Youth groups urged to join 8th TAYO awards

CEBU, Philippines - The National Youth Commission (NYC) has opened this year’s search for the Ten Accomplished Youth Organizations, a project that aims to recognize, reward and encourage youth organizations across the country to implement programs that would benefit their communities.

In a press release, Benjie Oliva, NYC Commissioner for the Visayas, said it is also the objective of the search to inspire young people “to find innovative solutions to community problems.”

During the program’s launch at SM City Cebu, Department of Social Welfare and Development 7 Director Dr. Ma. Evelyn Macapobre also encouraged youth organizations in Central Visayas to join the search.

Macapobre said the search gives a platform for the youth to prove that they can do something beneficial to their communities despite their young age. She cited the Pag-asa Youth Association of the Philippines (PYAP) - Talisay City Chapter, which won the search in the Visayas and became a finalist at the national level.

The search is open to all youth organizations with at least 15 members between ages 15 – 30. Their project(s) must have been conducted or implemented within middle of 2009 to July 15, 2010.

The organizations will be judged based on their programs or projects that have effected change(s) on their communities and reflect the effort of the youth in national-building.

TAYO is being organized primarily by the NYC, TAYO Award Foundation and Office of Senator Kiko Pangilinan and is being supported by Coca-Cola Foundation Philippines, Inc., DSWD, SM Supermalls and SM Cares Foundation, and Philippine Council for Young Leaders in Governance.

Meanwhile, at least 50 groups of PYAP have gathered at the Tubod Flowing Water in Minglanilla, Cebu for a week-long convention organized by DSWD.

Undersecretary Christopher Lawrence Arnuco, Chairman and CEO of NYC, identified pressing issues that confront the youth that need to be addressed. These include education from the elementary up to tertiary levels, employment, and drug and substance abuse and other health risk behaviors.

He said there is an oversupply of college graduates mismatched with the needed jobs or skills that required and available in the work market. He also cited the increasing trend on the incidence of pre-marital sex reportedly prevalent among those between 15-17 years old and youth pregnancy including cases of cervical cancers as well as reports on yuppies that drink, smoke and use prohibited drugs.

DSWD, for its part, will discuss the gains, successes, challenges of the PYAP Federation, present the Philippine Medium Term Youth Development Plan (PMYDP) and conduct the election of new set officers for the National PYAP Federation Officers.(FREEMAN NEWS)