30 Years of Inspiring Hope, Impacting Lives: YGOS Looks to the Future

As Youth Guidance Outreach Services (YGOS) celebrates its 30th anniversary, it honours the people, partnerships and moments that have shaped its journey, while looking ahead to the vision guiding its next chapter.

Honouring the Journey

From the beginning, one of YGOS' greatest challenges was reaching young people who were often reluctant to open up or seek help. Building relationships required patience, consistency and a willingness to meet youths where they were.

For Mr Hia Chek Phang, Founding Member and Former Board Member, earning their trust was one of the most difficult parts of the early work.

"That was the most difficult part probably, you know, is getting them to trust you so that they will talk to you and share the issues and so on."

Asked what it takes to build that trust, his answer was simple.

"It's called time. You just have to be around them, you know, after a while they trust you. It's a matter of being patient, spending time with them."

As YGOS grew, its work expanded beyond community outreach and youth centres to include developmental programmes, specialised intervention, rehabilitation and aftercare.

Mr Gn Chiang Tat, Former Deputy Executive Director and Board Member, reflected on how much the organisation has evolved since its early days.

"I started the work in 1996. I found that at that point of time, Singapore society wasn't as complex as it is today. The ball game has changed."

He also acknowledged the greater expertise required to support young people today.

"In my days, we could run the programme, but our knowledge of the psyche of young people... I hardly had any trained psychologists or counsellors. Obviously you don't have the expertise. But today, those are needed because you really have to get deep into the work."

A Legacy Built Together

Over three decades, YGOS' impact has been made possible by its staff, volunteers, Board members, community partners and supporters.

Together, they have helped YGOS reach young people in schools, neighbourhoods, institutions and digital spaces.

In 2025 alone, YGOS reached 5,356 youths, bringing the total number of young people reached since its beginnings to 32,844.

Behind these numbers are stories of growth and second chances.

One such story is that of Too Seng Hong, who first encountered YGOS as a teenager facing trouble with the law. With guidance from youth workers, including Mr Wilson Tan, he found a different path. Today, Seng Hong leads YGOS' Community Rehabilitation Centre, helping young people navigate challenges similar to those he once faced.

For Mr Gn, it is these transformed lives that make the work meaningful.

"When I see families restored, when I see a young person who has strayed and wanting to look at his life and put his life in order, when I see a young person who has been involved in gang fights and violence, stopping those behaviours and coming back to their parents... that makes me grateful and I find this is meaningful, this is time well spent."

Looking Ahead: The Next Chapter

As YGOS marks this milestone, its focus extends beyond celebrating how far it has come.

With young people facing increasingly complex challenges, YGOS recently launched a three-year strategic roadmap to strengthen its services, deepen partnerships and extend its impact beyond its programmes.

The first priority is to do well and do deep. This means strengthening core services, investing in staff development and building more evidence-based approaches to youth mentoring and intervention.

Having served YGOS since 1999, Mr Wilson Tan, Executive Director, understands that meaningful impact goes beyond the number of youths reached.

"It's not just about how many young people we reach, but how deeply we impact their lives. Real change takes time. It takes trust, patience and people who are willing to walk alongside a young person, even when the journey gets difficult. That's the kind of impact we want to continue making."

The second priority is to do together. Recognising that no single organisation can meet every need, YGOS aims to expand partnerships with community agencies, corporations and funders, while building more sustainable sources of support.

Mr Timothy Hia, Board Chairperson, expressed his appreciation for the many partners who have supported YGOS over the years.

"We've seen partner organisations coming alongside us, running specific programmes for youth across Singapore. We've seen partners also come in to support us financially, with referrals for internships and employment for our youth. To all our partners, thank you so much for your collaboration over the years in so many different ways."

Looking ahead, he hopes YGOS will continue to remain relevant while staying true to its values.

"I think we need to stay relevant. And I think that's a bigger challenge than you might expect because so much is changing, right? We've got social media where we never did before. There's AI. Youths are changing and their expectations are evolving."

"My hope is that we will stay true to the core of our values, which really is founded in maintaining relationships. I think relationships are going to be particularly important as we go into the future, exactly because we live in such a transactional environment today."

The third priority is to do beyond. YGOS hopes to strengthen its aftercare work by building communities where young people can find belonging, support one another and contribute to society.

For youths who have been through rehabilitation, this includes opportunities to share their experiences and encourage others on similar journeys.

Prof Irene Ng, Board Vice Chair, reflected on how the challenges facing young people have evolved.

"When you come to low-income or at-risk youths who are, say, at the fringes of the law, the issues continue to be the same. But there are some new trends today, like mental health concerns, how competitive the school system has become, school bullying or vaping. These are new issues, so we also have to keep up with the times and trends as well."

While the challenges young people face may look different today, their fundamental need for guidance, belonging and someone who believes in them remains the same.

The Story Continues

As YGOS looks towards its next chapter, its programmes and approaches may evolve, but its purpose remains unchanged: to reach young people where they are, walk alongside them through life's challenges and help them realise their fullest potential.

Thirty years on, YGOS' mission continues. And with every young life reached, a new chapter begins.