Over 200 youths shape future of community religious life at inaugural NEXTGEN 2025: Singapore Mosque Youth Symposium

1. The inaugural NEXTGEN 2025: Singapore Mosque Youth Symposium brought together over 200 Muslim youths on Saturday, 13 September 2025 at Singapore Expo to actively shape the future of community religious life. The event provided a dynamic platform for young participants to share perspectives, develop innovative ideas, and promote best practices across mosque districts in alignment with the 8th MUIS 3-Year Plan.

Strategic focus on youth engagement

2. Building upon the One Mosque Sector (OMS) Summit 2025 held last February, the symposium reinforced mosques’ commitment to developing vibrant community religious life through the Community Religious Life (CRL) framework of Worship, Learn, Guide and Connect. Youth has been identified as a priority segment, recognising both emerging challenges and opportunities facing this demographic.

3. Contemporary challenges include post-pandemic realities, changing youth profiles, and digital influences impacting traditional religious engagement, However, significant opportunities exist through greater social awareness among youths, technology-aided collaboration and outreach capabilities, and strong community support networks.

4. The symposium generated innovative ideas to energise the youth agenda within the mosque sector. These concepts can be developed into concrete projects through the CRL Collaboration Fund and CRL Youth Playbook announced at the OMS Summit 2025.

5. Participants represented Singapore’s diverse Muslim youth community, including mosque youth leaders and volunteers, madrasah students, Youth aLIVE students, Institutes of Higher Learning students from polytechnics, junior colleges, institutes of technical education and universities, as well as representatives from other Malay/Muslim and Indian/Muslim Organisations.

Vision for confident, resilient and empowered Muslim youth

6. The overarching vision is for Muslim youths in Singapore to be confident, resilient and empowered. Mosques serve as crucial platforms for connecting with youth, ensuring their spiritual growth whilst maintaining their connection to the wider community. To achieve this, mosques must function as inclusive spaces offering programmes attuned to youth needs and aspirations.

7. The National Youth Council (NYC) served as a key partner, working alongside MUIS to shape the Youth Symposium to be a platform that youths can express their perspectives, share innovative ideas and exchange best practices. At the event, NYC Assistant Chief Executive Ong Kah Kuang also shared on the trends of Singapore Youth, and how youths of today are navigating identities, relationships and their aspirations in an evolving world. The symposium aligns with SG60 and the SG Youth Plan¹, serving as a catalyst for subsequent youth leadership labs, mentoring circles and inter-mosque collaborations.

Faith & Future: Addressing contemporary realities

8. Anchored on the theme “Faith & Future: Navigating Life, Anchored in Faith", the symposium addressed three critical focus areas:

a. Identity: Nurturing resilient, values-driven youth who maintain confident, rooted identity whilst engaging meaningfully with Singapore's diverse society.

b. Relationships: Exploring how Islamic teachings provide foundation for healthy, emotionally intelligent relationships with parents, peers and the broader community.

c. Livelihood: Addressing career alignment with Islamic values, including concerns about halal income, career decisions and financial independence as youth enter the workforce.

Interactive day of dialogue and discovery

9. Speakers at the symposium included Ustaz Muhammed Faheem, Head of Darul Tafsir – Masjid Al Khair, Ustaz Muhammad Tarmizi Abdul Wahid, President of PERGAS and Ms Faridah Saad, Deputy Director, Enterprise SG. They provided frameworks for these critical issues, challenging participants to think critically and ideate sustainable, impactful and actionable programmes that mosques and districts can lead in partnership with other organisations.

10. The programme featured interactive breakout sessions addressing nine specific problem statements across the three focus areas, with collaborative ideation labs enabling participants to develop practical, implementable solutions. A structured process ensured every voice was heard, with speakers and mosque leaders rotating between groups to provide guidance during the discussions and to maximise collaborative learning and ensure productive outcomes across all sessions.

Translating ideas into sustainable impact

11. Following the symposium, the innovative ideas developed by participants can be refined with mentor support before implementation. The creative proposals discussed during the event may be incorporated into existing mosque programmes or rolled out as new initiatives, ensuring that youth voices translate into tangible community impact.

12. To support implementation, mosques and young leaders can tap into the CRL Collaboration Fund announced at the OMS Summit. This funding mechanism supports innovative programmes aligned with the CRL framework's four strategic thrusts, strengthens cross-sector partnerships, and builds organisational capacity. Successful projects gain sector-wide visibility serving as models for replication across Singapore's mosque network. MUIS hopes to see more of collaborative projects that bring positive change to the community, specifically for youth-focused initiatives.

Building Singapore's next generation of Muslim leaders

13. The Youth Symposium represents a significant milestone in nurturing Singapore's next generation of Muslim leaders and strengthening connections between young Muslims and local mosque networks. As part of the CRL framework under the One Mosque Sector, the symposium demonstrates MUIS's commitment to empowering youth voices in shaping Singapore's Muslim community future.

14. The success of this inaugural event, combined with dedicated funding support, implementation pathways, and collaborative partnerships, establishes a strong foundation for continued youth engagement and leadership development. This comprehensive approach ensures Singapore's mosques remain vibrant, relevant and responsive to evolving community needs, with young leaders playing a central role in driving positive transformation.

¹About the SG Youth Plan: SG60 is about Building Singapore Together, and how each of us can contribute to a Singapore that we will proudly call home. MCCY and NYC, together with our partners, are organising a year-long series of engagements for youths to connect with others who are just as passionate about making a difference and taking action to build our shared future. The engagements will culminate in an SG Youth Plan – a five-year action plan created by youths, for youths, and supported by all of us, so that we collectively do our part for Singapore and fellow Singaporeans.