COMMUNITY CENTRES IN OLD PUBLIC HOUSING ESTATES : A STUDY OF SERVICE DELIVERY FOR YOUTHS

Abstract

Old public housing estates in Singapore, especially those in postal district 3 are undergoing tremendous change in demography and ecology. The population of youths (15-30 yrs) is steadily declining while the proportion of senior citizens (55 & above) in the postal district 3 is increasing. These old public housing estates have become “twilight towns” whereby senior citizens and middle-aged persons are left behind. This has threatened the survival of youth organizations in the estates and challenged their capacities to provide effective service delivery. Yet, given the ecological environment of postal district 3, all the ten youth executive committees (YECs) studied have varied in their capacities to respond to the environment. Basically, two types of youth executive committees are identified. They are the more responsive type of YEC and the less responsive type of YECs. The researcher investigates the factor within the organization and the service delivery system that has enabled the YECs to remain viable and responsive. In Chapter I, the researcher sets the backdrop to discussion. The development of People’s Association Youth Movement and community youth work is traced so as to provide the necessary background information to the formation of YECs. In Chapter II, the researcher has adopted an eclectic approach in discussing the theoretical perspectives applicable to the study. Chapter III explains ow the researcher operationalize the research problem formulated. In Chapter IV, the research discusses the findings which are the characteristics of high performing YECs. Then, in Chapter V, the implications of the ecological environment and how the more responsive YECs adapt to it is also explored. Finally, in Chapter VI the research concludes by discussing the implications of the study.