Electric vehicle to offer mobile outreach for youths; trained staff, volunteers onboard to provide services
The electric vehicle is also equipped with mobile Wi-Fi and entertainment offerings.
Outreach services such as career guidance, smoking and vaping cessation, mentoring, mental wellness, family relations will now be brought closer to youths through a new electric vehicle (EV).
The EV, rolled out on Monday (May 29), aims to provide a safe space for youths to gather and be provided with emotional, social and mental health support. Trained staff and volunteers will be on-site to provide these outreach services.
The initiative, named Mobile Outreach Support Team (MOST), was created in partnership between Youth Guidance Outreach Services (YGOS) and electricity and gas distribution company SP Group (SP). SP donated $750,000 to help set up the MOST EV.
YGOS is a non-profit charitable organisation set up in 1983 to serve troubled youths in the community.
The EV currently stops at youth hotspots in Jurong. There are plans to expand these services to the Geylang vicinity in the future.
With its centres in Woodlands, Ang Mo Kio, Geylang and Jurong, YGOS’ services now cover all regions in Singapore. These youth centres currently offer drop-in services twice weekly, and serve close to 1,000 youths annually.
The refurbished YGOS youth centres at Woodlands and Ang Mo Kio feature an open layout, modern concepts as well as multi-use spaces that cater to a wide range of activities including group-based mentoring, workshops, cooking, crafting, as well as music and dance.
Mr Wilson Tan, Executive Director of YGOS, shared that the refurbishment of the youth centres and the launch of the Mobile Outreach Services Team will allow them to proactively reach out to youths.
“Since the soft launch of MOST in March, we have seen keen interest from youths and a steady inflow of new participants to our programmes. We hope to continue building on this momentum, and to expand this service to more precincts in Singapore,” he added.
