Government agencies, civil society and youth representatives discuss strategies for the Philippine Youth Development Plan in Cebu. (NYC FACEBOOK PAGE)
Aiming to bring the decision-making process down to the grassroots level, the National Youth Commission (NYC) commenced a series of consultations nationwide on Wednesday at Handuraw Pizza on Gorordo Avenue, Cebu City for the crafting of the Philippine Youth Development Plan (PYDP) for the next six years.
The consultation series aims to gather together the various sectors of the community for them to openly discuss concerns and challenges that are facing the youth sector from a local level.
Every consultation must be participated by representatives from the provincial government, nongovernment organizations, government agencies, and youth leaders.
The first of the series of consultations scheduled from August 31 to October 5 all over the country, the PYDP consultation in Cebu was attended by more than 50 participants composed of youth commissioners from the provincial youth commission, and planning officers from the Department of Health, Commission on Higher Education, Department of Agriculture, Department of Interior and Local Government, Commission on Human Rights, Department of Education and the Department of Labor and Employment.
Also present were representatives from the Cebu provincial government, out-of-school youth, in-school youth, youth with special needs, and the working youth.
NYC division chief of policy Robinson Espinosa said the PYDP for the year 2017 to 2022 is focused on “enabling, promoting and ensuring the participation of the youth” in eight key areas namely health, education, economy, social inclusion and equity, governance, active citizenship, the environment, and global partnerships.
The participants were split into three groups for the sectoral focus group discussions and workshops.
Among the concerns raised during one of the discussions was the meager budget that might not be enough to cover all the youth programs in all regions.
A National Youth Assessment Study (NYAS) conducted by NYC in 2015 was also presented to the participants yesterday.
According to the results of the study, among the ‘red-flags’ or challenges needed to be addressed in the next six years is the issue of mental health among the youth, the alarming rate of teenage pregnancy cases, HIV-AIDS victims, and illegal drug users in the country.
Also present during the consultation, NYC newly appointed chairperson Aiza Seguerra said the way to successfully draw the youth to the hard center of these areas is to hear out the specific needs of the youth in every region and barangay in the country.
“There have to be programs also that will interest the youth. Also, we need to know our audience. How can we attract our constituents if the programs laid out for them are too broad to fit into their needs?” she said.
The chairperson also met with the youth commissioners in Cebu to hear out their sentiments and their proposed programs.
Until she gets to the bottom of their concerns, Seguerra said she could not identify yet the programs to be launched in Cebu.
“We want to know the heartbeat of Cebuanos and know what we can contribute to the youth here so that what we will launch here won’t be a cookie-cutter policy but a reflection of what their direct needs are here,” he said.