The Young Singaporeans Conference (YSC) is a marquee event on the IPS calendar. Held biennially, the conference gathers young Singaporeans who have shown leadership or excellence in their respective fields to discuss issues of national interest and public policy. To read more about the YSC series and previous conferences, click here.
YSC 2026 will be conducted over two days. This year’s conference theme is “Future Makers” and will focus on Singapore’s declining total fertility rate (TFR). The conference aims to understand young Singaporeans’ perspectives on having children, and to serve as a catalyst for young Singaporean thought leaders to collectively address the challenges contributing to Singapore’s low TFR.
The conference takes a deliberate focus on building social capital by connecting diverse groups of young Singaporeans with policymakers and experts. The conference also seeks to harness youth collective intelligence by appointing Youth Leaders to guide group discussions and shape ideas on specific topic domains with fellow youth.
Day One, the Pre-Conference Engagement, will be held on Saturday, 12 September 2026, and will comprise guided policy deliberations and a dialogue session with the Guest-of-Honour, Ms Goh Hanyan, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth, and the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment.
Day Two, the main Conference, will be held on Wednesday, 14 October 2026, and will feature panel discussions, group discussions, group presentations, and a dialogue session with the Guest-of-Honour, Ms Jasmin Lau, Minister of State for the Ministry of Digital Development and Information, and the Ministry of Education.
A selected group of 25–30 confirmed candidates will be appointed as Youth Leaders and invited to participate in Day One: Pre-Conference Engagement. All other participants will attend the main Conference on Day Two only. All participants are also required to attend an online Information Session on Friday, 18 September 2026, from 12.30 pm – 1.30 pm. During this session, we will clarify participants’ roles and responsibilities, and provide an opportunity for groups to meet and interact. From 18 September to 14 October, all participants will work together on a policy brief, led by the Youth Leaders and mentored by IPS Resource Persons. Participants will present policy suggestions from these briefs at the main Conference. After the Conference, participants will be given two weeks to refine and complete their policy briefs. All nominated candidates may indicate their preference to participate as a Youth Leader when making their submissions.
This year, we will be selecting several participants for the conference via an Open Call. To express your interest in participating in YSC 2026, please make a creative submission by responding to prompts under the following five domains. These domains will be explored during the conference and will be used to guide participant groupings:
- Relationships and Romance
- Housing, Setting Up Home of Own
- Career and Personal Aspirations
- Caregiving and other Family Duties
- Positive Parenting Experiences
The submission task is available here. Nominees are to submit a written response of no more than 800 words.
Please note that only Singapore citizens aged 18 to 35 are eligible to be selected for the conference.
In order to ensure diverse representation at the conference, the organisers reserve the right to select candidates for participation. Only shortlisted candidates will be notified.
*Note: A registration fee applies for this conference.
Should you have any questions about the Conference, kindly write to us at decb64_aXBzLnlzY0BudXMuZWR1LnNn_decb64.