The Community National Day Celebrations (CNDCs) are organised by the People’s Association (PA) Grassroots Organisations (GROs) every year for Singaporeans from all walks of life to come together to make friends and celebrate the nation’s birthday. These celebrations are also a time when Singaporeans come together as one people to sing the national anthem and recite the pledge. Some of the celebration events include National Day Dinners, block parties, carnivals and National Day Observance Ceremonies (NDOCs).

Besides taking part in the community heartland celebrations, residents are also actively involved in the lead up to the events and celebrations, be it decorating their estates or being part of the organising committees of the various events etc.

National Day Observance Ceremonies

The National Day Observance Ceremonies (NDOCs) are a key highlight of our CNDCs.

Traditionally, the National Day Observance Ceremonies (NDOCs) are held at different times across various constituencies. This year, for the first time ever, every NDOC across Singapore will be held on the same day at exactly the same time. On 9 August 2015, 9am, led by the GROs, some 500,000 Singaporeans will come together for a synchronised singing of the National Anthem and recital of the pledge as One Singapore at the NDOCs island-wide.

70 NDOCs will take place simultaneously across the island on National Day, ranging from big scale ceremonies involving residents from the entire GRC, to more intimate affairs where residents from the same neighbourhood gather at their nearby Community Clubs (CC) for the ceremony.

This significant moment will be shared not only by our GROs and residents. Many companies, clans and business associations have asked to be a part of this significant moment.

Golden Jubilee Weekend

To celebrate SG50 and the Golden Jubilee weekend, more than 250 heartland celebrations have been planned, including the NDOCs, reaching out to about one million residents. On average there will be over 80 celebrations per day between 7 and 9 August 2015.

These celebrations will revolve around the theme of “Singapore: My Heart, My Home, My Future”.

a) “Heart” is about showing care to fellow Singaporeans, where residents share with those in need.

Jurong Spring residents heeded the lesson from our pioneers – to care for everyone, regardless of race or background and always ensure that no one is left behind.

During National Day last year, a group of youths came together to find out the needs of their less privileged neighbours and work with the community to put together bags of necessities ranging from food to household essentials to help these needy families.

Encouraged by the positive response, they wanted to do even more this year. They are befriending lonely and vulnerable seniors and mentoring the youths and teenagers whom they met, who may need some guidance. They want to build a strong support network for these needy families and seniors – let them know that we are here for them.

These passionate youths will be bringing seniors down to join the community for the Community National Day Celebrations happening over the jubilee weekend but not just as participants. These seniors will be sharing their experiences on nation building so that the youths in the community can understand and appreciate their efforts and the values they held dear.

b) “Home” is about building a harmonious home, where Singaporeans of all races, ages and backgrounds come together and live in harmony.

Kreta Ayer-Kim Seng (KAKS) Citizens' Consultative Committee’s (CCC) “Our Dreams for a Better Home” saw over 1,000 cranes folded and put together to represent residents’ wish for peace and prosperity in Singapore for the next 50 years.

Origami papers and folding instructions will be placed in all the SG Funpacks for every Singaporean and PR household in KAKS. Every household member is encouraged to pen down their individual dreams and their hope for Singapore.

The consolidation of mini cranes in different colours, shapes and sizes reflected Singaporeans coming together from different races, ages, walks of life, even sizes and shapes because of our love, dreams and hope for our nation.

These mini cranes will be strung together on the wings of large cranes during our National Day Observance Ceremony on 9 August. It will be presented as KAKS’ gift to our nation. It will continue to be displayed at Kim Seng CC after National Day.

c) “Future” is about surfacing Singaporeans’ aspirations and being confident about our future.

This National Day, the residents of Pasir Ris-Punggol will not be just sharing their wishes for Singapore, but to pledge what each of them would do to help Singapore progress. It could be something as small as “I will conserve water, so that we won’t have to worry about running out of water” or “I will make friends with more neighbours to build a better neighbourhood”. Every effort, no matter how small, counts.

Residents will receive a postcard in their SG Funpacks, calling for them to join their neighbours and friends at the seven NDOCs, where they can come together to pledge their commitment, while building a SG100 LEGO structure - while building the structure, every resident will highlight his or her wish for Singapore and what he or she will pledge to do to make that wish come true.

The LEGO bricks, which come in different shapes and sizes, will also symbolise that though everyone is different, we all have a role to play in building our future. As we build on the strong foundation laid for us by our Pioneers, it is now our responsibility to carry on the Singapore Spirit and show the same resilience in overcoming challenges as we march towards SG100.

SG Funpacks Personalisation and Distribution

Many of our residents have also expressed excitement at the news that they will be receiving an SG Funpack soon for them to celebrate National Day together with their family and friends.

Our GROs are happy to lead the distribution of this 1.2 million SG Funpacks. In addition to the items that will be provided in the Funpack, many of our GROs are taking it a step further to personalise the packs for their residents. Here are some of the items that residents can look forward to receive within their funpacks:

State flags, based on feedback from residents who wanted to fly them high to show their love and commitment to Singapore. In addition, each flag will come with an explanation of unique symbolic meaning of each of its features, so that residents can better understand the significance of our flag;

Booklets on the late Mr Lee’s contributions to Singapore, to remind Singaporeans of our past and how we have gotten to where we are as a nation today;

Plant starter kits, to call on Singaporeans that, like our pioneers have done for us, we must also sow the seeds of growth they will provide for our future generations;

Water-saving thimbles, to highlight to Singaporeans our past efforts to save water and our core value of prudence;

An explanation of the significance of NEWater, to share the Singapore Story of how as a nation, we were resilient in the face of adversity and overcame what seemed an insurmountable obstacle of our lack of water; and

Items that residents can prepare at home and bring with them as they join in the Community National Day Celebrations (CNDC). Examples include:

Origami paper to fold paper cranes and pen their well wishes for Singapore

Birthday cards and bookmarks to write their wishes and pledge their commitment on what they will do for Singapore’s progress

More than 50,000 GRLs and volunteers will be a part of the packing of the additional items into the Funpacks and distributing them, leading up to National Day.

Residents will be receiving a letter from their GROs before 15 July 2015, informing them of the collection method for their SG Funpack. Residents who misplaced their postcard and letter can redeem their SG Funpacks using their NRICs.

There is no one size fits all approach when it comes to the distribution of these Funpacks but our GROs are working on making it a memorable and meaningful experience for residents.

Join us and be part of the Celebrations

These are just some of the interesting Community National Day Celebrations activities leading up to our nation’s birthday. Visit your nearest Community Centre or follow them on social media to find out more!

About Singapore50

Singapore is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its independence in 2015. It is a time to celebrate what we have been through as a nation, the little things that make us Singaporean and our hopes and dreams for the future. Singaporeans can look forward to a variety of national and community programmes in the year-long celebrations. They are also invited to plan and organise their own activities, which could be supported by the SG50 Celebrations Fund. To guide and coordinate the plans for the 50th anniversary celebrations, a Singapore50 Steering Committee has been formed, comprising representatives from the public, private and people sectors. For more information on SG50, please visit www.Singapore50.sg.