young are familiar with, including the MTV Channel and The Heeren shopping mall, some of the students said. Other ideas included asking for feedback via SMS, online role-playing games, encouraging weblogs by youths to share their thoughts on issues and virtual communities for greater discussion on policies. Siglap Secondary student Faris Basharahil, 16, told The Sunday Times: 'For example, we want to know what young people think about the casino issue. We could have them role-play the minister, the police force and various social leaders. They would make decisions on the issue based on various scenarios given.' Agreeing, 15-year-old Soh Yi Da, from Hwa Chong Institution, said: 'The decision they make is an indication of how they feel about the issues. In this case, the process of giving feedback becomes fun and interactive.' The young would also be more encouraged to give feedback if they understood the issues. This can be done by explaining them in ways that they can connect with, said the participants. Speaking to The Sunday Times after the discussion, Dr Wang, who was impressed by the group's enthusiasm and commitment, said: 'In order to engage the youth more, we must adopt this (open mind) approach in that even if they may not have the experience to comment on policies and issues, we must still acknowledge their contribution. This will encourage them to continue to contribute and feel engaged.' The prototype for the new website will be ready for testing by mid-year. It will be launched in September. |
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