Introduction

The IRO Youth Wing serves youths and young adults aged 18 to 40 from different religions; Hindu, Jew, Zoroastrian, Buddhist, Taoist, Jain, Christian, Islam, Sikh & Baha’i. The group was refreshed in 2019, during IRO’s 70th year, with the following objectives: 

  • forging friendship among young people from across different religions
  • catalysing conversations about religion and inter-religion harmony 
  • facilitating interfaith and inter-belief dialogue 

Members of the Youth Wing attend IRO events, and also attend informal dialogues with topical spotlights on inter-religious questions, as well as talks by youth members about their own experiences. 

Monthly Catch Up

With the aim to strengthen the bond between members, IRO Youth Wing organises monthly catch up. During these sessions, members catch up with each other on their religious and interfaith engagements. Members also share about their personal developments which intensify the friendship among them.

IRO Youth Circle

The Youth Circle is an extended network of IRO Youth Wing engaging peers and friends from different beliefs. It builds friendships across different communities in Singapore with the aim of strengthening the interfaith understanding.

Kopi Sessions

The IRO Youth Kopi Sessions give youths opportunities for up-close and intimate discussions with religious, community and government leaders as well as subject matter experts in Singapore and from around the world. During these sessions, the IRO youths get an opportunity to understand the life experiences of the leaders and hear their opinions about various matters.

Untitled Conversations

IRO Youth Wing’s Untitled Conversations creates a safe space for young people to have no-holds-barred conversations on religion, inter-religion and related topics. In the inaugural session held on 25 April 2019, Singapore’s President, Mdm Halimah Yacob joined the youths as a special guest and participated in the discussions. President Halimah found the event engaging as the youths spoke candidly and exchanged views about their interfaith experiences with one another. She emphasised the need for having more of such open and candid dialogue on issues of race and religion.