Students at SMU, NUS, NAP, NYP, SP and RP will be given more money and help to work on community projects,such as the Youth Expedition Programme, and research. The National Youth Council (NYC) will pump in $1.9 million over the next two years to support them through partnerships with their schools, said Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Lawrence Wong. Mr Wong hopes that such efforts will give youths “a sense of empowerment” to “shape” society and “the future of Singapore”. The initiative aims to encourage polytechnic and university students to remain engaged in the community after they graduate. Following this initiative, NYC will invite more IHLs to discuss how best to set up touch-points within campuses so as to allow the spirit of volunteerism to take root.