Overview

BACKGROUND  

Originated in 1996, the annual Polytechnic Forum provides a platform for polytechnic students to gain a deeper understanding of national issues through the facilitation of activities and discussions with government and industry leaders. It is hoped that the participants would embrace their role as young Singaporeans as they glean meaningful insights from the discussions and propose ideas on how youths can help shape the Singapore of the future.

Nanyang Polytechnic is hosting the Polytechnic Forum 2024, themed 'Total Defence,' to mark the 40th anniversary of Total Defence (TD40) in Singapore. A total of 500 polytechnic students will converge over six days, with the pre-forum happening from 25 -27 Sep and a residential component at D’Resort Singapore from 30 Sep to 2 Oct.

Main Theme 

2024 marks 40 years of Total Defence (TD40) in Singapore, since it was first introduced in 1984. The theme for this year’s Total Defence campaign - “Together We Keep Singapore Strong” - focuses on the many ways we can put Total Defence into action in our everyday lives. 

Total Defence remains relevant to deal with the ever-evolving hybrid threats and challenges to Singapore. These include misinformation, supply chain disruptions and food security that affect communities and Singaporeans' way of life. Every Singaporean has a part to play in our daily lives to ensure that Singapore is prepared for crises or disruptions, and that we remain resilient and united.

The forum activities are curated to offer students meaningful engagement opportunities that will help them to relate whole-of-government efforts towards evolving threats and challenges to Singapore and understand the relevance of Total Defence in today’s context. Horizontally, all participants will be exposed to the importance of Military Defence through a visit to an Army Camp. Vertically, the students will explore the following pillars of Total Defence in their sub-theme groups - Civil Defence, Economic Defence, Social Defence, Digital Defence, and Psychological Defence.