Families are the bedrock of our society, a strong pillar of support for Singaporeans. The Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) has dedicated 2022 as the Year of Celebrating SG Families (YCF). Led by the Families for Life (FFL) Council with support from the Alliance for Action to Strengthen Marriages and Family Relationships(AFAM), the YCF is a whole-of-society movement which celebrates the importance of our families.
The movement was marked with various events and activities for families to spend time together, get to know each other and in turn learn to appreciate each other more. Here are some of the highlights:
Kicking off with FamilyTrees (12 Mar)
YCF kicked off in March with the launch of FamilyTrees, a joint collaboration with The National Parks Board as part of the OneMillionTrees movement. Through FamilyTrees, parents commemorate the birth of their newborn by planting a tree—an apt reminder of the need to sow the seeds of strong relationships, and how families will grow with us as we weather the seasons.
Mother’s Day and Father’s Day with DADs for Life and MUMs for Life (8 May & 18 Jun)
This year’s Mother’s Day saw families take to the National Museum of Singapore for a full day of family-bonding activities revolving around the theme “Family Passage – Thriving through the seasons”. These activities paid tribute to what all mums do to keep the family together and the participants also had a chance to win a specially curated tour of the museum itself!
And in June, the month of Celebrating Fathers, families traipsed to Sentosa for a Dad’s Day Out Challenge @ Sentosa. There were talks, workshops, an island-wide challenge for those up for some adventure, and of course, a chance to rub shoulders with some of their favourite Mediacorp artistes.
National Family Week (4 to 12 Jun)
Becky Bunny, the FFL mascot embodying the four core family values of love, care and concern, commitment, and respect, took the stage during National Family Week!
True to the theme “Yes to Family Time – Anywhere, Anytime”, National Family Week saw family carnivals and Becky Bunny’s immersive play spaces pop up in prime locations like Suntec City and the heartlands. This ensured that families can gain easy access to games, marriage and parenting talks and other activities offered by more than 40 partners. This looks to be a fixture in the years to come, so no worries if you missed it this year, there’s always next!
FFL Red and White Recipes (Aug)
In the spirit of National Day, FFL launched the third edition of its Red & White Recipes Campaign to unite families through a love for baking and cooking! Families were encouraged to join FFL’s Red & White Recipes social media contest, either by sharing a photo of a recreated FFL Red & White Recipe, or by creating their own unique concoctions.
My Family Weekend (3 to 5 Sep)
Becky Bunny visited town areas like Junction 8, Lot One Shoppers' Mall and Tampines Mall to share her take on family values during My Family Weekend in September. Admission was free and lucky participants who completed the challenge got a chance to bring home special Becky Bunny collectibles through a sure-win spin-the-wheel game!
Celebrating our Grands (9 Oct)
Love and care extends to the lovely seniors in our families too! To show this, Celebrating Our Grands brought students from pre and primary schools together to create personalised gifts for their Grands. Families can also download and create their own photo frames to capture their favourite moments with their Grands.
Family Day Out (Nov and Dec)
Wrapping up 2022 and the Year of Celebrating SG Families was Family Day Out, one of the first of many exciting events at The Family Zone, Gardens by the Bay. It was a time for families to enjoy craft activities, jump on bouncy castles, groove along to live music, and of course, to also meet and greet Becky Bunny.
Family Night Out saw over 800 families spending quality time with their loved ones at Universal Studios Singapore, where they could capture special moments with the festive decor and meet & greet characters, while others go on their favourite rides!
The Year of Celebrating SG Families was able to garner over 100, 000 pledges from families who chose to pledge and commit with the Celebrating SG Family Pledge. With promises to spend more quality time together, eat meals together and strengthen communication, families were able to provide their suggestions on how they plan to strengthen bonds within their families.
The Year of Celebrating SG Families may have ended, but that’s no reason to stop showing love, care & concern, commitment, and respect to our family members. Let’s keep the momentum of the year going and continue to celebrate our loved ones with the Singapore Made for Families 2025 plan in the years to come!