Renaissance City Plan III Heritage Development Plan - MICA

AT HOME WITH
HERITAGE:
ENGAGING COMMUNITIES,
FOSTERING NATIONHOOD
“
This year, the HeritageFest is
launched in the heartlands
for the first time, with a vast
array of activities organised
in the heartlands. In this
way, we are making a special
effort to connect with our
Singaporeans and PRs living
in the heartlands. Multi-
sensory festivities, spanning
vernacular concerts, dress-up
competitions for children to
a food exhibition, all free of
charge, have also been lined
up at other popular heartland
malls such as Compass
Point and HDB Hub to
bring heritage events to
Singaporeans’ doorsteps.
”
~ SMS MICA, RADM (NS)
Lui Tuck Yew,
at the Opening of the
Singapore HeritageFest 2008
6
Heritage and culture are anchors for
Singaporeans, instilling national pride and
retaining their sense of identity and rootedness
in the face of rapid globalisation. They
enrich the quality of lives of Singaporeans,
contributing towards making Singapore a
great home. Through engendering greater
community participation and engagement
in the arena of heritage and culture,
community bonds and attachment
to Singapore are strengthened. NHB
recognises the importance of gaining
heartshare and mindshare of Singaporeans
in transforming Singapore into a vibrant
global city. To this end, NHB’s engagement
strategies have been guided by the ethos
of social inclusiveness and community
ownership, catering to the diverse needs
of our communities. Our strategies for
community engagement are as follows:
(A) Cultivating arts and culture muses of
tomorrow
(B) Garnering heartshare
(C) Cultivating volunteerism
(D) Engaging online communities
A: CULTIVATING ARTS
AND CULTURE MUSES OF
TOMORROW
NHB believes in the importance of
developing a love for heritage and culture
among the young, who will become the arts
and culture muses of tomorrow. Children
who visit museums will become the next
generation of museum-goers in Singapore,
who will inspire yet another generation of
museum-goers by bringing their children
to the museums. With the support of RCP
funding, NHB has developed a series of
programmes specially tailored for children
and youths. The aim of these programmes
is to seed interest in heritage and culture
in young minds and build cultural ballast
among young Singaporeans in a fun,
engaging and educational way. These
programmes are generally popular and
are set to be the mainstay of our museum
programming.
Engaging Children at the Singapore Philateic Museum (SPM) © National Heritage Board
35