Young Filipinos urged to address social issues using IT

MANILA, Philippines - Filipinos aged 18 to 30 years are being encouraged to create projects addressing social issues using some of the latest technology trends such as mobile and the Internet.

The youth competition dubbed "Cat@lyst" implemented by Globe Telecom's corporate social responsibility arm Globe Bridging Communities will run until May 31.

A Tattoo-branded initiative for social change, the Globe Bridging Communities is implementing the program together with Global Shapers Manila Hub, which is part of the World Economic Forum’s international program called Global Shapers Community.

Participants are welcome to present a project that focuses on a specific need and addresses a social issue such as air pollution, traffic enforcement, crime prevention, health care, among others.  

The participants should be able to demonstrate the practicality of the project and how it can be executed technologically via mobile or web while mobilizing stakeholders.

Among the criteria for the entries are innovation, implementation feasibility, and impact.

By innovation, participants must demonstrate creativity and originality. For implementation feasibility, the proposal should be executable in the given timeline and proponents should demonstrate capability to mobilize stakeholders involved. And for impact, one must be able to provide a long-lasting solution to an existing problem.

From the ideas presented, 15 will be honed and developed with the help of Global Shapers, ICT experts, and development professionals.  

Five winners will then be chosen and given cash grants of P200,000 each.

“We would like to encourage our youth to be a catalyst for change. We hope that through activities such as this, our youth would develop within themselves a genuine desire to help the country and their fellow citizens by looking for realistic solutions to social problems,” said Dong Ronquillo, head of Tattoo Nomadic Broadband Business.

While the winners will be announced during the Tattoo Awards in June, the teams will continue to work on their projects for a three-month period with the assistance of Globe BridgeCom. Viable projects may also be adopted as part of Globe BridgeCom’s activities.