Cyber Youth Singapore Launches CYSummit'21, The Largest, First Of Its Kind Youth Tech Summit In Singapore

• Cyber Youth Singapore, the nation's youth-driven cyber community, engaged more than 500 youths in its first virtual conference together with public and private sector partners
• Ensign InfoSecurity, as the Patron of the Youth sponsor, also shared industry insights and domain knowledge to deepen the participants' understanding of the sector

SINGAPORE - Media OutReach - 22 July 2021 - Cyber Youth Singapore (CYS), a non-profit, youth led programme focused on developing Singapore's digital future, partnered with Ensign InfoSecurity (Ensign), Asia's  largest, pure-play cybersecurity firm to launch the first Cyber Youth Singapore Summit 2021 (CYSummit'21) .

Themed "Our Future: Youth in Technology" , CYSummit engaged more than 500 youths from secondary schools to universities from 21st to 25th June 2021. CYSummit'21, organised and managed wholly by youths was conceptualised to bring Singapore's youth tech community together to ignite and nurture their interest in cybersecurity and the wider tech domains. The youth organisers behind the summit sought to deepen their peers' understanding and exposure to the industry to enable their generation to play a bigger role in our nation's cyber defence.

CYS also brought on board Ensign as its Patron of the Youth to provide real-world expertise and industry insights to the participants. This allowed aspiring cyber talents to acquire practical tips and useful information that can give them a head-start when pursuing a career in cybersecurity. 

Held in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the summit created a platform that served as a beacon of hope and unity across all youths in Singapore in this time of crisis, rallying all young people together to focus on and solidify Singapore's digital future.

The summit's capstone activity was a Virtual Capture-the-Flag Competition with a coveted prize of S$5,000. Powered by Pentester Academy, this cybersecurity competition required participants to apply their skillsets to break into simulated machines. Three different competition tracks were created for different age groups with varying skill levels. Virtual hands-on training modules were provided for youths in the secondary school category.

Here are the other highlights for the summit this year:

• Ensign Day: The summit featured an 'Ensign Day' where Ensign shared their deep cybersecurity research efforts, and how they develop bespoke solutions and proprietary technologies to tackle advanced cyber threats. An Ensign employee also talked about the innovation he helped come up with. He also described what his teammates do. The youths were also given a preview of Ensign's job opportunities.
• Esports: To encourage unity, bonding and friendship among our youths, the summit also featured a "Gaming Day" where participants competed in various gaming sessions (Friendly Minecraft Session, Valorant & League of Legends Competitions). The final competitions for the top teams, and the awarding of prizes to the winning teams of Valorant and League of Legends, were streamed live.
• Cyber Youth Day: The summit concluded with the Cyber Youth Day where a suite of career talks, webinars, panel discussions, and project showcases by industry and academic partners, were conducted. The Cyber Youth Day was graced by Dr Janil Puthucheary, Senior Minister of State for the Ministry of Information and Communications. The President of the Cyber Youth Collective, Mr Ben Chua also delivered the State of the Collective address. The address outlined CYS' journey over the past two years, changes to our organisation, as well as our future plans.
• Booth Showcase by Partners and Sponsors: Organisations supporting the CYSummit were also invited to showcase their capabilities through the Virtual Booth Showcase, allowing participants to explore the booths, and gain industry knowledge. The participants also had the opportunity to interact with the tech industry professionals through the live chat function.

"It's amazing how far we have come since our humble beginnings back in 2019, to where we are today as a community. We will remain committed to building a united youth in the tech community, transforming the way our youths explore their interests in cybersecurity and the wider tech domains," said Mr Ben Chua, President and CEO of CYS.

The summit was graced by the Senior Minister of State for the Ministry of Communications and Information, Dr Janil Puthucheary. "Cybersecurity is a key enabler of Singapore's transformation into a Smart Nation and digital economy. The inaugural CYSummit exemplifies the Government's continual efforts in working with the community to build up our cyber talent pipeline and prepare more of our youths for the jobs in this exciting arena. Over the years, CSA has been working closely with partners like CYS under the SG Cyber Youth initiative, to provide opportunities for youths to explore cybersecurity as a career and expose them to relevant technical knowledge and soft skills. We welcome more industry partners such as employers, academia, associations and communities to come forward to play a role in nurturing a cybersecurity culture and shaping the cyber landscape." Dr Janil said.

The support from various sector partners was instrumental in making this youth summit a success. Ensign, through its engagement at CYSummit'21, helped spark greater awareness and interest for youths to explore cybersecurity, and provided industry insights to those looking to join the cybersecurity workforce in the future. Ensign has been a key supporter of CYS and its programmes since its early days. In March 2021, CYS and Ensign signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that will deliver engagement, mentorship, and skills-training opportunities to enhance youth's employability in the burgeoning cybersecurity sector. It will also look at placing 15 youths in Ensign's internship programme. Ensign's firm advocacy for youth development in cybersecurity is part of its greater commitment to develop a robust, vibrant cyber talent pool in Singapore.

"The high level of enthusiasm and participation at CYSummit'21 is a clear signal that the industry is moving in the right direction, in terms of getting youths excited about cybersecurity, and youth engagement will remain vital in nurturing the next generation of cyber talents. Ensign will continue to work with industry partners such as CYS to support youths with the passion and aptitude for cybersecurity to pursue a rewarding, meaningful career in this growing sector," said Ms Tammie Tham, Chief Executive Officer of Ensign InfoSecurity.

The summit truly embodies unity across the community, as well as private and public sectors, to ensure the development of Singapore's future - our youths. CYS serves as a hub and people connector, bringing together private partners such as Ensign, PCS Security, the Association of Information Security Professionals, and Pentester Academy. This is in addition to partners from the public sector, namely the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore and the Defence Science & Technology Agency. Strong support is also observed from Singapore's Institutes of Learning, that have strongly encouraged participation of their students. These institutes include Singapore Polytechnic, Temasek Polytechnic, Republic Polytechnic, Ngee Ann Polytechnic, the Institute of Technical Education, National University of Singapore, and Singapore University of Technology and Design.

The summit was organised by CYS with Ensign as the Patron of the Youth.

Please refer to Appendix A for more information about the CYSummit 2021.

Appendix A

Event Factsheet

This June, in the midst of the biggest crisis of our generation, our Singaporean youths are rallying in common interest, towards a common goal - securing Singapore's digital future.

This inaugural summit is not like any other technology event. It is wholly organised and managed by youths, bringing together for the first time, multiple partners across the people, private and public sectors. An event at this scale, with this construct, is the first of its kind in ASEAN. The summit aims to bring youths in Singapore together, to help them find their passion and interest in technology.

Through the summit, CYS will establish a united youth establishment, capable of making a difference towards Singapore's digital economy and well-being of its citizens through the power of technology.

List of Summit Sponsors & Partners

Summit Schedule

Track Legend:

Social Media Pages and Contact Details

Recording of Guest of Honor's Address

Link to address recording: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1SqVAU-ptmoT5Uf7NnJVUZeEXBWrV7qfO/view?usp=sharing

Recording of Patron of the Youth's Address

Link to address recording: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1FR2pFL658RNIs1fRSiCm36EPmcUgb19H/view?usp=sharing

Recording of State of the Collective Address

Link to address recording: https://drive.google.com/file/d/11Ns_HoAxLBeRnI9MZkuSgLBFYdKXw1Yt/view?usp=sharing

About Cyber Youth Singapore

Cyber Youth Singapore is a youth-led non-profit organisation made up of approximately 100 youth volunteers in its management committee and with 1,300 youth members on its online communication platform, Discord. The idea for an open platform and community for youths to explore their cybersecurity interest was conceptualised when a group of 10 youths came together to set the foundations of this community.

The advancement of technology in recent years has seen Singapore coming up with government-led programmes to generate interests amongst youth to enter the tech scene. Interests peaked but it led to a problem - there were no permanent avenues for interested youths to further develop and grow their interests in tech. Hence, Cyber Youth Singapore was founded to be the permanent avenue for youths to hone and develop their interests in technology.

This secular and apolitical community serves only to provide youths with a safe environment to responsibly explore their interest in cybersecurity while giving back to society through public education. At the end of their fruitful journey in Cyber Youth Singapore, youths would not only have been developed and nurtured in their technical skills but also in terms of soft skills. A holistic and all-rounded experiential journey, covering self and leadership discovery is how Cyber Youth Singapore is envisioned to be. The value this would bring to youths in Singapore fuelled the creation of this community.

Over the past two years since its inception, CYS has impacted and reached more than 3,000 youths across Singapore. Through monthly meetups, workshops, seminars and programmes aimed at youth empowerment, CYS has been able to value add the development of the local youth in tech community. More information about CYS can be found on our website at www.cyberyouth.sg .

About Ensign InfoSecurity

Ensign InfoSecurity is the largest, pure-play end-to-end cybersecurity service provider in Asia. Headquartered in Singapore, Ensign offers bespoke solutions and services to address their clients' cybersecurity needs. Their core competencies are in the provision of cybersecurity advisory and assurance services, architecture design and systems integration services, and managed security services for advanced threat detection, threat hunting, and incident response. Underpinning these competencies is in-house research and development in cybersecurity. Ensign has two decades of proven track record as a trusted and relevant service provider, serving clients from the public and private sectors in the Asia Pacific region.

For more information, visit www.ensigninfosecurity.com or email marketing@ensigninfosecurity.com

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