Soulprints - Amyline Quien Ching

TAYO 2004: Transforming the Image of Filipino Youth

The youth may be young, still novices in the way of the world. They may not yet use the back roads or know that such shortcuts exist. They may not yet be ready to take on life, may seem to care only for the pleasures and not for the pain but occasionally they surprise us with their insights, the depth of their commitment and their courage to change what most people consider unchangeable.
This year’s Ten Accomplished Youth Organizations (TAYO) prove that the Filipino youth can be more than just side show performers or spectators in the task of nation building. They have more to offer than the occasional spiels or intermission numbers. They showed that they could do more than look over the sidelines and whine; they can defy the norms and revolutionize how people think and live their lives.

NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE

Setting up an organization is one thing but making it work with such meager resources and actually touching people’s lives is an entirely different… more complex matter. But as TAYO awardees attested, it may not be easy but neither is it impossible.
“It’s hard but with the help of people in the community and our own hard work, we were able to realize our goals. I guess, when you take your God-given talents and channel them into something that would improve the lot of others, nothing is impossible for God will be there every step of the way to help you,” reveals GenRev (Generation Revival) Student Network president Lorenzo Cosio, who is currently finishing his home study program. Though primarily Internet-based, GenRev, also organizes retreats, concerts and seminars that are aimed to revive the Catholic culture among the youth. Using such “fun” media as music through their CD entitled Crazy About You and their weekly radio program, GenRev Radio on DWSS, they have gained quite a following among students.
“When you look around, there is so much spiritual poverty among the youth. We wanted to change that and instill campus revival. Little by little, we are achieving that and it fulfills us to know that we are instrumental in changing the lives of others,” shares Lorenzo, who is part of GenRev’s steering committee, adding that there are some who log on and tell them how the site helped them with their problems. Though nothing is definite yet, GenRev plans to use the money to further develop their existing service… improving the site’s bandwidth and sustaining the activities of the organization.
Another awardee, the Sugbuanong Pundok Aron Sugpuon ang Child Abuse (SUPACA) never even planned of putting up an organization, not until someone they know got abused by her father.
“It was an eye-opener. Suddenly we realized that there are a lot of thing that young students still did not know about child abuse… about enforcing their rights. We wanted to help them be informed,” explains Diana Aspiras, a secondary education student of the Cebu Normal University and president of SUPACA.
The organization, whose name is a Cebuano phrase meaning a group of young Cebuanos who eradicates child abuse, has 243 members to date. Recognizing the role of media in disseminating information on children’s rights, they have set-up a radio program aired over Angel Radio every Saturday and a Philippine Information Agency television program, Kapihan sa Kabataan, shown on SkyCable Channel 15 every Tuesday. In addition to this, they also conduct room-to-room campaign and organize street plays to step up awareness of the issue.
The Students’ Association of Management Accountants, on the other hand, provides bookkeeping and accounting assistance to cooperatives in Ilocos through their project, Volunteers for Enterprise and Cooperatives Development (VeCod). They have in fact been instrumental in the revival of a cooperative on the brink of closing down by straightening their financial records. Using their skills with numbers, these student volunteers have also served as enumerators and tabulators in several researches in their college, Mariano Marcos State University-College of Business, Economics and Accountancy (CBEA). Even Bam Aquino was impressed with their achievements saying that this is something that he himself could have done when he was still in College.
Through their Balik-Tribo project, the Tuklas Katutubo promotes community empowerment and educational exposure for indigenous people or lumad. Members conduct five-day workshops aimed at promoting the importance of peace and development, culture, environment, health and education in IP communities. This, they believe, will help these marginalized communities attain self-sufficiency.
One of the big winners, De La Salle University-Manila Student Council, not only made it to the magic 10 but also took home the United Nations Millennium Development Goals Award. The award is given for the first time this year to the organization that best embodies the ideals of the UN. Their project, H.E.L.P. (Health and Housing, Education and Environment, Livelihood and Local Governance and People’s Protection and Participation) is a five-year community development program that includes long-term and on-going projects intended to aid in the development of the community in various aspects. So far, H.E.L.P. has been established in Barangay 91 Zone 9 Libertad, Pasay City. It will be completed by SY 2005-2006.
With the intent to change prevailing stereotypes in the country on commercial sex workers, the Tingog sa Kasanag (TISAKA) in Cagayan de Oro City engages in awareness-building trainings for prostituted women to help them get out of their trade and educate themselves on how to better protect themselves.
“We wanted to show them that there is still hope. We believe that we can do something to change our communities and ourselves and that social change could be best achieved through a unified effort,” says TISAKA chairperson Marydel Gaid, adding that members of the organization include freelancers, boat climbers, dancers, GRO’s and masseurs.
According to her, they are planning to launch a gathering for all the members in October. When asked how they would use their prize, she discloses, “We are actually planning to use the Php50,000 prize money to put up this laundry shop but we are still discussing it. It’s a lot of money and we want to make sure that we make the most out of it.”
Though relatively small in terms of membership, the Conservation and Restoration Exercise (CORE) has taken great strides in the rehabilitation of caves in Bukidnon through their Linis-Kweba Project. Spending their days cleaning the walls of caverns may seem simple but their efforts have resulted in cleaner water supply and more livelihood opportunities for the surrounding communities by promoting tourism in the area. What started as a hobby became a full-pledged crusade to protect the environment.
Sta. Ana National High School Musical Dramatics Society has spearheaded several theatrical presentations aimed at addressing various issues in the family as well as in the community. Through their artistic productions, members believe that they can espouse values to the audience and at the same time enhance the multiple intelligences of their members who are mostly problem students, gangsters, buntogs, druggists, dropouts and slow learners.
More than your average environmentalists, the Watershed Management Youth Council (WMYC) does more than planting trees. They are also heavily involved in trainings, eco-camps and tours, and awareness campaigns, believing that information is key to development and change. They sponsor the yearly Environmental Eco-Camp and organize the WMYC, which serve as venues for the enrichment of awareness on watershed issues and the start of dialogues among Davao City youths. Moreover, they have also lobbied for several policies made to protect Davao City Forests to pass legislation.
Based in Cagayan de Oro City, the Philippine Rescue 2000 responds to the needs of victims of natural calamities in Visayas and Mindanao through search and rescue operations and disaster management. What is even more remarkable with this organization is that it is composed of youth volunteers who often have to shell out money from their pockets to get to emergency areas.

DEFY THE ODDS

“The youth can be part of the solution and not just the problem. They truly have so much to offer our country and that nation building happens one cement block at a time. When they join forces, they could do a lot for their community,” says National Youth Commission chairperson, Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV.
Conceptualized two years ago by Senate Majority Leader Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan, TAYO aims to recognize the efforts of youth organizations to improve and reform the lives of people in their communities. In partnership with NYC, the first competition was launched in 2002, granting project money for several organizations in the country.
For its second year, TAYO conducted area finals to seek out deserving organizations in far away provinces.
“Next year, if there are enough funds, we plan to do regionals. We believe that the more localized the search, the more we are spreading the word and the more people will know about it,” notes Aquino.

THE YOUNG CAN DO IT

Young people, according to GenRev’s Lorenzo, may be limited in a lot of ways but never in creativity and passion. “You don’t need so much money or influence to make an impact. Like what God had shown in the multiplication of the loaves, you can start small and God will find a way to turn it into something big.”
If given the right tools and opportunities, the Filipino youth can achieve great things for the country. The TAYO awardees are living testaments of this.
“TAYO shows that there are a lot of young people who are doing so much in their communities. This presents a counter image of what is usually seen in media, of young people na walang magawa sa buhay, gimik ng gimik. We are showing that yes, things are tough, that these things are true but there is more to young people than just that,” points out Aquino.

Yes. They are young. And yes. They don’t have much in terms of resources… but they survived, turning their dreams into reality, instituting community renewal and building, brick by brick the future of the country.
Neither age nor circumstance is a hindrance to a person who desires to make a difference. Nothing matters… except taking that first step.

posted by Amyline Quien Ching @ 2:15 PM