You are the target.

The target of the Speak Good English Movement 2007 (SGEM) , that is.

As Professor Koh Tai Ann, Chairperson of the SGEM committee, said in his welcome address, “This year, we are taking our mission to our youth. Although we will continue to bring our message to ‘Speak Good English’ to our usual important target groups- parents, teachers and frontline staff, our youth are our future. That future includes the imperative to be effectively bilingual, English being their other language.”

The official launch of the SGEM 2007 took place at Timbre Music Bistro on July 31, with Guest of Honour Rear Admiral (NS) Lui Tuck Yew, Minister of State for Education, gracing the event.

Guests and members of the media were treated to an enjoyable evening of pizzas and finger food, beer, cocktails and mocktails, and live music performances by Jack and Rai (of EIC), Shirlyn Tan and The UnXpected, and West Grand Boulevard, as well as an oratorical performance by Hwa Chong Institution students, entitled “The Art of Persuasion”, to mark the launch.

The tagline for the SGEM this year is Rock Your World! Express Yourself, a call for Singaporeans to use English as a means of expressing themselves and building relationships instead of just for practical, everyday usage.

SGEM is into its 7th year running, and this year, youths are the main target.

Rear Admiral (NS) Lui Tuck Yew echoed Prof Koh’s view in his opening address when he said, “Giving our youth the ability to use good English to build relationships becomes an important element in their development and growth as happy, well adjusted, enthusiastic and expressive adults.” He also added, “The English language needs to mean much more to our youth than just a necessity for their education, a skill to help them navigate business and work or to convey instructions to get a job done.”.

And it shows in their choice of venue this year, with Timbre Music Bistro being chosen as compared to the National Library last year and the HDB Hub the year before. The lineup of performances is also a giveaway. Prof Koh said, “[So] this year, we are bringing the Movement into the realm of performance arts and music. Thus for the young and young at heart, there will be live band performances and oratorical contests…”

2 books, English As It is Broken and Speak Well and Sell Well: A Retailer’s Guide to Good English, were also launched on the same day. The former is a compilation of questions from the public pertaining to the correct usage of English that were published in The Sunday Times and STOMP! under the regular English as It Is Broken column. The latter is produced by the Workforce Development Agency, as a guide for frontline retail staff to speak good English when on the job.

The SGEM, in collaboration with STOMP! And 987FM also has a slew of activities planned out for an entire year, which includes programmes at Timbre Music Bistro promoting the use of good English through music, drama and oratorical performances on Wednesdays. So do look out for them, have great fun and most importantly, express yourself! In a grammatically correct manner, of course.