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YouthxHack 2023: Total Defence Edition

Cyber Youth Collective (CYC), a division of Cyber Youth Singapore (CYS), organized the YouthxHack 2023 Total Defence Edition on 9 and 10 February 2023. The event was a ground-up initiative led by our youth volunteers, Janessa, Gerard, Yi Lin, Joshua, with close support from MINDEF Nexus.

 

The YouthxHack 2023 Total Defence Edition saw 70 students from our post-secondary institutions come together to plan, ideate, and design a prototype of a solution to solve real-world issues concerning food security in Singapore. The hackathon celebrates creativity and innovation amongst our youths while providing them with a platform to research, understand, and propose solutions to real-world issues. 

 

Participants also had the opportunity to hear from Ms. Joanna Yeo, Manager, Community Partnership Division, Singapore Food Agency, and engage in a dialogue session with our Guest-of-Honour, Mr. David Chua, Chief Executive Officer, National Youth Council.

 

During the hackathon, participants came up with many creative ideas in which technology could be harnessed to enhance Singapore’s food security, from dynamic price tags in supermarkets (by team Noshinom from SUTD) to the use of fiber optics to transmit natural sunlight into indoor vertical farms (by team The Lifehackers from NTU) to improve farming technologies.

 

“Through the hackathon, we have challenged fellow youth tech enthusiasts to think critically about the multi-faceted nature of issues we face today and how we can use technology to create meaningful and innovative solutions to ensure food sustainability in Singapore. Everyone has a part to play for Total Defence, and we hope that youths will continue using technology creatively for good to help increase Singapore’s readiness for crisis and disruption,” said Mr. Aaron Ang, Chief Executive (Cyber Youth Collective), Cyber Youth Singapore. 

 
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YouthxExplore FinTech Edition

Cyber Youth Singapore had the pleasure of co-organising YouthxExplore: FinTech edition with Prudential Assurance Company Singapore on 31 October 2022.


This event saw a turnout of close to 30 pre-tertiary and tertiary youths who were given an interactive tour of Prudential’s office and introduced to the TEE Up platform which presents a gateway to exciting opportunities in FinTech.


Attendees also got the chance to participate in an AMA fireside chat on “How to kickstart your career in FinTech”, moderated by Chief Executive of Cyber Youth Collective, Mr Aaron Ang, who was joined by Head of Innovation at Prudential Singapore, Ms Magdalene Loh, Jobs-Skills Analyst at SkillsFuture Singapore, Ms Tai Jo Fang, Strategic Partnerships and Business Development at Grab Singapore, Ms Jocelyn Yeo and Head of Competition at the Business and Finance Society, Dunman High School, Ms Wu Bingru.


CYS is grateful for the positive feedback received from participants following the event, with many walking away engaged and possessing a deepened understanding of opportunities within the fintech industry. With youth development at the core of our mission, CYS looks forward to working closely with industry partners to expand networking and engagement events for the youth-in-tech community!


Posted by Aaron / Chief Executive (CYC)

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Inaugural CYS-IHL Roundtable on 23 Oct 2022

In what was an unprecedented gathering between Student Representatives from the ITEs, Polytechnics and Universities, Cyber Youth Singapore’s IHL Roundtable held on 23 Oct 2022 saw topics surrounding youth engagement, development and feedback, being discussed. 

Specifically, discussions on youth development centred around working in consultation with ecosystem stakeholders to co-create a developmental roadmap to direct and guide youths on the development of in-demand tech skills. 

From this discussion, CYS is encouraged to continue its work strengthening the youth-in tech community through bonding activities to create a welcoming and inclusive space for all youths regardless of educational background, whilst facilitating deepened sharing between youth and industry. 

CYS will also seek to empower youths to influence national-level policies concerning youth-in-tech through increased exchanges via forums and dialogues with leaders from the public and private sectors, along with focus group discussions to gather feedback and to brainstorm for solutions to existing pain points. 

CYS would like to extend immense gratitude to Student Representatives across Singapore’s key institutes of higher learning who took time off their busy schedules to join us in a collaborative discussion to further engagement and opportunities for Singapore’s youth-in-tech community at IHL Roundtable!

 

Posted by Aaron / Chief Executive (CYC)

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CYS YouthxHack 2022: Youth Charity Launches A First-of-its-kind Tech Hackathon for Youths in Singapore

YouthxHack Group Photo
YouthxHack Group Photo

The Cyber Youth Collective (CYC), a division of Singapore’s largest youth-in-tech movement, Cyber Youth Singapore (CYS), organised a cybersecurity themed hackathon for 80 youths, from the 5th to 10th of September 2022. The pitch day and closing ceremony was held on 10th September with Mr Alvin Tan, Minister of State for Culture, Community and Youth & Trade and Industry, as the ceremony’s Guest-of-Honour.

 

The hackathon is organised with a unique concept modality, reshaping the way hackathons are usually executed. 3 industry partners recognised the value this initiative brings and have kindly sponsored this event. 

 

About YouthxHack

 

YouthxHack was created to empower youths to conceptualise and innovate new digital solutions to current problem statements. Its secondary objective is to also bring the tech industry and youths together to catalyse talent development. The first edition of YouthxHack will be held in 2022 and will feature a cybersecurity theme. Future editions will be held annually and will feature different tech themes.

 

YouthxHack 2022 saw over 80 youths across polytechnics, ITEs, junior colleges and universities coming together to address problem statements regarding “Automation in Cybersecurity”. Participants competed in teams of 4 to 5 youths and each sponsor selected 1 team each to further develop and incubate the projects. These 3 winning teams also won attractive prizes, which included an overseas exchange (flight and accommodation covered).

 

The CYC wanted to ensure that our initiatives are unique and value creating to the ecosystem at large, hence, several never-seen-before features are adopted in the YouthxHack programme concept. YouthxHack 2022 was directed by 2 polytechnic year 3 students, Chong Hong Yau and Winston Seow, both from Singapore Polytechnic.

 

Unique Feature #1 : No “Shark Tank” Style Pitching

Traditional hackathons usually conclude with a pitch/judging day where participants will present their pitch and prototype to a panel of judges in a popular “shark tank” style arrangement. This arrangement typically results in a very rehearsed and rigid pitching session, without any means for judges to assess participants genuinely. Hence, the programme team decided to restructure the pitching session.

 

For YouthxHack 2022, all participating groups will set up their own booths and each sponsor will visit them in a decentralised mode. This way, interactions between sponsors and participants will become less scripted and uncomfortable, where sponsors are able to interact with participants informally. On this feature, YouthxHack Programme Director, Mr Chong Hong Yau, said, “Having this feature in lieu of a short pitch will create a more enjoyable atmosphere during the hackathon. Without the need to worry about cramming everything into a 15-minute pitch, teams are encouraged to strategise innovative means of presenting their solutions for a longer period of time.”

 

Unique Feature #2 : No Ordinal Ranking of Winners

 

Traditional hackathons also usually feature ranked winners decided by a central judging panel. Such arrangements limit the flexibility of arrangements among sponsors. Hence, based on the judging arrangement described above, there will be no ordinal ranking of participants for YouthxHack. Instead, each sponsor will choose and crown their own champion. Should 2 sponsors choose the same team, the team will be given the choice to choose the sponsor. In doing this, we increase the immediate supply of talents available to sponsors compared to the ordinal ranking model. This model also indirectly empowers participants while ensuring fair competition even among sponsors.

 

YouthxHack Programme Director, Mr Winston Seow, said, “By having this different style of judging, sponsors and teams are given a wider room to both play fairly and achieve high results. Teams are empowered to choose their preferred sponsors, while sponsors are given the choice of their unique sponsor champion.”

 

Further Engagement and Development of Promising Projects and Participants

 

While ensuring the developed initiative is effective in allowing youths to ideate and innovate, the CYC also ensures that the nurturing and development of talent happens beyond the programme. Through collaborations with partners such as ST Engineering, participants will get a chance to receive rewards, incentives and prizes awarded to promising projects, to enable professional growth of participants beyond YouthxHack.

 

Mr. Goh Eng Choon, President of Cyber at ST Engineering, said, “In the dynamic cyber world, we see the importance of imparting real-world cybersecurity competencies to our future cyber defenders. The collaboration with Cyber Youth Singapore provides a platform where we can efficiently engage more young cybersecurity enthusiasts. In line with our vision to build up cybersecurity talent in Singapore, YouthxHack cultivates a proactive mindset in participants and provides support to help them push the boundaries of cyber technology. This is where our expertise comes in to guide and provide insights into how their solutions can be implemented in real-life scenarios.”

 

CYS Summit 2022 (CYSummit’22)

 

During the YouthxHack 2022 closing ceremony, Minister of State for Culture, Community and Youth & Trade and Industry, Mr Alvin Tan, announced that CYS will be organising Singapore’s largest youth-in-tech conference (CYSummit 2022) in December. The conference will feature 3 days of curated activities aimed at connecting both the industry and youths together to facilitate knowledge exchange, skill and career development. The summit also serves as a platform for CYS to advocate and campaign for causes and issues deemed important to the youth-in-tech movement. These causes include, diversity & inclusion, mental health & wellness, digital literacy & awareness. The summit is free of charge and is only open to youths in Singapore (aged 35 years and below). 

 

Chief Executive (Designate) of the CYS Cyber Youth Collective Division, Mr Aaron Ang said, “I am honoured to have been part of the team behind YouthxHack 2022. This initiative is a sneak peek of the many activities and initiatives that CYS has lined up for youths in Singapore. I am very excited about the CYSummit in December, where we will celebrate youth and technology in Singapore. I urge all youths to keep a lookout on our social media platforms and join us for CYSummit 2022!”

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CYS Re-launch Ceremony

Cyber Youth Singapore (CYS) was re-launched on 29 March 2022 by Senior Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security, Mr Teo Chee Hean.

 

The highlights of the ceremony included the unveiling of CYS’ renewed plans and directions, the recognition of industry partners raising a total of SGD$265,000 for CYS, and the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with JTC Corporation to anchor a pipeline of tech talents in the Punggol Digital District (PDD) through co-organising youth-focused activities.

 

It is CYS’ pleasure to share our impact in empowering approximately 5,000 Singaporean youths through various development programmes and initiatives since our establishment in 2019. Furthermore, having received Charity status in November 2021 will enable us to further our vision of preparing youth for the digital future.

 

Here at CYS, we remain steadfast in our commitment to empower young Singaporeans towards the long-term sustainability of Singapore’s digital future! Most importantly, we would like to express our heartfelt appreciation to all CYS volunteers who have been a part of our journey thus far. 

 

Read the full speech by SM Teo here. 

 

 

Posted by Aaron / Chief Executive (CYC)

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New programme to educate secondary school students on safe cyber habits in the works

CYS - Acronis
SINGAPORE – About 100,000 students will be taught safe cyber habits via an upcoming programme to be implemented in secondary schools here.

Titled the Surf Safe Campaign, the programme is an initiative by non-profit organisation Cyber Youth Singapore.

The organisation entered into a partnership with cyber protection firm Acronis for the programme, with both parties inking a memorandum of understanding on Monday (Jan 17).

The programme is slated to run for three years and engage about 50,000 students within the first two years.

It aims to educate the students on issues such as cyber bullying, the importance of surfing the internet safely and having a strong password.

The programme will be implemented in schools by Cyber Youth Singapore, and will be tailored for each school, to suit its needs and learning objectives.

The Surf Safe Campaign is supported by the Digital for Life movement, which aims to equip Singaporeans with digital skills and help bridge the digital divide.

The national movement’s fund – to support activities that promote good digital habits such as in the areas of cyber safety and media literacy – was set up by the Infocomm Media Development Authority in February last year.

Mr Xavier Low, chief executive of Cyber Youth Academy, a division of Cyber Youth Singapore, said on Monday that the Surf Safe Campaign will be implemented in schools starting between late February and early March.

Besides talks, the programme will consist of activities and games for students available at booths in the schools.

Mr Low said volunteers, mainly from polytechnics, will also be engaging students to determine whether there are gaps in their understanding of the content taught.

“We will be able to identify the flaws (in the programme), make the changes, and come back next year… to better increase the level of engagement and understanding (with students),” he added.

Mr Low said the programme might be extended after its third year, and cover other vulnerable groups in the community such as the elderly and lower-income families.

More children here faced cyber risks in 2020 than 2019, according to a study released in February last year by tech giant Google.

A higher percentage of parents surveyed here said their child had viewed inappropriate content, overshared information on social media, or faced hacking or cyber bullying, as compared with the year before.

Scams have also made the headlines recently, with nearly 470 people losing at least $8.5 million since the start of December to phishing scams targeting OCBC Bank customers.

The bank has said about $2.7 million of the amount was lost over the Christmas weekend.
Article from: New programme to educate secondary school students on safe cyber habits in the works
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Acronis joins hands with Cyber Youth Singapore to equip local teens with good cyber habits amid growing cyberthreats

acronis

Embarking on a 3-year pilot program to educate 100,000 secondary school students to become digitally resilient citizens through cyber wellness, media literacy and cybersecurity trainings

SINGAPORE, January 17, 2021 – Acronis, the global leader in cyber protection and Cyber Youth Singapore (CYS), today announced a partnership for the Surf Safe Campaign, that is supported by the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), as part of Singapore’s national movement – Digital for Life.  Through the movement, like-minded partners across private, public and people sectors work together to help Singaporeans embrace digital as a lifelong pursuit, so as to enrich their lives and build a safe and inclusive digital society for all. The Surf Safe Campaign aims to reinforce Singapore’s digital security by nurturing secondary school students into digitally resilient citizens. 

 

Fuelled by the pandemic, remote work and remote education became the default format for hundreds of millions across the globe. With the rise of cybercrimes, the number of youths falling victim to cyberattacks has surged globally. As for Singapore, nearly 4 in 10 people here, or 37%, reported being victims of at least one cybersecurity incident last year – according to findings from the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore’s (CSA) Cybersecurity Awareness Survey. Findings prove that while more people are aware of cyber threats, many still believe that they will not be targeted by cyber criminals – including younger generations. 

 

The Surf Safe Campaign aims to educate 100,000 secondary school students on the importance of surfing the internet safely over the next three years – with 50,000 students educated over the first two years. Piloting in 2022 and implemented by CYS, the engagement plan will be curated and tailored to suit each secondary school’s unique needs and learning objectives. 

 

“CYS is grateful to IMDA, Acronis and our other content partners who have gracefully extended support towards this campaign and we’re more than excited to work together. We encourage more partners to join us in this meaningful campaign and be part of the Digital for Life movement,” says Xavier Low, Chief Executive of Cyber Youth Academy. “With the Surf Safe campaign, CYS hopes to educate secondary school students on the importance of cyber wellness, media literacy, and cybersecurity, and see the betterment of digital awareness and adoption in the younger citizens,” add Denzel Chen and Olivia Xavier, Programme Heads of the Surf Safe Campaign at Cyber Youth Academy.

 

As the most frequent technology consumers and early adapters, youth will remain at the forefront of the digital era. Teaching youth how to keep themselves safe online, in turn, protects Singapore’s digital future. The Surf Safe Campaign aims to equip our younger generation with good cyber habits, which they would be able to carry back to their homes and the rest of the nation.

 

“Acronis is honoured to partner with CYS to reinforce our nation’s digital security by nurturing digitally savvy youths. It’s never been more important for our young people to focus on cybersecurity and cyber wellness,” said Stanislav Protassov, Acronis Co-founder & Technology President. “As a Singaporean cyber protection unicorn, it is a part of our DNA to contribute back to the society by helping build up cyber awareness – be it by educating businesses or the general public, as well as training a pool of cybersecurity talent in Singapore.” 

 

Working with various organisations through its CSR arm, the Acronis Cyber Foundation, Acronis has been actively promoting cyber literacy and education for youth communities in Singapore – and around the world.  

About Cyber Youth Singapore

Cyber Youth Singapore (CYS) is a non-profit organization founded in 2019 and was awarded a charity status in 2021. Our work revolves around empowering youth in Singapore to discover their passion in technology while providing them with opportunities to be innovative in giving back to the community.

CYS manages a membership base of over 1,700 youths and is also Singapore’s first charitable youth movement focused on advancing the digital future. Management at CYS is unique. We are mostly volunteer-run, with trainees and interns occasionally joining us to lead projects. CYS is overseen by a Board of Directors and a Council of Youths. The organization is advised by an Advisory Panel consisting of senior leaders across the nation.

The activities and initiatives of CYS are guided by three pillars. From technical workshops to attachment programmes to awareness talks and innovation initiatives, we aim to nurture and develop a digitally robust generation capable of traversing Singapore’s digital frontier.

About Acronis Cyber Foundation

Since its inception in 2018, Acronis Cyber Foundation has been connecting various communities through education, to unlock the potential for a better-shared future.

Our motto, “Knowledge should be available to all” sets our core purpose and values. With three initiatives in mind – building schools in underserved communities, providing IT skills programs and publishing books, Acronis Cyber Foundation hopes to reach anyone ready to build a more knowledgeable future.

The Foundation aims to build 18 schools by 2023 – and more globally to allow thousands of children have access to quality education in a safe and clean environment, to take their first path to bigger opportunities. We developed IT skills programs all around the world that specifically serve ex-offenders, migrants and veterans, by giving them the skills to get new jobs. We also create books for children and their families, to inspire them to think creatively outside the box and explore the wonders of science.

About Acronis

Acronis unifies data protection and cybersecurity to deliver integrated, automated cyber protection that solves the safety, accessibility, privacy, authenticity, and security (SAPAS) challenges of the modern digital world. With flexible deployment models that fit the demands of service providers and IT professionals, Acronis provides superior cyber protection for data, applications, and systems with innovative next-generation antivirus, backup, disaster recovery, and endpoint protection management solutions powered by AI. With advanced anti-malware powered by cutting-edge machine intelligence and blockchain based data authentication technologies, Acronis protects any environment – from cloud to hybrid to on premises – at a low and predictable cost.

Founded in Singapore in 2003 and incorporated in Switzerland in 2008, Acronis now has more than 1,700 employees in 34 locations in 19 countries. Our Acronis Cyber Protect solution is available in 25 languages in over 150 countries and is used by over 20,000 service providers to protect over 750,000 businesses.

About Digital for Life (DfL) Movement

The DfL movement was launched by President Halimah Yacob on 8 February 2021 to help build a digitally inclusive society. The movement aims to galvanize the community to help Singaporeans embrace digital as a lifelong pursuit, and to enrich their lives through digital. The DfL movement supports projects and activities that promote Digital Technology and Inclusion and Digital Literacy and Wellness.
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Cyber Youth Singapore Driving Cyber Resilience

youth cybersecurity

Cyber Youth Singapore (CYS), a non-profit, youth-led programme focused on developing Singapore’s digital future, partnering with a cybersecurity firm, launched the first Cyber Youth Singapore Summit 2021. Themed “Our Future: Youth in Technology”, the summit engaged more than 500 youths from secondary schools to universities.

 

The summit, organised and managed wholly by youths was conceptualised to bring Singapore’s youth tech community together to ignite and nurture their interest in cybersecurity and the wider tech domains. The youth organisers behind the summit sought to deepen their peers’ understanding and exposure to the industry to enable their generation to play a bigger role in the nation’s cyber defence.

 

By partnering with a cybersecurity firm, the summit provided real-world expertise and industry insights to the participants. This allowed aspiring cyber talents to acquire practical tips and useful information that can give them a head start when pursuing a career in cybersecurity.

 

Held in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the summit created a platform that served as a beacon of hope and unity across all youths in Singapore in this time of crisis, rallying all young people together to focus on and solidify Singapore’s digital future.

CYS will remain committed to building a united youth in the tech community, transforming the way the youths explore their interests in cybersecurity and the wider tech domains.

President and CEO of CYS

The summit’s capstone activity was a Virtual Capture-the-Flag Competition with a coveted prize of S$5,000. This cybersecurity competition required participants to apply their skillsets to break into simulated machines. Three different competition tracks were created for different age groups with varying skill levels. Virtual hands-on training modules were provided for youths in the secondary school category.

 

The summit featured an activity where the cybersecurity firm shared their deep cybersecurity research efforts, and how they develop bespoke solutions and proprietary technologies to tackle advanced cyber threats. The company’s employee also talked about the innovation he helped come up with. He also described what his teammates do.

 

To encourage unity, bonding and friendship among youths, the summit also featured a “Gaming Day” where participants competed in various gaming sessions. The final competitions for the top teams and the awarding of prizes to the winning teams were streamed live. The summit concluded with the Cyber Youth Day where a suite of career talks, webinars, panel discussions, and project showcases by industry and academic partners, were conducted.

 

Organisations supporting the CYSummit were also invited to showcase their capabilities through the Virtual Booth Showcase, allowing participants to explore the booths and gain industry knowledge. The participants also had the opportunity to interact with the tech industry professionals through the live chat function.

 

As reported by OpenGov Asia, As the digital world becomes a larger part of our lives, cyber threats increase in both impact and frequency. The global trend in the cyber landscape is for attacks to be less profit-motivated.

 

To address this, a Singaporean telecommunications provider is launching a new suite of cybersecurity solutions developed in collaboration with an India-based global IT solutions provider. Cybersecurity consulting, incident response, data protection, vulnerability testing, managed firewall, and managed endpoint are all part of the new suite of solutions

 

The offering is primarily aimed at Singapore’s small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), with the telco claiming that the new suite comes at a time when nearly half of all reported crimes in Singapore are cybercrime-related. Indeed, the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA) last month flagged an increase in cyber threats, such as ransomware and online scams, during 2020.

Original Link: Cyber Youth Singapore Driving Cyber Resilience

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First-of-its Kind Memorandum Of Understanding Signed Between Youth Non-profit Organisation And Local University

SUTD
SINGAPORE – Cyber Youth Singapore (CYS) and the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) will be signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Saturday, 28 August 2021. This MOU marks the start of a close working partnership between CYS and SUTD to co-create opportunities for all youths in tech in Singapore.

This unique, first-of-its-kind collaboration between a local Institute of Higher Learning (IHL) and a non-profit youth organisation aims to bring the people and academic sectors together to develop and nurture Singapore’s future tech talents. The MOU will be signed by the CYS Deputy Chief Executive for Strategy, Mr Alwis Lim, and the SUTD Provost, Professor Phoon Kok Kwang. The signing will be witnessed by CYS’ President & Chief Executive Officer, Mr Ben Chua, and SUTD’s President, Professor Chong Tow Chong. The ceremony will be graced by Dr Janil Puthucheary, Senior Minister of State for the Ministry of Communications and Information and the Ministry of Health.

The MOU will facilitate the creation of attachment programmes for youths of any age group1 and background in Singapore to be attached to university faculty to work on selected research projects. This special arrangement will significantly augment the opportunities available to youths passionate about technology in Singapore. The free-of-charge attachment programme will allow interested and passionate youths to exercise their digital creativity, to create solutions and realise ideas, under the supervision of SUTD faculty.

The MOU will also enable automatic enrolment of all current and future SUTD Computer Science and Design students as members of CYS’ Cyber Youth Collective2 when the official membership system launches next year. The full terms of the MOU can be found in the attached factsheets below.

This partnership with SUTD signifies CYS’ aim to build relationships with all local IHLs. As organisations deeply rooted in technology and the development of future tech talents, the fundamental objectives of both CYS and SUTD are aligned.
1 Participants will be screened to ensure that they have a minimal level of technical knowledge.
2 The Cyber Youth Collective is the brand name for CYS’ membership pool.
Mr Alwis Lim, CYS Deputy Chief Executive for Strategy said: “We believe that this first-of-its-kind community-academia partnership will expose our members to industry experiences in Singapore’s tech landscape while leveraging on SUTD’s unique learning pedagogy and their rich pool of expert resources. With the different opportunities cultivated from this partnership, we are confident that our youths are able to seize them and support their personal growth in their skill and career development. This MOU marks an important first step that will open the door for CYS to establish more partnerships with other IHLs, which in turn opens more opportunities for our youth.”

Professor Phoon Kok Kwang, SUTD Provost, added: “SUTD is proud to be the first Singapore university to partner with CYS to nurture the next generation of information technology professionals and cyber defenders. Leveraging SUTD’s interdisciplinary education and expertise in advanced technology and research in areas such as artificial intelligence, robotics, critical infrastructure protection and more, we aim to actively engage the youth community to expose and raise their interest in technology and design innovation.”

Dr Janil Puthucheary, Senior Minister of State for the Ministry of Communications and Information and the Ministry of Health, who will be the guest of honour for the signing ceremony has this to say, “As Singapore progresses into a smart nation, we will require more tech talents who will help us build a resilient and vibrant digital economy, and a world-class city that gives our citizens the best home possible. The MOU between SUTD and CYS today is a clear demonstration of how our Institute of Higher Learning and community can collaborate to deepen the skills of our youths in the area of technology. Indeed, our youths of today are the leaders of tomorrow. I am looking forward to more of such partnerships, where our youths can receive good support to deepen their skills and knowledge and realise their aspirations in the digital economy.”

The MOU signing was also attended and witnessed by close partners of both CYS and SUTD. They include the student club leaders from all five polytechnics in Singapore, the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore, the Infocomm Media Development Authority of Singapore, Ensign InfoSecurity and the Ministry of Defence / Singapore Armed Forces C4 Command.

This partnership between CYS and SUTD will further amplify shared efforts to champion new ideas and opportunities in the technology scene with the common aim to develop the next generation of tech talents.
Please refer to the attached factsheets for more information on the signing ceremony, the terms of collaboration between CYS and SUTD and other additional information.

About the Singapore University of Technology and Design

The Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) is one of the first universities in the world to incorporate the art and science of design and technology into a truly holistic interdisciplinary education and research experience that culminates in real-world design innovations. SUTD seeks to advance knowledge and nurture technically-grounded leaders and innovators to serve societal needs. SUTD also topped a list of emerging engineering schools in the world in a study commissioned by MIT. 

A research-intensive university, SUTD is distinguished by its unique East and West academic programmes that incorporate design thinking, human-centred innovation, entrepreneurship, coupled with local and international industry collaborations. SUTD’s key focus areas are Healthcare, Cities and Aviation, with Artificial Intelligence/Data Science and Digital Manufacturing capabilities across all of them. Multiple post-graduate opportunities are available. Skill-based professional education and training courses are also available at SUTD Academy. www.sutd.edu.sg

About Cyber Youth Singapore

Cyber Youth Singapore is a non-profit national movement, administered by a Board of Directors and the Council of Youths, committed to serving Singapore and the advancement of education in the area of technology in Singapore. It is Singapore’s first youth ground up movement focused on bringing youths in tech together to secure Singapore’s digital future.

In summary, Cyber Youth Singapore currently has over 1,700 members and is expected to grow to over 10,000 members strong in 7 years. Currently, our scope of youths are individuals presently enrolled in secondary schools, ITEs, polytechnics, junior colleges, and universities.

Cyber Youth Singapore serves to build and establish a strong foundation for our digital future. More information about Cyber Youth Singapore can be found here:
https://cyberyouth.sg & https://go.cyberyouth.sg/CYS-General-Info-Deck
For media enquiries, please contact:
Charis TAY
Deputy Director, CYS Comms
Email: charis.tay@cyberyouth.sg
Faith LIM
Deputy Director, CYS Comms
Email: faith.lim@cyberyouth.sg
Deborah Quek
Assistant Director, SUTD Marketing
Email: deborahquek@sutd.edu.sg

Event Details

Date: Saturday, 28 August 2021
Time: 1045 to 1230
Venue: Albert Hong Lecture Theatre Singapore University of Technology and Design Campus 8 Somapah Rd, Singapore 487372
Safe Management Measures: There will be no pre-event swabbing for this ceremony. All guests will be grouped into groups of 5 and should not mingle with anyone outside their assigned groups.

Event Flow

10:45a.m. – 11:00a.m.
Registration
Registration starts at 10:45
11:00a.m. – 11:25a.m.
Guest Networking
Outside Albert Hong Lecture Theatre
11:25a.m. – 11:35a.m.
Guests be Seated
Head into Albert Hong Lecture Theatre to be seated
Event Start
11:35a.m.
Arrival of GOH
–
11:35a.m. – 11:45a.m.
Address by SUTD
SUTD representative to give an address on areas of collaboration with CYS, highlight potential future programmes and hopes for the future.
11:45a.m. – 11:55a.m.
Address by CYS
CYS representative to give an address on areas of collaboration with SUTD, highlighting the opportunities for the community with SUTD.
11:55a.m. – 12:00p.m.
MOU Signing
–
12:00p.m. – 12:05p.m.
Photo Taking
Photo opportunity of signed MOUs with signatories, witnesses and GOH.
12:05p.m. – 12:30p.m.
SUTD Facility Tour
Photo opportunity during tour + doorstop with GOH.
12:30p.m.
End of Event
Doorstop with CYS and SUTD.

Full Terms of Collaboration

2.1 Co-creating opportunities for the engagement and development of CYS’ community’s (Cyber Youth Collective) members in the area of technology;

2.2 Co-creating opportunities for Cyber Youth Collective members such as sharing sessions to explore and be introduced to cybersecurity efforts in Critical Infrastructure protection and its significance in our Digital Future;

2.3 Co-creating opportunities for Cyber Youth Collective members to explore and understand the offerings of SUTD, through engagement programmes such as campus tours and sharing sessions;

2.4 Co-creation of an attachment programme whereby Cyber Youth Collective members will be able to be attached to select research projects provisioned by iTrust Research Centre;

2.5 Automatically enrolling all current and future SUTD Computer Science and Design (CSD) students as members of the Cyber Youth Collective and opening the option for other SUTD students to join;

2.6 Mutual marketing of programmes and initiatives by both CYS and SUTD to its respective communities; and

2.7 Establishing SUTD as an Institutional Partner for CYSummit’21 and its future iterations.

SUTD & CYS Additional Information

SUTD

Students who discover their interest in cybersecurity can consider joining SUTD’s Computer Science and Design degree programme, which offers the Security Track. This track will develop state-of-the-art knowledge in network security, system security, etc., to nurture students for careers in information security and cybersecurity.

Post-graduation, SUTD also offers the Master of Science in Security by Design programme, which focuses on the design stage of cybersecurity for critical infrastructure and enterprise networks — bringing cybersecurity talents to the next level of expertise. This Master programme develops a special type of cybersecurity expert, who can not only ensure the online security of organisations, but more importantly, design cybersecurity systems of large scale public infrastructures such as power grid, water treatment and distribution, transportation, and oil and gas processing, and more.

CYS

Together with the MOU signing, CYS announced three initiatives to be launched in the coming year in partnership with SUTD. CYS aims to continue collaborating with the people, public and private sectors to co-create, develop and launch initiatives that will be beneficial for youth who seek opportunities to explore their interests in tech and improve themselves. Youths can hold their anticipation towards these initiatives that CYS will deliver. All programmes will be free of charge and made accessible to all youths in our community.

Youth x Industry. The attachment programme co-created and launched by CYS and SUTD will be under this initiative. The attachment programme will feature short stints of 4 weeks where any youth, ranging from secondary school to university students, can apply to be attached to selected research projects in SUTD.  The programme will effectively allow direct exposure and knowledge transfer to passionate youths in the community to gain deeper appreciation of Cybersecurity and Future Communications Security, including in areas such as Critical Infrastructure Protection, to create a steady pipeline of future cyber defenders.

Youth x Bootcamp. Youths can anticipate a 2 to 3-day bootcamp run by CYS and SUTD that consists of exposure and exploratory workshops that allow youths to gain a deeper appreciation and understanding about the cyber domain and to develop competency in the area. The workshops will also leverage SUTD’s distinctive strengths in design innovation and interdisciplinary learning applied in the fields of digital technologies.

Youth Explore. CYS will engage researchers from SUTD in meetup sessions to expose youths to the area of Cybersecurity and Future Communications Security. Youths can expect project showcases, expert sharing and many more activities to demystify the sector and foster an interest in the crucial cybersecurity domain.
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Cyber Youth Singapore Launches CYSummit’21, The Largest, First Of Its Kind Youth Tech Summit In Singapore

CYSummit21
  • Cyber Youth Singapore, the nation’s youth-driven cyber community, engaged more than 500 youths in its first virtual conference together with public and private sector partners
  • Ensign InfoSecurity, as the Patron of the Youth sponsor, also shared industry insights and domain knowledge to deepen the participants’ understanding of the sector

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 22 July 2021 – Cyber Youth Singapore (CYS), a non-profit, youth led programme focused on developing Singapore’s digital future, partnered with Ensign InfoSecurity (Ensign), Asia’s  largest, pure-play cybersecurity firm to launch the first Cyber Youth Singapore Summit 2021 (CYSummit’21) .

Themed “Our Future: Youth in Technology” , CYSummit engaged more than 500 youths from secondary schools to universities from 21st to 25th June 2021. CYSummit’21, organised and managed wholly by youths was conceptualised to bring Singapore’s youth tech community together to ignite and nurture their interest in cybersecurity and the wider tech domains. The youth organisers behind the summit sought to deepen their peers’ understanding and exposure to the industry to enable their generation to play a bigger role in our nation’s cyber defence.

 

CYS also brought on board Ensign as its Patron of the Youth to provide real-world expertise and industry insights to the participants. This allowed aspiring cyber talents to acquire practical tips and useful information that can give them a head-start when pursuing a career in cybersecurity. 

 

Held in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the summit created a platform that served as a beacon of hope and unity across all youths in Singapore in this time of crisis, rallying all young people together to focus on and solidify Singapore’s digital future.

 

The summit’s capstone activity was a Virtual Capture-the-Flag Competition with a coveted prize of S$5,000. Powered by Pentester Academy, this cybersecurity competition required participants to apply their skillsets to break into simulated machines. Three different competition tracks were created for different age groups with varying skill levels. Virtual hands-on training modules were provided for youths in the secondary school category.

Here are the other highlights for the summit this year:
  • Ensign Day: The summit featured an ‘Ensign Day’ where Ensign shared their deep cybersecurity research efforts, and how they develop bespoke solutions and proprietary technologies to tackle advanced cyber threats. An Ensign employee also talked about the innovation he helped come up with. He also described what his teammates do. The youths were also given a preview of Ensign’s job opportunities.
  • Esports: To encourage unity, bonding and friendship among our youths, the summit also featured a “Gaming Day” where participants competed in various gaming sessions (Friendly Minecraft Session, Valorant & League of Legends Competitions). The final competitions for the top teams, and the awarding of prizes to the winning teams of Valorant and League of Legends, were streamed live.
  • Cyber Youth Day: The summit concluded with the Cyber Youth Day where a suite of career talks, webinars, panel discussions, and project showcases by industry and academic partners, were conducted. The Cyber Youth Day was graced by Dr Janil Puthucheary, Senior Minister of State for the Ministry of Information and Communications. The President of the Cyber Youth Collective, Mr Ben Chua also delivered the State of the Collective address. The address outlined CYS’ journey over the past two years, changes to our organisation, as well as our future plans.
  • Booth Showcase by Partners and Sponsors: Organisations supporting the CYSummit were also invited to showcase their capabilities through the Virtual Booth Showcase, allowing participants to explore the booths, and gain industry knowledge. The participants also had the opportunity to interact with the tech industry professionals through the live chat function.

“It’s amazing how far we have come since our humble beginnings back in 2019, to where we are today as a community. We will remain committed to building a united youth in the tech community, transforming the way our youths explore their interests in cybersecurity and the wider tech domains,” said Mr Ben Chua, President and CEO of CYS.

 

The summit was graced by the Senior Minister of State for the Ministry of Communications and Information, Dr Janil Puthucheary. “Cybersecurity is a key enabler of Singapore’s transformation into a Smart Nation and digital economy. The inaugural CYSummit exemplifies the Government’s continual efforts in working with the community to build up our cyber talent pipeline and prepare more of our youths for the jobs in this exciting arena. Over the years, CSA has been working closely with partners like CYS under the SG Cyber Youth initiative, to provide opportunities for youths to explore cybersecurity as a career and expose them to relevant technical knowledge and soft skills. We welcome more industry partners such as employers, academia, associations and communities to come forward to play a role in nurturing a cybersecurity culture and shaping the cyber landscape.” Dr Janil said.

 

The support from various sector partners was instrumental in making this youth summit a success. Ensign, through its engagement at CYSummit’21, helped spark greater awareness and interest for youths to explore cybersecurity, and provided industry insights to those looking to join the cybersecurity workforce in the future. Ensign has been a key supporter of CYS and its programmes since its early days. In March 2021, CYS and Ensign signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that will deliver engagement, mentorship, and skills-training opportunities to enhance youth’s employability in the burgeoning cybersecurity sector. It will also look at placing 15 youths in Ensign’s internship programme. Ensign’s firm advocacy for youth development in cybersecurity is part of its greater commitment to develop a robust, vibrant cyber talent pool in Singapore.

 

“The high level of enthusiasm and participation at CYSummit’21 is a clear signal that the industry is moving in the right direction, in terms of getting youths excited about cybersecurity, and youth engagement will remain vital in nurturing the next generation of cyber talents. Ensign will continue to work with industry partners such as CYS to support youths with the passion and aptitude for cybersecurity to pursue a rewarding, meaningful career in this growing sector,” said Ms Tammie Tham, Chief Executive Officer of Ensign InfoSecurity.

 

The summit truly embodies unity across the community, as well as private and public sectors, to ensure the development of Singapore’s future – our youths. CYS serves as a hub and people connector, bringing together private partners such as Ensign, PCS Security, the Association of Information Security Professionals, and Pentester Academy. This is in addition to partners from the public sector, namely the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore and the Defence Science & Technology Agency. Strong support is also observed from Singapore’s Institutes of Learning, that have strongly encouraged participation of their students. These institutes include Singapore Polytechnic, Temasek Polytechnic, Republic Polytechnic, Ngee Ann Polytechnic, the Institute of Technical Education, National University of Singapore, and Singapore University of Technology and Design.

 

The summit was organised by CYS with Ensign as the Patron of the Youth.

 

Please refer to Appendix A for more information about the CYSummit 2021.

Appendix A

Event Factsheet

This June, in the midst of the biggest crisis of our generation, our Singaporean youths are rallying in common interest, towards a common goal – securing Singapore’s digital future.

 

This inaugural summit is not like any other technology event. It is wholly organised and managed by youths, bringing together for the first time, multiple partners across the people, private and public sectors. An event at this scale, with this construct, is the first of its kind in ASEAN. The summit aims to bring youths in Singapore together, to help them find their passion and interest in technology.

 

Through the summit, CYS will establish a united youth establishment, capable of making a difference towards Singapore’s digital economy and well-being of its citizens through the power of technology.

List of Summit Sponsors & Partners

Category
Organisation
Patron of the Youth
Ensign InfoSecurity
Diamond
Cyber Security Agency of Singapore
PCS Security
Silver
Association of Information Security Professionals
Defence Science & Technology Agency
Powered By
Pentester Academy
Institutional Partners
Institute of Technical Education
Ngee Ann Polytechnic
Republic Polytechnic
Temasek Polytechnic
Singapore Polytechnic
National University of Singapore
Singapore University of Technology and Design

Summit Schedule

Track Legend:
Abbreviation
Definition
SS
Secondary School
JPI

Junior College, Polytechnic, ITE, NSFs

UNI

University

Social Media Pages and Contact Details

Cyber Youth Singapore
Link
Official Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/cyberyouthsg/

Official Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/cyberyouthsg/

Official Website
https://www.cyberyouth.sg/
Official Email

contactus@cyberyouth.sg

Official Hashtag
#cyberyouthsg
Ensign InfoSecurity
Link
Official Website

https://www.ensigninfosecurity.com/

Official Email

marketing@ensigninfosecurity.com

Recording of Guest of Honor's Address

Link to address recording: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1SqVAU-ptmoT5Uf7NnJVUZeEXBWrV7qfO/view?usp=sharing

Recording of Patron of the Youth's Address

Link to address recording: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1FR2pFL658RNIs1fRSiCm36EPmcUgb19H/view?usp=sharing

Recording of State of the Collective Address

Link to address recording: https://drive.google.com/file/d/11Ns_HoAxLBeRnI9MZkuSgLBFYdKXw1Yt/view?usp=sharing

About Cyber Youth Singapore

Cyber Youth Singapore is a youth-led non-profit organisation made up of approximately 100 youth volunteers in its management committee and with 1,300 youth members on its online communication platform, Discord. The idea for an open platform and community for youths to explore their cybersecurity interest was conceptualised when a group of 10 youths came together to set the foundations of this community.

 

The advancement of technology in recent years has seen Singapore coming up with government-led programmes to generate interests amongst youth to enter the tech scene. Interests peaked but it led to a problem – there were no permanent avenues for interested youths to further develop and grow their interests in tech. Hence, Cyber Youth Singapore was founded to be the permanent avenue for youths to hone and develop their interests in technology.

 

This secular and apolitical community serves only to provide youths with a safe environment to responsibly explore their interest in cybersecurity while giving back to society through public education. At the end of their fruitful journey in Cyber Youth Singapore, youths would not only have been developed and nurtured in their technical skills but also in terms of soft skills. A holistic and all-rounded experiential journey, covering self and leadership discovery is how Cyber Youth Singapore is envisioned to be. The value this would bring to youths in Singapore fuelled the creation of this community.

 

Over the past two years since its inception, CYS has impacted and reached more than 3,000 youths across Singapore. Through monthly meetups, workshops, seminars and programmes aimed at youth empowerment, CYS has been able to value add the development of the local youth in tech community. More information about CYS can be found on our website at www.cyberyouth.sg .

About Ensign InfoSecurity

Ensign InfoSecurity is the largest, pure-play end-to-end cybersecurity service provider in Asia. Headquartered in Singapore, Ensign offers bespoke solutions and services to address their clients’ cybersecurity needs. Their core competencies are in the provision of cybersecurity advisory and assurance services, architecture design and systems integration services, and managed security services for advanced threat detection, threat hunting, and incident response. Underpinning these competencies is in-house research and development in cybersecurity. Ensign has two decades of proven track record as a trusted and relevant service provider, serving clients from the public and private sectors in the Asia Pacific region.

 

For more information, visit  www.ensigninfosecurity.com or email  marketing@ensigninfosecurity.com.

Original Link: Cyber Youth Singapore Launches CYSummit’21, The Largest, First Of Its Kind Youth Tech Summit In Singapore

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