By Imelda Saad, Channel NewsAsia, 2 Mar 2014
Some S$9.4 million has been disbursed under the Community Integration Fund since it was set up five years ago.
The fund supports organisations in implementing activities to promote integration of newcomers in Singapore.
About half of the organisations which apply for the fund each year are new.
The National Integration Council said this signals interest in ground-up initiatives that promote integration.
Civic group Connexions International seeks to promote deeper understanding between Singaporeans and foreigners.
Dr Vicky Tan, executive director of Connexions International, said: “When we talk to students and people who are new to Singapore and we try to explain our culture to them to help them understand, you know you're helpful when they start to ask you leading questions – ‘How about this?’ or ‘How about that?’ - and we start to explain these things."
Since it was formed, the group has reached out to at least 600 newcomers in Singapore through its various activities.
Connexions International started off as an organisation that reached out to international students.
Today, its engagement includes working professionals and families new to Singapore.
It has about 30 volunteers and hopes to find a space one day, where Dr Tan said "foreigners and Singaporeans can just hang out."
It is one of the 170 organisations that have benefited from the Community Integration Fund, which is administered by the National integration Council.
The National Integration Council said ground-up activities have helped new immigrants to better adapt to Singapore's norms and culture, as well as foster understanding with locals.
But it seems that some Singaporeans think the government could do more to enhance integration efforts.
A recent survey by the Institute of Policy Studies of more than 4,000 Singaporeans showed that 45.8 per cent agreed or strongly agreed that the government has done well to improve integration of new immigrants.
70.6 per cent said it is the government's job to ensure racial and religious harmony in Singapore.
Replying to Channel NewsAsia, the National Integration Council said integration takes time, and requires adjustment from both newcomers and Singaporeans.
It added "everyone has a role to play in integration".
The more critical aspect, it said, is "carried out through day-to-day contact between newcomers and Singaporeans".
“That is where the simple things matter for both parties - a friendly greeting, an act of courtesy or a gracious gesture. These simple things form the bedrock on which integration takes hold,” said National Integration Council’s spokesperson.
The council added it has made inroads in key common spaces in schools, workplaces, and the community.
This is something groups like Connexions International can attest to, having seen firsthand how friendships can bridge differences.
Prof Tan Ngoh Tiong, president of Connexions International, said: "All of us have prejudices and all of us have our own preconceived ideas – and it is in the process of making friends or finding out more about other cultures that we begin to debunk some of these myths and stereotypes.
“When you begin to understand the person and the perspective that they come from, then you begin to appreciate differences and also the uniqueness of the differences and therefore I think we become more rich in understanding other cultures."
The National Integration Council said moving forward, it will continue to broaden and deepen its efforts in working towards mutual trust, acceptance and understanding between Singaporeans and new immigrants.
One of the more pressing issues of integration, it said, was the need to educate the public on becoming more discerning as they sieve through information.
"Public education is important to raise awareness on the need to be more discerning in what Singaporeans read and more responsible in how we behave on the Internet and social media.
“Community and stakeholders such as the Media Literacy Council have an important part to play in developing programmes to promote information and media literacy," said the council's spokesperson.
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