SINGAPORE: The Council for Third Age is setting aside S$2 million to promote greater bonding between younger and older Singaporeans.

For most young ones, English is their language of choice. But many grandparents, such as canteen stall operators Low Bong Tee and James Foo, are more fluent in Mandarin.

"We speak to them in English. But sometimes we don't speak it correctly and they will correct us," said Low, who belongs to a growing group of older Singaporeans who are trying to bridge the generational gap.

To boost bonding, Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng announced the new initiative at the Grandparents' Day Walk on Sunday.

There are already mentoring schemes in place where older Singaporeans teach dialects to younger ones.

Gerard Ee, chairman of Council for Third Age, said: "We really need to (know) how to communicate with each other, how to co-exist, how to collaborate with each other and therefore develop a common language, as well as understanding, between the two (generations)."

Programmes under the S$2 million scheme are aimed at promoting bonding between generations at the workplace and in the community, so Singaporeans can look forward to more events where the young and the young-at-heart can get active together.


- CNA/so