Second Minister for Manpower and Home Affairs of Singapore Josephine Teo has become the first woman president of HomeTeamNS today. She took charge at the HomeTeamNS Members Extravaganza which was held at Suntec City.
HomeTeamNS is the non-profit organisation that recognises the contributions of Singapore Police Force and Singapore Civil Defence Force operationally ready national servicemen (NSmen).
This is the first time that a woman is leading the organisation which was earlier headed by Desmond Lee, Minister for Social and Family Development and Second Minister for National Development
On becoming the president of HomeTeamNS, Teo, who is also the Second Minister for Manpower and Home Affairs, said, “The good thing is that HomeTeamNS is supported by a very committed team of volunteers, and they have been through NS. They bring many good ideas to the table, I am very happy to serve alongside them. I fully intend to hear their views and get hold of the good ideas they bring to the table.”
The membership of HomeTeamNS rose this year by around 20,000 to more than 200,000, the largest subscription in its 12-year history.
On enrolling large membership of HomeTeamNS, the Minister said, “As a result of this year-long celebration (NS50 to mark 50 years of national service) and added push in activities, we now have 200,000 members, and we want to be able to reach out to them and get them involved in the development of the clubhouses so that whatever we put into them is relevant.”
The increase in number is partially due to the NS50 Recognition Package that was rolled out earlier this year – it offered complimentary membership.
At the HomeTeamNS Members Extravaganza, Josephine Teo also gave 66 Children's Education Awards worth SGD42,000 in total.
She also launched the association's newly revamped Frontline bimonthly magazine, which now has a microsite.
#NSmemories campaign was also launched that aims to raise the profile of Home Team NSmen and give them a platform to remember their NS days.
Members can upload their memories on the Frontline microsite, and selected stories will be turned into comic strips.
