Responding to Socio-cultural Diversity

Responding to Socio-cultural Diversity

• People's responses to socio-cultural diversity impact social harmony.

• Insensitive comments amplified via social media can fuel unhappiness and escalate problems.

• Constructive responses promote understanding and cohesion in a diverse society.

• Formal and informal groups contribute to society.

• A youth-led group started a "Welcome In My Backyard (WIMBY)" campaign to raise awareness about migrant worker lives.

• WIMBY volunteers asked Singaporeans to write welcome notes to migrant workers, translated into their languages.

• WIMBY organized initiatives to encourage interaction between Singaporeans and migrant workers with VIA programmes and school partnerships.

• Collective efforts and proactive responses shape public attitudes, fostering understanding and trust.

Responses of Government (France & Singapore)

• Governments manage socio-cultural diversity issues.
• France uses an assimilation policy, while Singapore uses an integration policy.

Assimilation (France)

• Immigrants must adopt the beliefs and practices of the majority group.

• Assimilation makes immigrants' identities indistinguishable.

• It is the adoption of the principle of secularism.

• In 1905, secularism became law in France. Compiling census data on race, ethnicity, or religion was made illegal.

• The French Constitution assures equality for all citizens regardless of origin, religion, race, and ethnicity

• French national identity excludes race, ethnicity, religion, or socio-economic status.

• Harmony emerges when individuals set aside race, ethnicity, religion, and SES to display national identity as the ONLY observable aspect of identity in the public domain.

• Treating every individual equally strengthens French national identity

• Immigrants should show that they have adopted French attitudes, language, and beliefs, reinforcing French identity.

• Ensuring that immigrants will interact as much as possible with locals, this decreases the potential for differing beliefs and practices that may cause conflict

• Education is secular, limiting religion discussions to History and Philosophy classes. Adaptation classes improve immigrants' French language skills.

• Immigrants need to learn French to work with colleagues, but high unemployment among immigrant families reflects hiring discrimination.

• The Diversity Charter was introduced for companies, supporting discrimination-free workplaces to assimilate immigrants.

• Naturalization programs teach immigrants about life in France.

• Immigrants must take French language courses and civic education. These programmes include French cultural and language proficiency.

• Assimilation can bring positive and negative experiences.

Integration (Singapore)

Immigrants can retain their identities while integrating into host country and its already-present cultures

• Ensuring that laws will not descriminate against any racial group/community
• Ensuring that minorities are able to get representation in Parliment to address needs and concerns via the GRC initiative
• Preventing social enclaves by having ethinc integration policies

Naturalisation Programmes

• Singapore Citizenship Journey combines online courses, community sharing, and experiential tours.

• It takes about 2 months to complete this programme, before being able to receive a Singapore IC.

• In 2010, new Singapore Permanent Resident (SPR) quotas were introduced for buying HDB flats.

• Neighbourhood quotos sat at 5%, 8% for blocks

• National Service is a must for all male Singaporeans and PRs

Providing newcomer support

• Community Integration Fund launches to support integration
• PA organised block parties, festive celebrations and home visits that promote integration
• New immigrants become Integration and Naturalisation Champions (INCs) by going to other confirmed SC and PR homes

Citizen Response of Social Economic Divserity

• Individuals are able to dedicate their time efforts and money to areas that require care
• Some may volunteer or start their own initiatives/organisations dedicated to helping others and contributing to society

Formal Community Groups

• There are various groups that cater assistance to different groups of need

Government Response of Social Economic Diversity

• Both Singapore and Sweden have different approaches to healthcare to citizens

Sweden Healthcare

• Very strong government intervention to maintain the cost of healthcare in the country and keep it affordable

• They boast very high tax rates, and nominal amount of money payed for healthcare, with the government footing the bill

Challenges face by Swedish Healthcare

• High tax rates and people requiring high dependancy on healthcare

• Sweden and its healthcare is starting to diversify due to globalization/high amounts of immigration

• With bigger age gaps, it puts the number of tax payers in the country at a disadvantage

Singapore Healthcare

• Shared responsibility to allow lower income groups and subsidies access, while maintaining an affordable at the same time

Healthcare funds and schemes

There are 4 healthcare subsides and schemes

• Heavy governement

• Medisave

• Medshield Life

• Medifund

• The system continuosly refines schemes and subsidies to help the healthcare system mitigate the costs.

• Medisave and medisheilds also are available

Challenges Singapore faces for its healthcare system

• Managing growing demand for healthcare in the growing and ageind population

• More coordination required in the healthcare departments to ensure no overlapping or missed healthcare services for public

• Financing policies and subsidies is a major key pillar in Singapore's healthcare

• Singapore is dependent on revenue from tax

• Both patient , individuals and healthcare pros should be cost effective with one needs, as generic drugs could be used instead

• Individuals can lead a healthy lifestyle and diet so to reduce healthcare costs

• Thus, concerted effort is needed to manage the higher cost of healthcare

Explore the impact of responses to socio-cultural diversity on social harmony. Learn how constructive responses can promote understanding and cohesion. See examples of youth-led initiatives and government policies that foster integration and shape public attitudes.