Singapore Tamil Youth Conference 2016 Manifesto NUSTLS Singapore Tamil Youth Conference 2016 Manif | Page 89

Issue 15: Overseas Community Involvement Programmes (OCIPs)
Opportunities and limitations of working with overseas Tamil communities
Using the case study of Naadi and other initiatives launched by organisations like National University of Singapore Tamil Language
Society (NUS TLS), opportunities and limitations of working with overseas Tamil communities can be extrapolated.
Opportunities
Limitations
•
Positive knock-on effects for future projects.
•
Perceived or real lack of institutional support in the
• For instance, Project Naadi and the Chennai Flood
form of project partners.
Relief fund-raising initiative was well received by
•
There might already be an established group of
the Tamil/Indian organisations in Singapore.
project partners in Southeast Asian communities
• It received good media support, publicity and
who can be leveraged on for new initiatives.
coverage.
•
A similar institutional advantage might not exist
• Subsequently, regardless of whether they were
with overseas Tamil communities. This is due to
inspired by the aforementioned two projects,
the lack of access to contacts in India.
many other smaller initiatives were started.
Subsequently, this raises doubts related to the
• For example, a group of Nanyang Technological
safety of personnel and financial accountability.
University (NTU) students from India collected
clothes/necessities and shipped them over to
Chennai after the floods.
• Overcoming linguistic barriers.
• With a significant pool of Tamil speaking students,
there is greater opportunity to overcome any
linguistic barriers that might arise during the
implementation of service-learning projects
• Consolidating Singapore's presence in overseas Tamil •
communities.
• Tamil communities overseas have a very good
impression of Singapore and our founding Prime
Minister Mr. Lee Kuan Yew.
• Considering the institutional support and political
stability in Singapore, Tamils in Singapore have the
opportunity and responsibility to assist overseas
Tamil communities. This would help to forge
stronger socio-economic an d cultural ties.
• Deepening of ties with the Tamil diaspora overseas.
• This was probably one of the motivating factors
when NUS TLS raised funds with Little India
Shopkeepers & Heritage Association (LISHA) for the
Chennai flood victims.
Perceived lack of safety and accountability.
•
According to Elampirai Elangovan (Project Naadi
Co-ordinator), there is a perception amongst
some Singaporean groups that money spent on
projects might not be properly accounted for.
•
Also, parents and teachers might have a
perception that India might not be a very safe
place for students to engage in community work.
Issue 15: Overseas Community Involvement Programmes (OCIPs)
PAGE 89