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