MANILA, PHILIPPINES — With the theme “Layag: Setting Sail as a Youth Leader,” YouthLed’s second Youth Leaders’ Summit brings together 300 young leaders to develop a localized and actionable National Youth Agenda on October 07 to 09 at Novotel Araneta City.
Attended by youth representatives from various sectors, the summit served as a platform for Filipino youth across the country to come together, learn, and build alliances, creating a conducive environment for realizing the Philippines’ National Youth Agenda.
On the first day, the summit focused on the history and importance of youth-led movements in the Philippines, grounding the participants on what they currently have as a movement toward social transformation. The program also helped the participants define the next steps to engage the public and private sectors, civil society, and the academe with a series of breakout sessions with experts.
Joining the first day of the summit were Rebekah Eubanks and Scott Warren from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Myn Garcia from The Asia Foundation, Hon. Reena Pineda from the National Youth Commission, Historian and Professor Xiao Chua of De La Salle University, Professor Arjan Aguirre of Ateneo de Manila University, PJ Hernandez of The Traveling Salakot, and Rod Matucan of the Bangsamoro Youth Commission.
“Regional active collaboration and youth consultation has led to the achievement of the National Youth Agenda. This morning is a testament that the youth has a rightful seat in decision-making processes,” Rebekah Eubanks, Deputy Mission Director of USAID, said during her welcoming remarks.
The summit also highlighted the role of youth as changemakers and how they can maneuver in different communities and sectors through the summit’s second day. Assistant Secretary Dexter Galban from the Department of Education’s Youth Affairs and Special Concerns division opened the second day with a keynote, followed by panels and hands-on workshops with Ina Morales of Villgro Philippines, Dexter Yang of GoodGov PH, Georgina Hernandez-Yang of Galing Pook Foundation, Saje Molato of Siklab Pilipinas, and Election Lawyer Atty. Emil Marañon III.
“We need you (the youth) to keep stepping up to the plate – The youth is done waiting for the world to change. The world is now waiting for the youth to change it,” DepEd Asec. Galban urged during the event’s opening plenary.
With the end of #Layag2022, YouthLed is set to open more opportunities for young leaders to enrich their leadership abilities and strengthen their networks with other youth clusters across the country. In her closing remarks, Natalie Christine V. Jorge, YouthLed’s Chief of Party, highlighted that the program would continue its visits to other regional youth clusters to conduct capacity development activities. She also announced YouthLed’s participation in the upcoming Freedom of Information (FOI) Forum and the Sangguniang Kabataan Summit for Luzon together with the National Youth Commission this October.
“What we witnessed in this year’s Youth Leaders Summit is proof that all of you here today are ready to take on bigger waves. The summit may be ending today, but our voyage is just beginning,” Ms. Jorge shared.
#Layag2022 is the Second Summit of the Youth Leaders’ Summit initiative of Youth Leadership for Democracy, a project of USAID and The Asia Foundation. The Youth Leaders’ Summit is powered by Active Vista.
For those who wish to watch the replay of #Layag2022, the panel discussions during the summit were broadcasted live on YouthLed PH and Active Vista’s Facebook pages.
