Vision

Celebrating our ethnic diversity, towards a seamless multicultural community.

Mission

To promote, facilitate and develop capacity towards greater interaction, understanding and trust across cultures.

TRUST Central is the Harmony Circle of the Central Singapore Community Development Council (CDC). Its focus is to promote racial harmony, by providing a platform for exchange of information, best practices and resources among the many other like-minded organisations in the Central Singapore District.

TRUST Central organises and supports programmes and activities to foster greater understanding and appreciation of the customs, traditions and religious beliefs among the various ethnic groups.

TRUST Central Committee

Chairman :            Mr Gerald Balendran Singham, PBM

Members :             Professor Ooi Giok Ling

                           Professor Lily Kong

                           Professor Brian Lee, JP, BBM

                           Mr Daud Bin Sulaiman, PBS

                           Mr Edward D’Silva

                           Mr David Ong, PBM

                           Ms Chan Gek Hia, Doris, PBM

                           Mr Chew Eng Huat

                           LTC (NS) Lim Huan Chiang, JP, BBM, PB

                           Mr Mohamed Nasim s/o Abdul Rahim

                           Mr Gay Teok Hua, Herman, PBM

Milestones at TRUST Central

Introduction

Since 2002, TRUST Central has initiated programmes which provide a platform to encourage residents from all walks of life to appreciate and celebrate the cultural diversity that exist among residents of the district. At TRUST Central, we believe that we can better appreciate the common thread that connects all humanity, regardless of race, religion and nationality, as much as we can celebrate the uniqueness of each culture and the rich ethno-diversity that has taken millennia to develop throughout the world.

Festival Outreach programme

Festivals and celebrations are some of the most visible manifestations of an ethnic group’s identity, customs and values system. The rituals, sights and sounds of a festival offer us a unique window to understand and appreciate Singapore’s diverse ethnic and religious landscape. 

And here at the Central Singapore District, we are even more lucky to he home  to the major ethnic districts in Singapore – Little India, Chinatown and Kampong Glam.  It is no wonder then that the District is abuzz with excitement during the major ethnic festivals each year.

TRUST Central supports the Lunar New Year, Deepavali and Hari Raya Puasa light-ups by funding festival outreach programmes. These are cross-cultural enrichment programmes conducted by partners like the Kreta Ayer-Kim Seng Citizens’ Consultative Committee, Hindu Endowment Board, Singapore Buddhist Federation and the Malay Heritage Centre.  

Festival outreach programmes include visits to places of worship and thematic exhibitions  which provide participants with a multi-sensory experience, allowing them to soak in atmosphere of the celebrations and appreciate first-hand their rich cultural nuances.

Read more about the colourful Chinatown Heritage Trail in this year’s Lunar New Year Celebrations. [link to story about CNY Chinatown Trail]

TRUST Fund

This Fund was started in 2004 to encourage the Inter Racial Confidence Circles (IRCCs) to play an active role in promoting cross-cultural awareness and appreciation. Today, Grassroots Organisations (GROs) and other community organisations tap on TRUST Fund to organise racial harmony projects. These projects bring residents in the neighbourhood together, providing a platform for interaction.

Each approved TRUST Fund project receives a funding of $3,000. Projects requiring more than $3,000 will be considered on a case by case basis.

See the section on Online Forms for the TRUST Fund application form.

Explorations in Ethnicity

Explorations in Ethnicity (EiE) Basic Course is a training programme first initiated by the People’s Association Inter Ethnic Engagement Unit. It is aimed at promoting an examination of racial and religious issues by youths. Other partners in this pilot project is the South West Community and South East Community Development Councils (CDCs). From June 2007, the EiE programme will be organised by OnePeople.Sg, the new national agency for racial harmony initiatives

It is as much about examining common grounds among cultures as much as it is about understanding and appreciating differences.The residential camp promotes honest self-examination and going beyond a superficial understanding of racial harmony.

The programme also includes the training of a pool of facilitators who would conduct the EiE Basic Course.

The EiE programme is now organised by OnePeople.Sg, the new national agency for racial harmony initiatives. Please visit www.onepeople.sg for more information.

TRUST Desk Calendar project

This unique desk calendar project was started in 2004, and is designed thematically each year. Since its launch, the TRUST Desk Calendar has featured Ethnic Festivals, Ethnic Food, Ethnic Dances and Ethnic Fashion as its themes.

The TRUST Desk Calendar project is an effort to raise awareness and appreciation of cultures and customs via nuggets of information.

Look out for the 2008 TRUST Desk Calendar featuring Ethnic Music!

Watch out for more updates soon!

TRUST Pal

TRUST Pal is an effort to bring Muslim religious schools or madrasah with mainstream schools in a collaborative venture. This programme hopes to foster ties and strengthen bonds among youths of different faiths through sustainable activities. 

The first TRUST Pal project involved Madrasah Al-Irsyad and Anglo Chinese School (Junior) in a soccer programme called Free Kicks, which is one of  Central Singapore CDC’s flagship programme.

Please click on the section on Central Singapore CDC programmes on the home page for more information on Free Kicks and other initiatives.

Orange Ribbon Celebrations

The first District-wide racial harmony celebrations in Singapore! In July last year, the Orange Ribbon Celebrations brought together all of Central Singapore CDC’s programmes and events for a month-long festival which celebrates Singapore’s cultural diversity.

Over 280,000 of the distinctive   collar-pins were distributed to residents of the Central Singapore District.

Orange Ribbon Celebrations 2007

Central Singapore CDC and TRUST Central is set to celebrate Orange Ribbon Celebrations 2007 in a bigger way this year! The celebrations will start on 2 June 2007, so check our Orange Ribbon section in the Home Page for updates!