TAYO 12

The Official Magazine of the Ten Accomplished Youth Organizations

Ta yo

STORIES OF CHANGE

year 12

N O I T A C H T U L D A E HE ENVIRONMENT LIVE LIHO OD PEA CE

WHO CAN JOIN?

All youth groups – orgs, clubs, societies, and barkadas with at least 5 members can join! Your org. will be judged based on a project/program that you’ve recently implemented based on either 1 of the categories that had an impact on the community and the nation as well.

HOW CAN YOUR ORG. JOIN? Fill out the application form on the TAYO website on or before 4 September 2015.

PRIZES

There will be ten winning orgs that will receive P50,000, a trophy sculpted by National Artist Toym De Leon Imao, and lots more!

TAYO 13 CATEGORIES

An organization can submit multiple entries in different categories provided that the projects are different.

EDUCATION & TECHNOLOGY

HEALTH, NUTRITION and WELL-BEING

The Education & Technology category seeks to recognize youth organizations who have projects that have addressed the education gaps through technology, literacy programs, science and mathematics trainings, tutoring sessions, alternative learning modules and other creative means in helping build a learned people.

The Health, Nutrition & Well-Being category seeks to recognize youth organizations with projects that address the well-being of communities through medical services, feeding programs, nutrition information campaigns, and innovative food security projects, among other efforts that build self-sustaining communities.

ENVIRONMENT, DISASTER RISK REDUCTION and CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION The environment, disaster risk reduction & climate change adaptation category seeks to recognize youth groups who work with vulnerable communities in effective environmental protection, climate change solutions, promoting biodiversity and ecological awareness, and disaster prevention, education, rescue, rehabilitation, among others.

LIVELIHOOD and ENTREPRENEURSHIP The Livelihood & Entrepreneurship category seeks youth groups who push for the knowledge, skills and values of entrepreneurship, establishing sustainable and marketable livelihood programs as interventions in alleviating poverty, especially in the countryside. Other programs may include jobs generation & matching, financial literacy, market linkage, product development, and design & sales initiatives, etc.

CULTURE and the ARTS, PEACE and HUMAN DEVELOPMENT The Culture & the Arts, Peace & Human Development category seeks to recognize youth organizations who have constantly and creatively contributed in telling the Filipino narrative – its struggles & triumphs, its colorful past & dreams for the future, and its rich, diverse & global identity.

Learn more about the TAYO Categories at www.TAYOAwards.net.

Fill out the application form on the TAYO website on or before 4 September 2015.

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Tayo

STORY

The Ten Accomplished Youth Organizations (TAYO) is the singular known nationwide search in the Philippines that recognizes youth groups instead of individuals who have made exceptional contributions to national development through the wide-reaching impact, innovative resourcefulness and sustainability that characterize the programs they choose to implement in their chosen communities.

While TAYO began as a little-known award given to noteworthy youth efforts, it has since evolved into a widely-recognized honour for nation-building endeavours that increasing numbers of Filipino youths aspire for. In its 12 years running, it has succeeded in reaching over 1,000 youth organizations across the country and is lauded by different sectors of the society for its efforts.

TAYO aspires

The search for TAYO is open to all clubs, groups, organizations and societies. Organizations are judged based on:

1. To recognize the efforts of existing youth organizations in improving the conditions of their schools, workplaces, and/or communities; 2. To provide a venue where youth organizations can best share and refine their ideas, skills and practices with others; and, 3. To focus on and highlight the Filipino Youth’s contribution to nation building and development.

TAYO ultimately hopes to spark inspiration in more young people so they may consistently attempt to challenge status quo in terms of what they can do for the community and to find novel approaches and solutions to problems that plague society.

The Search for the Ten Accomplished Youth Organizations of the Philippines is organized annually by the TAYO Awards Foundation, Inc., in partnership with the National Youth Commission and the Office of Senator Bam Aquino.

1. Their project’s impact on its stakeholders; 2. The project’s means of harnessing the spirit of volunteerism; 3. The project’s creativity and innovation; 4. The project’s sustainability; and lastly, 5. The project’s effective use of resources.

Apart from the prestigious recognition, winning organizations will receive a specially commissioned trophy sculpted by Mr. Toym De Leon Imao, and a grant of Php 50,000 intended to fund new projects or to continue their long-term programs, courtesy of TAYO’s presenter, Coca-Cola Foundation Philippines, Inc. TAYO 12 is also sponsored by San Miguel Corporation, SMART Communications, Aboitiz Equity Ventures, SM Cares, Lenovo Philippines, Greenwich, and Jollibee Group Foundation.

The TAYO Trophy A proud product of the University of the Philippines, sculptor Toym De Leon Imao is a highly regarded artist whose works have graced national monuments and parks, and which have been hailed as great contributions of great historic and cultural significance.

For the TAYO Trophy, Imao took inspiration from the bayanihan spirit of the Filipino, as shown by the front relief of a group working hand in hand in sharing strength to achieve its goals. Imao pays tribute to the collective efforts of a Filipino Team; the artist portrays a lone individual harnessing a sail- capturing the spirit of active citizenry charting the path of the nation.

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Editors James de Vera Karla de Leon Writer Divine Magno Photographers Ariel Peñaredondo John Paramio Arnold Bautista Ron Matthews Espinosa DeSIGN Phillip Alpajora • Katrina Garcia Ten Accomplished Youth Organizations Awards Foundation, Inc. Chairman: Jose Sixto Dantes III Co-Chairman: Rollie Fabi President: Jessica Marie “Aika” Robredo TAYO Awards Foundation, Inc. Office 2602-C East Tower, Philippine Stock Exchange Center, Exchange Road, Ortigas Center, Pasig City 1605 Pasig City 1605 www.tayoawards.net tayo.secretariat@gmail.com TAYO Magazine is published annually by the Ten Accomplished Youth Organizations Awards Foundation, Inc. All Rights Reserved, Copyright©2015. No Part of this magazine may be used or reproduced in any manner without permission from the publisher.

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TAYO Story Messages Kami ang Taya, ito ang aming Taya A Looback at TAYo 11 Winners Education and Technology Environment, Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation Culture and the Arts, Peace and Human Development Livelihood and Entrepreneurship Health, Nutrition and Well-being TAYO Week TAYO FAQs Special Awards Acknowledgments Search Organizers Search Partners

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Halos tatlong dekada na nga ang lumipas mula nang magwakas ang diktadurya, ngunit marahil, sariwa pa sa ating kababayan ang alaala ng Batas Militar. Gaya ng marami, saksi ako sa pagmamalupit ng makapangyarihang diktador, at sa idinulot niyang pagdurusa sa ating mga kababayan. Nang ideklara ang Batas Militar, talagang bumaligtad po ang aming mundo. Dahil sa pagiging kritikal niya kay Ginoong Marcos, ipiniit ang aking ama; kinulong siya nang pitong taon at pitong buwan, at napilitan kaming mangibangbayan. Nang magpasya namang umuwi ang aking ama upang manawagan ng pagbabago sa pamahalaan, ay walang habas pa siyang pinaslang. Sa sinapit na ito ng aking ama at ng aming pamilya, ang tanong na bumabalot noon sa isip ko: Ano pa kayang kinabukasan ang maaari naming asahan? Sa mga panahong iyon, hindi ko maiwasang isiping hahantong ang lahat sa madugong himagsikan.

Subalit sa gabay ng Panginoon at malasakit sa kapwa, nagawa ng sambayanang Pilipinong gawin ang imposible. Buong mundo ang humanga nang milyon-milyon nating kababayan ang nagtipon upang pangunahan ang mapayapang rebolusyon sa EDSA. Nakuha nilang malampasan ang takot at kaba upang magpunta sa EDSA. Nagtungo sila roon nang walang dalang armas; ang tangi nilang sandata ay ang panalangin at hangaring manumbalik ang demokrasya. Di nila inalintana ang panganib sa kanilang buhay; isinantabi nila ang agam-agam na baka mabaril sila o makanyon.

Ang iniisip na lamang nila: Kung mananatili ang mapaniil na diktadurya, anong klaseng bukas kaya ang naghihintay sa aming mga mahal sa buhay? Matapos nga ang apat na araw ng samasamang panawagan ng pagbabago, matagumpay na napatalsik ang diktador, at muli namang nabawi ang ating demokrasya.

Interes ng mas nakakarami, kalayaan mula sa baluktot na kalakaran, magandang kinabukasan para sa susunod na henerasyon: ang mga ito ang isinaalang-alang ng mga nakipaglaban sa EDSA noong taong 1986. At bilang pinuno ng ating bansa, ang ganitong diwa ng EDSA ang ating isinasabuhay sa pagharap sa mga hamon ng ating panahon. Sa aking panunungkulan, marami tayong pagsubok na pinagdaanan at pinagdadaanan. Isang halimbawa nito ang tensiyong namagitan sa North at South Korea noong 2010 kung saan maaaring maipit sa hidwaan ang 50,000 nating mga kababayan. Nariyan din ang sigalot na dulot ng Arab Spring noong 2011. Bukod sa kaguluhan sa ibang bansa, nariyan din ang

pagsisikap nating mapigilan ang paglaganap ng mga sakit tulad ng Ebola at MERS-Coronavirus sa bansa. Kung matatandaan rin ninyo, patong-patong na pagsubok ang ating hinarap noong 2013: lindol sa Cebu at Bohol, krisis sa Zamboanga, at ang paghagupit ng bagyong Yolanda. Kamakailan lang, humarap muli ang sambayanan sa panibagong pagsubok bunsod ng insidente sa Mamasapano.

Bilang Pangulo, ginagawa ko ang lahat, upang harapin at tugunan ang mga suliranin ng bansa. Madalas, binabalewala na lang natin ang pagod at puyat. Hindi ako puwedeng magpadala sa bugso ng aking emosyon dahil baka mapalala ko pa ang problema. Sa bawat pagkakataon, kailangan kong maging mahinahon, at laging balikan kung para saan natin ginagawa ang lahat ng ating pagsisikap. Ito nga ang tangi nating hangad: Ang hindi na maulit pa ang kamalian ng nakaraan, at maipamana sa susunod na salinlahi ang di-hamak na mas maunlad at magandang Pilipinas kaysa ating dinatnan.

Simula pa lang, batid kong hindi ko kakayanin ang lahat nang mag-isa. Sa nakalipas na mahigit apat at kalahating taon ng ating pamamahala, pinatunayan nating kapag mas marami tayong kumikilos, mas mabilis nating nakakamit ang ating hangarin. Dito ko nga naalala ang kaisipang ibinahagi sa akin: Kapag daw ang dunong ng mas nakakatanda at ang lakas ng kabataan ay nagsanib, talagang malayo ang ating mararating.

Sa ganitong konteksto pumapasok ang halaga ng pagtitipon natin ngayon, sa pagbibigay parangal sa Ten Accomplished Youth Organizations ng bansa. Sa pangunguna ng National Youth Commission, TAYO Awards Foundation, EDSA People Power Commission, Coca-Cola Foundation, gayundin sa pakikipagtulungan ng aking kuya, si Bam Aquino, kinikilala ang ambag ng kabataan sa pagtugon sa suliranin ng lipunan.

Kasama ang sambayanan, nagpapasalamat ako sa dedikasyon at pagsisikap ninyong ipagpatuloy ang inyong makabuluhang mga adbokasiya.

Binabati po natin ang mga nagwaging organisasyon sa araw na ito: Sa Phi Lambda Delta Sorority sa programang niyong Milk Matters upang itaguyod ang breastfeeding para sa mabuting kalusugan ng mga sanggol ; sa Kanlungan Pilipinas Movement, na pinapaunlad ang kaalaman ng mga naninirahan sa liblib na lugar gamit ang teknolohiyang pinatatakbo ng solar power system [palakpakan]; sa Rescue Assistance Peacekeeping Intelligence Detail, RAPID, at Cauayan City National High School – Red Cross Youth and Junior Rescue Team, na sinasanay ang ating kabataan kung paanong makatulong sa 5

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pagtugon sa panahon ng sakuna at sa oras ng pangangailangan; sa Katipunan ng mga Kabataang Santiagueño sa paggamit ng mga agricultural waste upang gawing uling at maging katuwang sa kabuhayan ng komunidad; sa ACCESS-PYLP Alumni Association, na nagkakaloob ng kasanayan sa kabuhayan ng ating youth combatants sa Basilan, Sulu, at Zamboanga; sa Move This WorldPilipinas, sa pagsisikap ninyong tugunan ang isyu ng bullying sa mga paaralan; sa Youth for Environment in School Organization, sa pangunguna ninyo sa Mangrove Reforestation Program sa inyong pamayanan; sa Indigenous Youth Servant Leaders Association of the Philippines para sa pagtataguyod ng kapakanan ng ating indigenous people sa lalawigan ng Isabela at gayundin sa University of San Agustin Little Theater para sa serye ng produksiyon sa teatro at sa inyong pagkamalikhain upang bigyang lakas at inspirasyon ang mga nasalanta ng bagyong Yolanda.

Siyempre, nagpapasalamat din tayo sa iba pa nating finalists.

Pinangunahan din ninyo ang programang naghahatid ng agarang benepisyo sa napakaraming Pilipino. Mula sa pagkakaloob ng kabuhayan at dekalidad na edukasyon para sa mga katutubo at kapos-palad nating kababayan, paglinang sa kaalaman sa modernong kagamitan, pagsusulong ng musikang Pilipino, pagpapabuti ng supply ng kuryente, at pag-aruga sa kalusugan, hanggang sa pangangalaga sa kalikasan; nakikibahagi kayo sa solusyon imbes na dumagdag sa problema. Gayundin, nagsisilbi kayong huwaran sa mga kapwa ninyo kabataan, upang maengganyo silang makilahok sa pagtataguyod ng kapakanan ng kapwa’t bansa.

Saludo din ako sa marami pang mga organisasyong nakilahok at patuloy na nakikilahok sa TAYO Awards.

Makakaasa naman kayo: Sa gumagandang estado ng ating ekonomiya, pinapalawak natin ang mga pagkakataon para sa kabataan lalo pa’t kayo ang mga susunod nating propesyonal at lingkod-bayan. Isang halimbawa nito ang Conditional Cash Transfer for High School Expansion program. Sa pamamagitan ng programang ito, sinusuportahan na ng estado ang benepisyaryo ng Pantawid Pamilya hanggang umabot siya sa 18 taong gulang. Sa kasalukuyan, 1.2 milyong estudyante mula 15 hanggang 18 taong gulang ang tinutulungan nating makatapos na ng high school. Ano nga ba’ng maidudulot nitong benepisyo? Batay sa pag-aaral po ng Philippine Institute for Development Studies, 40 percent ang dagdag na sinasahod ng high school graduate, kumpara sa umabot lang ng grade school. Ibig sabihin, dahil sa mas pinalawak na benepisyo ng Pantawid Pamilya, mas lalawak din ang pagkakataon para sa nakakaraming kabataan.

Tuloy-tuloy naman ang pag-arangkada sa bilang ang scholars nating napapagkalooban ng kabuhayan ng TESDA. Tingnan natin ang kanilang Training for Work Scholarship Program: Mula Hulyo 2010 hanggang Disyembre 2014, nasa 774,532 na ang graduates ng TWSP. Kasama na sa good news na ating natatanggap ang resulta ng training ng TESDA at Semiconductor and Electronics Industries in the Philippines. Ang employment rate ng graduates dito mula Abril hanggang Setyembre 2014: halos 96 percent.

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Konting tulak na lang ay maaabot na ang 100 percent na full employment.

Ginagawa natin ang lahat ng ito upang iangat ang antas ng pamumuhay ng ating mga kababayan, lalo na ang mga naghihikahos sa buhay. Sinasagad natin ang pagkakataon upang bigyan sila ng kakayahang tulungan ang mga sariling umasenso. Nasa iisang bubong lang tayo; ang problema ng isa ay problema po ng lahat.

Tandaan ninyo: Kayong kabataan—gusto ko sanang sabihin “tayong kabataan” —ang magmamana sa anumang bunga ng ating pagsisikap. Mas mahaba pa ang itatagal ninyo sa mundo kumpara sa aming medyo nakakatanda. Kung negatibismo at pag-una sa sarili ang mangingibabaw ngayon, mas matagal kayong magtitiis sa pagdurusang dulot nito. Kung gagawin natin ang tama, mas matagal naman ninyong matatamasa ang positibo nitong bunga. Sa tuwid na daan, hindi natin hahayaang danasin ninyo ang parehong problemang hinarap namin at hinaharap natin sa kasalukuyan. Patuloy ang pagsisikap nating madagdagan ang mga batang may hawak na lapis at papel, at mabawasan ang mga may tangan ng basahan sa kalsada para magpunas ng windshield ng mga sasakyan. Hindi tayo titigil sa pagbibigay ng wastong kasanayan sa kabataan, upang hindi kayo mauwi sa pagbebenta ng sampaguita at paglilimos.

Magbubukas tayo ng marami pang oportunidad upang imbes na malulong sa bisyo ay tunay kayong maging pag-asa ng bayan.

Tunay ngang malayo na ang ating narating dahil pinili nating gawin ang nararapat, at unahin ang interes ng mas nakakarami.

Sa kabila nito, alam nating marami pa tayong pagsubok na haharapin. Ngunit ngayon pa ba tayo susuko kung kailan ang mga dating inaambisyon lang, naisasakatuparan na natin?

Ngayon pa ba tayo aatras kung kailan mas marami na tayong nakikilahok tungo sa malawakang kaunlaran?

Ang hamon ng ating panahon: Ituloy ang pagbabagong atin nang tinatamasa. Paigtingin pa natin ang pagkakapit-bisig, at patibayin ang pundasyon ng isinusulong nating Pilipinas; isang bansa kung saan ang bawat isa ay may kakayahang tuparin ang inaasam niyang kinabukasan.

Magandang araw po sa inyong lahat. Maraming salamat po.

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the National Youth Commission, the TAYO Awards Foundation, the office of my ‘KUYA’ Bam Aquino, and the individuals and organizations who contributed to the success of the Ten Accomplished Youth Organizations Awarding Ceremonies this year.We had all borne witness to the unproductive trend of seeking out errors and disregarding positive contributions; it is only right that today, you are here to pay tribute to those who went against the trend of negativity and pessimism, and have instead turned their attention to actually helping their countrymen. It is only right to recognize and spread the news of the hard work of these organizations we award today--organizations that serve as examples and inspire the Filipino youth.

hope of our motherland.” Kung tutuusin, bata pa rin siya nang bigkasin niya ang mga katagang iyan. Bata pa lang ay nakita na niya ang kahalagahan ng maagang pagsisimula ng paglilingkod sa minamahal nating Pilipinas.

Though today, we are celebrating our successes, we must not forget that the fight is not over. Perhaps in serving your communities, you have already seen that bringing about lasting change is not as quick as sending a tweet or posting on Instagram. As you have seen this, so too have you seen what people working together towards a single goal can achieve.

Hindi ba sa love life, sinasabi natin, tayo na. Tapos na ang ikaw, tapos na ang ako. Tayo na.

Ganoon rin sa paglilingkod. Kapag hindi na lamang sariling interes ang iniisip, mas marami ang kayang gawin, mas malayo ang nararating.

Thank you, and again, my congratulations to everyone!

BENIGNO SIMEON AQUINO III President, Republic of the Philippines

To all the organizations we have recognized today, I congratulate you, it is indeed admirable that you all made the decision to help your country early on and this is also good, because many of our country’s problems require a long memory and extensive analysis of those who wish to solve them. Since you have started early, you are already positioning yourselves as a new generation of professionals and public servants who hold a deep understanding of the needs of your communities. This is perhaps what Rizal meant when he said, “The youth is the 7

MESSAGES That was the EDSA People Power Revolution. And the rest, as they say, is history.

That was 29 years ago.

Today, I still have that yearning, as I’m sure many of you do, to build a Philippines that honors truth, upholds justice, and creates prosperity for all, not just the chosen few.

And a lot has changed since the 1980s.

People Power Today BAM AQUINO Senator, Republic of the Philippines

Magandang hapon sa ating lahat, mga kaibigan, mga kababayan.

In February 1986, all of humanity watched as a peaceful revolution in our island nation called the Philippines brought democracy back to our land.

The spirit of People Power has evolved.

Filipinos who are creative, innovative and resourceful have found many ways to come together to help build, and rebuild, our nation.

Naaalala ninyo pa ba nang nabigla tayo sa matinding pagbabaha noong bagyong Ondoy sa Mega Manila?

O di kaya ang mas sariwang lungkot na naranasan ng Pilipinas noong tumama ang bagyong Yolanda sa Eastern Visayas?

This revolution didn’t happen in a day; nor was it hatched by one single person. This revolution was a result of millions of voices in protest backed by concrete and non-violent action.

Maraming nawalan ng tahanan at kagamitan.

That was 29 years ago, and I was only eight years old then, but I recall being a witness and willing participant in a turning point in Philippine history.

Ngunit, hindi nabigo ang sigla ng nakararami.

Maraming nawalan ng bahay at buhay.

Leading up to the EDSA Revolution, the winds of change were already howling.

Punung-puno ang mga unibersidad, mga basketball court, at iba’t ibang mga headquarters ng mga donasyon at volunteers.

And the culmination of this revolutionary energy was over 2 million Filipinos, from all ages and all walks of life, taking to the streets amid threats of military action.

Sa tuwing mayroong lindol, bagyo, storm surge o anumang trahediya, wagas ang pagtulong ng mga Pilipino – lumalabas ang diwa ng bayanihan ng bawa’t isa.

I vividly recall eating ice buko and sharing sandwiches my family had prepared with the other protesters at the corner of Annapolis and EDSA during the four days of the People Power Revolution.

Hindi po ba’t People Power iyon?

Along EDSA, Filipinos found common ground in their yearning for truth, justice, freedom, and, most importantly, peace. The crowd stood their ground, arms linked in solidarity, even as tanks threatened to shoot them down and run them over.

We offered ourselves to the Philippines – to freedom, justice, democracy, and peace.

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We have evolved from analog to digital, from sending postcards to photo and video messaging, from joining street protests to signing online petitions and sharing #hashtags with a cause.

Tuwing nagsasama-sama ang komunidad, mga magulang, mga guro, mga mag-aaral at iba pa para ihanda ang mga public schools bago magpasukan, para pinturahan ang mga bubong at dingding, linisin ang mga estero at hardin, ayusin ang mga mesa, silya’t blackboard sa Brigada Eskwela ng DepEd. Hindi po ba’t People Power iyon?

Noong dumating si Pope Francis, kay daming Pilipino ang nagvolunteer, ilang gabing nagpuyat, napagod at nabasa ng

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ulan para maging maayos at makabuluhan ang pagbisita ng ating Santo Papa Hindi po ba’t People Power iyon?

Puntahannatin ang ilang past TAYO winners.

Ang Hayag Youth Organization tinuruan nila ang mga kabataan sa Ormoc ng paglangoy, first aid at iba pang disaster preparedness skills.

At nang tumama ang Bagyong Yolanda sa kanilang lungsod, walang nasawi sa kanilang mga miyembro.

Hindi po ba’t People Power pa rin iyon?

Nandiyan din ang Dire Husi sa Cagayan de Oro. Kanilang tinipon ang mga batang kalye at tinuruan sila ng sining upang mailayo sila sa bisyo ng pag-rurugby at krimininalidad.

Hindi po ba’t People Power pa rin iyon?

At ang mga kabataang taga-Cebu na Gualandi Volunteer Service Program, kung saan umiikot sila sa kanilang lungsod na nangangampanya para protektahan ang mga PWDs laban sa diskriminasyon at pang-aabuso – Hindi po ba’t People Power pa rin iyon?

Buhay na buhay po ang diwa ng People Power sa ating bayan at sa ating kabataan.

Habang mayroong mga Pilipinong nagsasama-sama, kabila ng pagkaka-iba sa paniniwala, upang isulong ang kapakanan ng mga komunidad sa Pilipinas, naroroon ang diwa ng People Power.

The Ten Accomplished Youth Organizations (TAYO) Awards Foundation is a witness to this spirit of nation

building.

And on the 29th anniversary of the EDSA People Power Revolution, we celebrate the youth organizations that have best exemplified People Power in our communities through the TAYO Awards.

On its 12th year, the TAYO Awards continues to recognize the youth’s efforts to improve the lives of our fellow Filipinos today.

This year alone, we received around 400 entries – each entry, a youth group’s project that contributes to the development of our country; each entry, proof that the spirit of People Power persists in the youth of today.

We would like to thank you, TAYO finalists, for embodying the spirit of People Power and renewing the fire of nation building!

You, who have made a palpable impact on society, can serve as an inspiration to even more people to join the fight for a better Philippines.

People Power led us to victory against an unbeatable foe in 1986.

Today, we oppose even more formidable and seemingly faceless adversaries like poverty, climate change, social injustice, discrimination, indifference, and even hatred.

Buo ang aking tiwala na gaya ng dati, kakayanin natin ang mga ito – kung sama-sama tayo, kung tayo’y magtutulungan, kung ang diwa ng People Power ay buhay sa ating lahat.

Maraming salamat po.

Mabuhay ang Pilipinas!

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The National Youth Commission (NYC) congratulates all youth organizations who participated in the 12thTen Accomplished Youth Organizations (TAYO 12).We salute you for your passion and commitment towards the development of your respective communities. As representatives of the youth sector, we admire your courage in exemplifying servant-leadership: a type of leadership that is inclusive, resourceful, and has sustainable impact in the lives of many.

For 2015, the agency’s thrust is the inclusion of young people in disaster-stricken areas and agricultural and fishing communities. The average age of the Filipino farmer is 57 years old. Young people’s lives are changed forever due to the constant threats of disaster posed by climate change.

The TAYO 12 awardees have shown the public that small measures matter. Young people are not mere spectators but partners in development and empowerment.

May the awards given to you serve as a challenge to continuously engage yourselves in smart and concrete initiatives that create a better future for our nation. The TAYO 12 is only the beginning. Collectively, youth leaders like yourselves serve as an inspiration to many of those who wish to solve problems in the community and are looking for ways to start.

We salute you, young trailblazers!

USEC. GIO TIONGSON Chairperson

TAYO 12 is one of the milestones of my first year as a Commissioner-at-Large at the National Youth Commission.

Being the chairperson of the National Organizing Committee for TAYO 12 brought me much closer to the process of how the best youth organizations in the country are determined every year.

While it is not my first time encountering the TAYO program, or working with the organizers of the search, this is indeed my first time to meet and witness the spirit of the youth organizations who are part of the search. To say that I am overwhelmed by the positivity and dynamism of these organizations would be an understatement.

Knowing that these are the kinds of youth organizations existing in the country right now gives me great hope as we look towards the future. Their creative solutions to ageold problems and selfless efforts to help their communities make me feel proud of being a Filipino. Being part of a volunteer organization myself, I have gained quite a few insights and ideas on how to innovate on our own projects, and perhaps in the future can partner with one of these organizations towards a common cause.

We hope that these youth organizations continue their exemplary works and remain steadfast in their commitment to nation-building even after they have gained this recognition. This is just the start of the uphill battle for the youth sector to effect change in society, but trust that there are people that will be willing to extend their support to you along the way.

Mabuhay ang Kabataang Pilipino!

ASEC. JOSE SIXTO G. DANTES III Commissioner-at-Large

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To His Excellency, President Benigno Aquino III, Senator Bam Aquino, Sec. Kiko Pangilinan, Ms. Jessica Robredo, Commissioner Gio Tingson, Commissioner Jose Sixto Dantes III, Commissioner Percival Cendana, Commissioner Earl Saavedra, Commissioner Jose Rafael Cruz, Commissioner Jan Paul Peñol, the finalists of this year’s Ten Accomplished Youth Organizations, and other distinguished guests—a pleasant morning to you all.

Our partnership with the TAYO Awards Foundation is now on its 10th year. We first started working together back in 2005 with the “Coke Barkada Award,” which was a special recognition given to a TAYO finalist who exemplified teamwork, volunteerism, and passion for positive change.

I am very pleased to be sharing this morning with you very special young people who have been instrumental in bringing change to your respective spheres of influence.

I am honored and grateful that you have dedicated your time and effort to help address challenges and foster sustainable causes and communities through the different programs that you have developed.

Finally, let me take this opportunity to congratulate the winner of the Coke Barkada Award for demonstrating the Coke Barkada spirit of collective volunteerism.

This partnership has evolved because we share the same objectives. The Coca-Cola Foundation has always been a strong advocate for programs in support of the Filipino youth.

While the search for the Ten Accomplished Youth Organizations draws to a close today, we hope that each of you continue to touch the lives of others by sharing happiness to your individual communities.

We believe that no one is ever too young—or too old— to create a meaningful difference in the lives of people. The responsibility of influencing change is one that should be shared by everyone.

Congratulations and thank you for making it your business to create a positive impact to the community where you belong.

To be in the presence of so many brilliant and dedicated young minds today is truly an honor.

Here in the Philippines, our partnership with TAYO Foundation is inspired by the very same commitment that drives CocaCola to continuously support and recognize the youth organizations, whose projects do exceptionally well in terms of sustainability, scale, and impact.

Thank you once again and good day to all.

Coca-Cola has been a pioneer of key sustainability programs that focus on well-being, women, water, and youth empowerment.

JUAN RAMON FELIX Vice Chairman Coca-Cola Foundation Philippines, Inc.

We have always been committed to make a lasting difference in the lives of individuals and communities around the world by embedding sustainability into our business and making it part of everything we do.

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KAMI ANG TAYA, ITO ANG AMING TAYA… Noong kami ay mga musmos pa lamang, ibang-iba ang aming kinagisnan. Kami’y masaya na nasa kalye, naglalaro ng taya-tayaan, tagu-taguan, at bahay-bahayan; mga musmos na walang kamalay-malay, sadyang walang pakialam sa mga bagay-bagay. Lumipas ang panahon, nandiyan ang teknolohiya, nagkaroon ng mga laro tulad ng DOTA, Angry Birds at Clash of Clans. Nasanay kami sa mga laro kung saan mayroong laging taya at mayroon tinataya.

Ngunit higit sa paglilibang sa mga larong ito, alam namin na may malaking hamon sa bawat kabataang Pilipinohamon ng kahirapan, kriminalidad, kalamidad, pagkakawatak-watak, diskriminasyon at marami pang iba. Ayon kay Rizal, ang kabataan ang pag-asa ng bayan, ngunit sa aming henerasyon, naniniwala kami na dapat kami na ang katuparan. Kami ang dapat maging taya at kami ang magbibigay ng aming taya.

Kami ang taya sa larangan ng edukasyon, makapagbigay ng gamit pang-eskwela at pang-aral. Magkaroon ng isang eskwelahan kung saan ang mga estudyante ay nakapagaaral ng maayos, malaya at malayo sa kapahamakan at pambubully ninuman. Ipaglalaban ang karapatan ng bawat kabataan na matugunan ang pangangailangan sa wasto at de-kalidad na edukasyon, walang mahirap o mayaman at walang pisikal na kaanyuan na tinitingnan.

Kami ang taya sa pagsagip ng buhay sa oras ng kalamidad at sakuna, tutulong sa pamahalaan na gabayan ang aming kapwa hanggang sa dumating ang panahon na matutunan ng lahat na iligtas ang kanilang sarili at makapagligtas din ng iba.

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Kami ang taya sa paglinang ng talento ng mga kabataang Pilipino. Mahimok ang bawat isa na mahalin, mapanatili, at mapausbong ang kultura, sining at kaugaliang Pilipino.

Kami ang taya sa pagkamit ng tinatamasang kapayapaan at kaunlaran. Isang taya sa pamamagitan nang pagbibigay ng kabuhayan, paghubog sa kalinangan at pagiging instrumento ng tunay na kapayapaan na magsisimula sa aming mga tahanan. Isang pagbabagong para sa bawat Pilipino, katutubo, Muslim man o Kristiyano; mahirap man o mayaman.

Kami ang taya sa kalusugan, pagsisiguro na bawat sanggol ay may ligtas na gatas na maiinom. Sisiguruhin namin na ang bawat bata ay may pagkainsa kanilang hapag,may gamot, at may maayos na pagamutan .Layunin naming makabuo ng isang lipunan na nakatutugon sa pangangailangang medikal ng bawat mamamayan.

Kami ang taya sa pangangalaga ng ating kalikasan at kapaligiran. Pagiging responsable sa pamamagitan ng wastong pagtatapon ng basura, at pagpapahalaga sa buhay. Sisikapin naming ipaintindi sa bawat isa ang kahalagahan ng pagkakaroon ng isang mayaman na kalikasan.

Nagsimula na kami sa aming tugon at magpapatuloy pa sa pagharap sa anumang hamon. Malayo pa ang lalakbayin at marami pa ang kailangang marating. Kailangan natin ng isang henerasyon na tatayo, tataya at tatalima. Kailangan natin ng mga kabataan kung saan hindi lang basta ngumangawa kundi tunay na gagawa para sa bansa. Kami ay mga kabataang naging taya at mga kabataang tataya.

Naniniwala kami na mararating natin ang isang bansa na maipagmamalaki ng bawat isa at mga susunod pang mga bata. Ikaw, kayo, ano naman ang taya ninyo?

TAYO Batch 12 Pledge 25 February, 2015 La Mesa Grill, SM Mall of Asia, Pasay City

A look back at the TAYO 11 WINNERS The TAYO11 experience was one of the most memorable events we can never forget. It sky rocketed GVSP’s advocacy into a whole new level. TAYO became a platform for Deaf human rights to be mainstreamed and be heard by prominent and influential persons like Senator BAM Aquino, major television networks and key members in the civil society to listen to the plight of the Filipino Deaf who have been continually discriminated, abused and disenfranchised because of the absence of the recognition of their natural sign language and cultural identity.

The Break the Silence Network Project became an instrument to raise the issue on the rising cases of sexual abuse and exploitation towards Deaf children, young boys and women and the incapacity of the key government service providers to address this issue due to the lack of expertise in Filipino Sign Language and the sensitivity towards the Deaf culture. Through our participation with TAYO11, it gave us the opportunity to unearth the deep –dark secrets of Deaf sexual abuse in the community.

During the final’s week presentation at the senate of the Philippines it gave us the opportunity to present the Break the Silence Project in front of the key stake holders in the society. It also gave us a chance to present our cause in a more inclusive and unique way by providing a sign language interpreter on stage to make Deaf audience understand and equally participate inside the senate hall for the first time. For us, IT was already a victory in the advocacy.

To be the recipient of the first Jesse Robredo Youth and Governance Award and to win the TAYO 11 gave us the assurance of the impact of our work and the sacrifices of the Deaf volunteers and the quest for justice of the families and victims who are main foundations of the BTS project. When our name was called I made it a point that the Deaf volunteers would be given the opportunity to be recognized by giving them the chance to receive the TAYO Trophy personally on stage during the awarding ceremonies at the Heroes Hall in Malacanan Palace. This gesture alone brought the audience into tears.

It was so emotional that day.

The TAYO awarding did not stop on the last day of the finals week.

Senator Bam Aquino sponsored two Senate Bill 2118 or Filipino Sign Language Act of 2014 and Senate Bill 2117 or the Filipino Sign Language Act in Broadcast Media , the following week after TAYO11 week.

This experience did not only make a lot of milestones for Deaf human rights advocacy and to GVSP but also it gave us the avenue to gain friends and a pool of supportive individuals who compose the “Selfie Generation” A generation who do not take picture of themselves alone but a generation who take photos of the touching stories together with the community and is committed to tell these stories to the society to spread the love for the country with a dream to transform a better Inclusive Filipino Society for all.

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TAYO

EXPERIENCE

Our TAYO experience is something that will be perpetually treasured not just by our organization but by the community of Culion. Coming from an island that was virtually isolated for almost a century, the recognition bestowed to Kawil Tours is a testament that now is the time for Culion to be reconnected to the world.

It was an experience of gratifying firsts -- first time for an organization from Culion to be recognized nationally, first time that we were able to share our story with key people in our society and first time, as far as we know, for someone from Culion to enter the grounds of the historic Malacanang Palace and get an award.

The TAYO experience also served as an eye-opener. The lack of recognition from the Local Government of Culion, while not required of course, cut deep through our hearts. However, doing good for our communities doesn’t need to be reciprocal.

It is our passion and genuine dedication that should keep us motivated. It is the acceptance of our communities that should serve as rewards. Ultimately, it is our belief that at the end of the day we have done our part in community building that should keep our fervor towards our nation strong.

Allow us to continue sharing the story of our community. Visit Culion, a meaningful journey awaits you here.

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Ta yo

NEW FORMAT Education and Technology

Health, Nutrition & Well-being

Livelihood and Entreprenuership

Environment, DRR and Climate Change

Culture and the Arts, Peace and Human

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EDUCATION AND TECHNOLOGY

The proverbial dream of Filipino families is to be able to send their children to school. While reforms in education have been encouraging and inspiring, there has been a movement of individuals and groups that are helping to bridge the gap in education in the country.

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Access to education, or the lack of it, is one of the biggest obstacles to nationbuilding and development. To be illiterate and unschooled is to be excluded from the possibility of a better future. If we want a better country, we need to provide everyone with the mental tools they need to help themselves – and eventually help others too.

Learning is the primary step to enlightenment, wiping minds clear of sweeping generalizations the world that often lead to confusion and conflict.

Education helps people – children most especially – become open to more possibilities than they deemed conceivable at first. It sparks a flame of curiosity that awakens in us the ability to question, and become critical of things happening around us.

The more we learn, the more we ask.

Questions like: ‘Why are people of this religion referred to as terrorists? Is that fair? What are electronic books? Who are the Indigenous People? Does it matter that people are different? How many children drop out of school, and why?

What can P30 a month achieve? Shouldn’t we do something to help?’ are things one starts to ask when the smallest spark of inquisitiveness is ignited. It is through education that we find out what is due us, and what we could make out of ourselves.

It is upon receiving an education that we become enabled to work for it.

The projects of Kanlungan Pilipinas Movement, Inc., Move This WorldPilipinas, Inc., Kwaderno Love Can, Inc., Hearts & Brains Youth Volunteers, CITE Youth Volunteer Group, and Rebirth Outdoor Trekkers and Adventurers (ROTA) go beyond the models of traditional education, empowering beneficiaries to take on roles first as learners, and teachers and leaders next.

Theirs are exemplary efforts that strived for the improvement of literacy, access to quality education, provision of education to out-ofschool youth, advancement of information technology, improving competencies, and equalizing the availability of information for all. These passionate young people maintain that no child, no matter what physical character, academic standing, belief, social status, geographical location, be left behind – helping achieve a Filipino society that champions the right to education and its due appropriation.

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KANLUNGAN PILIPINAS MOVEMENT, Inc. BALAY KANLUNGAN NG KARUNUNGAN Tondo, Manila

Kanlungan Pilipinas Movement, a non-profit organization that started out as a mountaineering group, has been around for more than ten years now, but their mission to help improve the country is far from over. One could say that they have become veterans in projects that focus on community- and nation-building. Last year, on the wake of super-typhoon Yolanda, they visited the far-off town of Salcedo in Eastern Samar to pilot-test their project, “Balay Kanlungan ng Karunungan”. Members of the group felt that while other places like Tacloban and Guian, Leyte were already attracting their much-needed attention and assistance at the time, places that were farther off like Kanlungan Pilipinas Movement’s chosen town deserved an equally quick response. It proved challenging to actually get to Salcedo because it was far, and their schedules were limited due to work responsibilities but they found a way to make it there through the help of generous friends. The organization’s representative Herald Villarca, who visited the pilot site of their proposed e-learning center, almost shed tears of happiness because of the warm welcome they received from the residents of Salcedo: “Yolanda affected area siya, syempre… galing lang sila sa calamity.

Devastated sila, kailangan nila mag-survive muna… So they have to rehabilitate on their own... Considering na na-Yolanda sila pero nalaman nila yung project, gustong gusto nilang itayo sa kanila. At yung nakakatuwa doon, yung bayanihan nga nila mismo. Sila mismo yung nagpursige na sila mismo magtayo nung kubo nung nalaman nila na sila yung napili namin. Sila naghanap ng materials, nilinis nila yung pagtatayuan… ‘Thank you’ sila ng ‘thank you’, na kahit daw ang layo layo nila, sila ang napili namin.”

After the first e-learning nipa hut was built, young members of the Salcedo community started conducting tutorial sessions inside the said hut every day. “Walang palya, kahit umuulan pa”, said Herald. Word also spread to the areas around Salcedo about the revolutionary bahaykubo. Children outside Salcedo started visiting the Balay even if they had to travel a considerable distance because the concept of learning through new technology (e-books) were something that piqued their interest, plus the fact that it was a different kind of bahay-kubo.

Asked if the organization hasn’t considered using other building materials for their project instead, Herald remains resolute in creating huts out of native materials, saying: “Mawawash out yung kubo. pero yung technology madali lang itupi. Magtayo ulit ng panibagong kubo tapos itayo ulit yung e-learning center. Kung konkreto yung gagamitin namin, malaking pondo. Kahit naman yung mga concrete structures nung Yolanda, nawash out eh. Kung konkreto, baka drop-out na yung studyante, Malaki na yung studyante, di parin naitatayo. Maraming ganoon diba? Kasi mahal din eh, mahirap yung pondo.”

EDUCATION AND TECHNOLOGY

The bahay-kubo is an enduring symbol of the Filipino, with characteristics that we are most proud of: aesthetically pleasing, effective at what it’s built for and most importantly, resilient. A bahay-kubo harnessing tradition, technology and community values built with the intention of forwarding education and environmental consciousness is probably one of the newest and most admirable ventures yet. “Balay Kanlungan ng Karunungan”, Kanlungan’s project entry, is one such is a bahay-kubo built in remote areas of the country. The nipa hut houses an electronic tablet loaded with e-books, educational games and videos, and a 16-inch LED – the first ever bahay kubo to be run by a solar power system in the Philippines.

What adds even more value to the the Balay is that Salcedo’s residents built the bahay-kubo themselves with materials that were readily available to them already.

They have actual, physical contributions to it – it wasn’t a mere dole out from Kanlungan Pilipinas Movement. True to the spirit of bayanihan, everyone in the community knows that they gave something to that nipa hut, and so they feel a sense of ownership and responsibility towards it. Considering that these were also places that are far from the town proper and are inaccessible to electricity providers, Balay is especially appropriate for them because it runs solely on solar power.

Upon seeing the encouraging reception of their project, Kyut expresses his excitement over creating more of these e-learning centers all over the country. This March, they will start the construction of another Balay in a secluded area in Rosario, Batangas already. It is their dream as an organization to see more of these revolutionary bahay-kubos being built around the country – a step towards equal opportunity for all in terms of education and technology.

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Move This World, Philippines Inc.

Cultural and religious biases permeate society in such an insidious way that we don’t even know anymore where stereotypes have come from. Many have heard stories about parents threatening to have their children taken away by a particular cultural denomination, much like how they would be scared by monsters at night. In Mindanao, prejudices like this have aggravated four centuries of war, claiming the lives of over 120,000 people – something that continues today. These preconceived notions are transferred to children early on by their parents, be it through bedtime stories or ploys to make the kids obey.

Terminologies exist in this region that are commonly used to negatively label the opposite culture: Moros and Moklo for the Muslims that turn children into sardines and/or corned beef when they disobey their parents, and Ilaga and Tigpangilog for the Christians who are shameless thieves. The power of oral history effectively transfers such negative stories from one generation to another and causes its prevalence in Mindanaoan communities, including schools. This has been identified as one of the root causes of bullying.

Move This World-Philippines came up with their project “Empathy-based Programming through Games and Creative Expression for Bullying Prevention” in order to address bullying in school through games and creative means. It is anchored on an empathy-based Pre-K-12 curriculum focused on Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) which engages students Pre-K-12, educators, administrators, and families in an arts-based approach of promoting empathy, mediation skills, and conflict transformation. Started in 2012, and still continued today, it was spearheaded by a group of young Mindanaoans who experienced prejudicial practices themselves when they were children.

The project is systematic and holistic in its approach: firstly, classroom teachers are trained extensively on the curriculum; secondly, site visits are conducted, classrooms observed and evaluated; thirdly, parents and other community stakeholders are given workshops on effective after -school care to a bully or bullied child. Communitybased activities are also initiated in partner schools for movement building purposes. Such activities include International Day of Peace, Mindanao Week of Peace, Human Rights Week, and Summer Intercultural Exchange.

This hallmark program fosters cumulative skill building that grows with the individual and produces measurable impact to promote social change through the art of expression.

Project founder and organization representative Prime Ragandang describes how fulfilling it is to implement this project, even if at times it may be hard: “Our goal in Move This World is to change the way we teach. From the traditional notebook, writing down… What is empathy?

What is team building? What is respect? We revolutionize, we change the way we teach. So it is very hard to convince the teachers. It is very hard to convince a 59-year old principal in a classroom and tell her that “Ma’am, let’s change the way we teach. Let’s use games, let’s use playing, let’s use movement to empower these young people about feelings and social and emotional learning,” but he sustains an upbeat attitude towards it: “It’s okay! Because we are revolutionary. After all, we are pasaway.”

“We are an NGO but we’re not a traditional NGO in the sense when it comes to the funding.We are 95% sustainable financially on our own program. Because we believe that if we depend so much on foreign funding, if this foreign funding dies we will also die. We don’t want that. We also want to empower these young people through something that we call “cost-share”. Whenever we give a workshop, they have to give a share. Because they will have a sense of ownership and at the same time ma-feel nila yung value ng program. And until now we are sustainable financially,” he explains. Two and a half year since the project started, it hasgrown exponentially. Empathy-based Programming through Games and Creative Expression for Bullying Prevention is now being continued and used by over 50 PeaceMovers, 7,000 kids from Cotabato region, Northern Mindanao, and Davao City, and has been supported by volunteers, teachers and interns from South Korea, Japan, Australia, Nepal, Spain and Germany.

Move This World-Philippines believes that current political issues like the Mamasapano clash are rooted on the very problems that they are trying to address through this project. Because cultural and religious biases start early, it has become even more urgent to continue what they have started doing: the prevention of subjecting others to one’s judgment only because they are different from you.

Because after all, when trained in the wisdom of looking at things as a bigger picture, children and adults alike may be reminded that it shouldn’t be important that we are Muslims or Christians in the Philippines – instead we are all Filipinos, all one and the same.

EDUCATION AND TECHNOLOGY

Empathy-based Programming through Games and Creative Expression for Bullying Prevention Cagayan de Oro City, Misamis Oriental

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CITE Youth Volunteer Group

Barangay-based Literacy Projects (Project TEACH and Project DEMI) Ilagan City, Isabela Most Agta children in Cabisera 10 Lupigue are not able to attend classes on a regular basis because many parents feel that the whole family’s basic needs should precede education. Although the local public school that the Agta kids attend is free of charge and even feeds them during school days, only they will benefit from it and not their families. As much as the parents want to send them to school, they instead opt to have them help out at work, to find food to provide for the family. In response to this, CITE Youth Volunteer Group established Project TEACH (Teach Every Agta Child) and Project DEMI (Dynamic English and Math Instruction).

Project TEACH is a barangay-based teaching project extended to the Agta children of Cabisera 10 Lupigue, San Antonio, Ilagan City, while Project DEMI reaches out to the children of Barangay Namnama in the same city. Project TEACH and Project DEMI currently have 115 beneficiaries in total. Both projects aim to fuel the children’s interest in their academics despite challenging circumstances. Participants that attended CITE’s supplementary classes learned basic functional educational skills such as reading, writing, and arithmetic. Their overall health conditions also improved, as proper hand washing and sanitation instructions and meal preparation support for parents went hand-in-hand with the feeding program when wrapping up every classroom session.

Established in October 2012, volunteers have spent every Saturday, with their designated communities.

More often than not, when an Agta student absents him/herself from school, he/she gets even more 22

discouraged to come back because of the missed lessons, which compound every day they don’t go to class. The supplementary classes that the group holds help bridge this gap and reminds the kids that all is not lost just because they had to miss a school day.

CITE President Camille Luis recounts how challenging it was to adapt to the Agta communities because they had many different practices and beliefs. For example, their teaching volunteers had to be careful not to touch their hair or look them in the eye, as those acts were taboo to them. They also had to be mindful of what kind of food to prepare after teaching sessions, because the Agta kids did not eat specific kinds of dishes. Gaining the Agta families’ trust and confidence proved worthwhile, however, because the group found the kids warming up to them soon enough.

One eventful Saturday, a mother approached Camille and said, “Salamat, kasi tinutulungan niyo kami. Kahit ganito kami, kahit malayo pinupuntahan niyo kami.” The Agta community is wary of people outside their tribe because they feel that people pay attention to how different they look and act, but that simple act of thanks reassured Camille that they were making an important step towards achieving inter-cultural cooperation and integration.

The CITE Youth Volunteer Group is comprised of students from Isabela State University – Ilagan Campus – a group of passionate teachers going beyond the boundaries of classrooms, breaking through cultural barriers to assist fellow Filipinos in need. They plan to continue Project TEACH and Project DEMI, and want to start providing their beneficiaries other basic needs such as clothes and other such necessities.

Hearts and Brains Youth Volunteers, Inc. Bahay Tuluyan Sarangani, Mindanao

Tired and sleepy children will not be able to make the most out of their time in the classroom, much less if they need to gather energy yet again to make the hours-long trek back home. One cannot help but admire the perseverance that these kids show, just so they could get the education they more than deserve. A group of compassionate priests heard about this situation and helped out by putting up a school for them in the year 2011. Some students have opted to just continue their schooling at this school – which would have been an excellent solution, except for the fact that the said school only accommodates pupils until Grade 1. Children already due for a Grade 4 curriculum or even higher, just attend classes in Grade 1 because they cannot afford to go to the far-away schools. Even more students choose not to go to school anymore at all, because of the demanding physical effort that it requires.

Hearts and Brains Youth Volunteers, Inc. (HABI) has created a means to make it easier for these children

to get to school day-in, day-out quite literally. HABI members are young professionals who have devoted their time to “Bahay Tuluyan”, an on-going project that aims to provide functional dormitories for schoolchildren who live very far from their schools. Through the support of the students’ parents and other volunteer groups, HABI has presently constructed 2 dormitories at Sitio Makahi and Sitio Safya, where 33 students stay during weekdays.

These dormitories are located inside their school grounds which allows for easy access to and from their classrooms.

Another dormitory is being planned for construction in Sitio Banli. Organization representative John Oliver Tablazon, a registered nurse who has unwaveringly devoted his time to the organization for 4 years now, is also looking to build another dormitory in General Santos where he hails from. Inside these dormitories, students are able to enjoy the comfort of sleeping quarters, clean lavatories and wash areas that they need not travel a quarter of a day for, before and after school. They are also conscientiously trained in independent living, as they share housekeeping duties with their housemates for the weekdays. A “house parent” – an adult volunteer regularly appointed by the members – is present at all times to oversee the dormitory maintenance and guide the students in time management between schoolwork and chores.

EDUCATION AND TECHNOLOGY

Schoolchildren from the far-flung regions of mountainous Malapatan in the province of Sarangani are required to walk at least three hours in order to get to a school in Sitio Kiahe – one that is located at a great distance from their houses. As difficult as it already sounds, the scenario gets more daunting: the walk from home to school is littered with rivers and muddy slopes --- a terrain challenging to embark even for fully-grown adults. They need to wake up very early, before everyone else – in order to arrive at their classrooms in time for class at 7:00AM. The next morning, they do it again. And again, over and over through the course of the week. It is an exhausting routine that costs them their full potential at class participation.

As the passionate members of Hearts and Brains Youth Volunteers believe that education has always been a right, and not a privilege, John Oliver explains the reason behind Bahay Tuluyan in a manner that is short and sweet: “Simple lang po itong ‘Bahay Tuluyan’, eh… Kung ano yung dapat sa kanila, ibigay natin.”

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KWADERNO LOVE CAN, INC. A Child Worker No More and Sponsor A Child Project Bacolod City, Negros Occidental

The unfortunate reality is this: there are places where livelihood is difficult to come by and children have no choice but to find means to put food on table for themselves and their families, day-in and day-out. These kids want so badly to come to school but they cannot.

What should have been time for study and play are spent labouring as errand boys and girls, garbage collectors, and other informal jobs.

Wishing to address this pressing problem in their area, Bacolod-based organization Kwaderno came up with their “A Child Worker No More and Sponsor A Child” projects.

What started out as a simple notebook-distribution effort has become full-fledged scholarship program, from which eight students benefit.

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Kwaderno launched an online campaign named “How Far Can Your 30 Pesos Go?” in Facebook, encouraging people to pledge P30 a month to fund the needs of their project beneficiaries. The money they collect from these pledges is given to the scholars to fund their school expenses. Part of the money is also allotted as rice subsidies for their families – because Kwaderno members know full well that that providing for their families is a responsibility that these kids bear on their shoulders. All of them are aware that the education they currently receive will soon mean more comfortable lives for themselves and their loved ones. Three of their project participants – Michael, Doel and Francis, currently put away P100 weekly as they’re saving up for college. Angelica, a differently-abled child in 5th Grade, continues to be an exceptional student. These four children are among those whose lives Kwaderno has changed. More than financial support, the organization members visit the scholars in their homes regularly to

ensure that they are making the most out of this chance to go to school.

Richelle Verdeprado, Kwaderno President and organization representative, says that finding financial support is most challenging, especially since the number of students they support has reached 8, when they previously started with three. Pledges are hard to collect sometimes, but they’re creative enough to find ways around it. They come up with fundraising events like concerts and dinners, through the help of giving friends and even strangers who hear of their project through Facebook. Kwaderno is very young, Richelle says: “Wala pa siyang pulidong structure, pero nabubuo siya along the way. Sa pagiging bata namin, nandoon din yung strength namin. Kasi napaka-flexible niya, ang daming pwedeng gawin,” a testament to the young’s advantage in making change possible despite difficulties.

As the leader of this fledging and promising young organization, Richelle feels gratified that many people contact them every month, promising to help out:“I always think na kami yung magpapasalamat sa kanila pero it always happens na sila yung tuwang tuwa at sobra ang pag-‘thank you’ sa amin. They tell us: ‘Thank you for this chance to help, dahil nakilala ko yung ganitong bata; thank you kasi matagal na akong naghahanap ng ganitong opportunity to help.’ Siguro kahit ang kaunti pa lang nung napapagaral namin, sigurado ako na wala naman yun sa bilang, kundi sa lalim nung impact nitong nagagawa namin. Sigurado din kaming dadami pa.”

True to Richelle’s word, Kwaderno will be continuing their project and will be finding more children to support, dreams to help fulfill.

Supplementing Topnotch Attendance Year-round (STAY) in School Cagayan de Oro City, Misamis Oriental Rebirth Outdoor Trekkers and Adventurers (ROTA) Philippines, Inc.’s organization representative Drex Vacalares tells the story of a young girl in Tawi-Tawi who couldn’t afford to buy her own notebooks, so she uses her mother’s old notebook: “Imagine, ilang taon na yung notebook na iyon? I find the story very touching… very relevant to what we are doing. Binubura niya everytime yung sinusulat niya, kapag nauubos na. This is the validation that we’re looking for, na tama itong ginagawa namin. Kasi nagbibigay kami ng school kits, and other basic needs ng mga bata. Also hygiene kits, mga tsinelas, sapatos. All in all, those contribute to the child’s desire to stay in school.”

ROTA-Philippines, Inc.’s project, “Supplementing Topnotch Attendance Year-round (STAY) In School” was started in 2012 and has been on-going since then. In total, they have distributed more than thousand school kits to children in Intavas Elementary School, in Bukidnon. Following their program’s implementation, the organization members were pleased to learn that the school’s drop-out rate has decreased. They were able to talk to two children who had to drop out of school, but returned when they heard about ROTA’s distribution program. These are kids who would have stopped going to school for good, if not for the provisions from STAY In School. The project originally distributed school kits only, but has since expanded its cause to health kit distribution, feeding, shoes distribution, and holding learning activities for the students, all thanks to other organizations that expressed their interest in contributing to ROTA’s flagship project. A school kit is composed of two pad papers, two notebooks, 2 pencils or 2 ball pens, or a pencil and a ball pen, an eraser, a sharpener and a box of crayons, placed in a long transparent envelope.

A health kit contains a bar of soap, shampoo, toothpaste, a toothbrush, a face towel, a nail cutter, a comb and sanitary napkins for adolescent girls. Learning activities regularly include story-telling, origami, art workshops, songs, games and dances.

All in all, ROTA has reached twenty-two other schools besides Intavas Elementary School. These schools have populations that comprised of between 80-100% indigenous school kids from Misamis Oriental, Camiguin Island, Bukidnon and South Cotabato. To date, ROTA has served over 5,000 students in its STAY in School Project for more than three years.

ROTA started out as a mountaineering club but later transformed, incorporating the outreach element when its members saw the need for school supplies and other kinds of assistance for children in the hinterlands. Drex reveals: “Our greatest resource is our human capital… ROTA is composed of students, but majority of us are working, young professionals like me. So it’s like we’re working hard for us to give.We’re working hard to inspire others. It’s not just a project, it’s a movement.” ROTA’s school kits thus provide the necessary materials, and the necessary push to support indigenous kids in their pursuit of education.

The provision of school supplies unassuming as it may be, is key in rousing children’s interest to go to school and to stay motivated. A school kit may be easy to overlook, but to a kid in need, it may mean the difference between staying in or out of school.

The organization is due to return to Intavas Elementary School to distribute 5,000 pairs of shoes, in partnership with World Mission Outreach Fellowship (WMOF), Skechers and Soles for Souls. ROTA is grateful for the help of other organizations as well, such as Ayala Land, del Monte, and local government units.

EDUCATION AND TECHNOLOGY

ROTA Philippines

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ENVIRONMENT, DISASTER RISK REDUCTION AND CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION It is during crisis moments where the leadership of the Filipino emerges. In the past few years, when disasters struck the country, we have seen new forms of people power through rescue & relief operations, social media public service announcements and creation of volunteer centers.

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The Philippine archipelago has been lauded for its impressive natural sites, fascinating biodiversity and an overall rich ecology. It makes one wonder, for how long can we keep these resources intact? How long do we have until we have used up all these forests, these oceans that we are so proud of? Until when can we really enjoy clean breathing air? Because let’s face it: we have been living beyond our ecological means, over-using what richness our country has been blessed with. We’re paying our overdrafts with resources that our future generations will need, causing pollution that they will struggle to clean up.

TAYO 12 was teeming with organizations whose projects stood out in effective environmental protection, climate change solutions, promoting biodiversity and ecological awareness, disaster mitigation, disaster response, rescue trainings, and such programs that sought to address and problems encountered in both rural and urban environments.

Youth Environment for School Organization - Lucena City National High School (YES-O LCNHS) was alarmed at the rate at which these natural resources diminish, and acted quickly in repopulating mangrove forests in Lucena.

Because of increasing urbanization, Youth for a Livable Cebu (YLC) pursued projects that focus on ecological urban farming. UP Circuit, on the other hand, chose to use their expertise on electronics and created a project on recycling electronic waste and its safe disposal.

Environmental consciousness and disaster preparedness tied closely together. When one is in tune with the surroundings, it becomes

easier to decide on what to act on: which issues to address, what areas to improve in, what impending catastrophes may happen.

Preventive measures are always best, especially in our country where we regularly experience typhoons and other calamities both natural and man-made. Needless to say, it is difficult to practice prevention when already, problems like pollution and inefficient waste management have been difficult to control, causing diseases and largescale disasters. At present, many cities have tried to alleviate this by minimizing the use of plastic in markets and other commercial establishments – an important policy that should lessen solid waste.

As a pre-emptive tool for floods and other water-related mishaps, Isabela’s Red Cross Youth – Junior Rescue Team (RCY – JRT) created an innovative raft out of used PET bottles – addressing waste management and disaster mitigation at the same time. Likewise, Cebu’s Rescue Assistance Peacekeeping Intelligence Detail (RAPID) members have created a training program for community residents, in order for to be alert and able to rescue fellow citizens whenever the need arises.

Caring for the planet that provides for us seems to be the most obvious choice, and yet we forget. These projects remind us that for the future to be bright, it must be green.

And for a favourable future to even exist, we must be aware of how to prevent disaster, and should they be inevitable – how to address them.

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Rescue Assistance Peacekeeping Intelligence Detail, Inc. (RAPID) Saving Lives Program Cebu City

The year 2013 was not a very good one for the Philippines because of the calamities that hit us: in October, there was the 7.2 magnitude earthquake that jolted Cebu and Bohol that caused the deaths of at least 42 people and left a hundred injured. Properties were damaged heavily, and both provinces were put under states of calamity. Typhoon Yolanda also ravaged the country in November, one of the worst the country has had to face yet. Additionally, a 2Go vessel and Sulpicio Lines ship collided with each other at Lawis Ledge in Talisay City, Cebu, where at least 200 people were reported to have gone missing and 24 dead.

In all three incidents, RAPID was present. RAPID is fairly straightforward in who they are: they’re a Cebu-based civic group that aims to optimize human potential through service to the community by training citizens to be part of emergency-response teams. Their top priority recruits are out-of-school youth, in an effort to address the rise of delinquent crime in their city. Bystanders, tricycle drivers and even senior citizens are also encouraged to join, as these are the people who are readily available during emergency situations. RAPID stands for Rescue Assistance Peacekeeping Intelligence Detail, but it could very well describe how members of this organization think and act when confronted with disaster, life-and-death situations and other harrowing circumstances.

Their project, the “Saving Lives Program” is implemented by the volunteers, members and officers of RAPID. The RAPID Team coordinates with Barangay Officials of different barangays in Cebu and the Philippines National Police, Philippine Coast Guard, MAPS (Medical and Paramedical Society of the Philippines) in this endeavour.

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They go around the different communities in Visayas to educate and train community members to prepare themselves for disasters that may happen. The training, workshops and drills per community run for two weeks and cover topics that range from disaster preparedness to emergency response, and good conduct and discipline as Filipino citizens. Youth volunteers are also active as force multipliers to authorities whenever there is an absence of respondents to disasters in their area of responsibilities.

They join the PNP check points and saturation drives to multiply and help out the force, training the youth to be more vigilant and more proactive in their own community, while creating more responsible and disciplined Filipinos out of them.

RAPID representative Rafael Enriquez recounts what happened during the August 2013 sea mishap in Cebu, one of the worst ever recorded: “Aside from the registered doctors and nurses, and the rest of our medical team that we went with, we had 5 out-of-school youth with us. Sila talaga yung nagtulong and nagbigay ng pag-asa sa mga people who were drowning at sea. These were 16, 17, 18 year olds. Sila mismo ang nag-rescue sa mga tao.”

It was John Ryle Salarda, a 16-year old volunteer who saved the life of an 8-month old baby, floating in the open sea. He revived the infant through Cardio – Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) that he was trained in, under Saving Lives Program. It is also thanks to this program that a 6-month pregnant woman who needed CPR was saved, among many others. In the said incident, the RAPID team is proud to have arrived first in the scene, extending assistance and reassurance to the many victims of the tragedy. They were able to retrieve 16 cadavers and rescue

While RAPID welcomes volunteers from all ages and walks of life, Rafael is most gratified with the youth volunteers that are part of their cause because they are the group they wanted most to invite in: “The funny thing is, we aren’t an ordinary team. This is a team composed of ordinary people – mostly out of school youth at that. They’re now trained to save the lives of others.

In a sense, we in RAPID who trained them saved their lives and now they’re willing to save the lives of others.”

He talks about how challenging it was to train these volunteers because they found it hard to understand terminologies due to a lack of basic literacy. “Tiyaga lang po talaga. It came through in the end, and now they’re trained. They used to be rugby boys or drug users, and now they’re emergency responders”, Rafael says. Of 600 active members in the Visayas region, around 70% are young volunteers. RAPID has also recently established a Luzon chapter in Malolos, Bulacan, composed of 40-50 members.

The Rescue Assistance and Peacekeeping Intelligence Detail team coordinates with, and is assisted by the Philippine National Police and Philippine Coastguard through the provision of training venues and rescue equipment. They also partner with the local government units. Right after TAYO Week, Rafael will be on his way to Mindanao because he was invited to conduct peacekeeping training sessions there.

With driven, disciplined and focused training from organizations like RAPID, the young find purpose in saving their own lives and extending the favour to countless others.

ENVIRONMENT, DISASTER RISK REDUCTION AND CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION

at least 85 more survivors. The RAPID team was also first to respond to the consequent emergency situations caused by the earthquake in Bohol and Cebu, and the typhoon Yolanda in Bantayan Island.

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RED CROSS YOUTH – JUNIOR RESCUE TEAM Disaster Management Eco-R aft (DEMR) Cauayan City, Isabela

The Cauayan City National High School of Isabela is situated near the Cagayan River. Most students in this school need to cross a bridge over the river to get to school ever y day. What’s supposedly a regular walk to school becomes hazardous when it starts raining and the riverbanks start to overflow. Many choose not to come to school anymore when this happens.

Out of 3,000 students, 200 cannot attend classes once the river starts flooding. Others choose to take an alternate route, across an adjacent town in order to get to school. Still more students insist on using the bridge, risking drowning and meeting untoward accidents. Because of this, the Red Cross Youth – Junior Rescue Team (RCY-JRT) thought of making a raft not only to ser ve as a form of transportation for the students in their school, but also to be used during emergency situations.

What’s thirst-quenching and also disastermitigating? Bottles of your favourite soda, that’s what. PET bottles are buoyant, and readily available. Members of the organization were required to bring three to five PET bottles each in order to complete the materials for the raft.

Used bottles – 465 pieces of 2-liter and 1.5-liter ones, along with 6 gallon containers are tied together with tie wire, nylon and buho to create one Disaster Management Eco-Raft (DMER). It can carr y six to ten people, depending on how 30

heavy they are. Citizens from one side of Cagayan River can now safely travel from one side to the other during rainy days. More than the chance to prevent accidents, RYC-JRT is able to lessen the solid waste produced in their area by using the waste productively.

Organization representative Diwata Donato is 15 years old, and has been a member of the organization for three years now. She was inspired to join the Red Cross Youth as a freshman because she saw how much difference the organization made in the school. Members devoted much time to train in swimming – a skill that’s especially essential in their community because of their proximity to the river. Should water-related disasters arise, RCY-JRT’s adeptly trained swimmers and rescuers are quick to respond. Many accidents – involving both students and older citizens alike – have been recorded in the Cauayan City area, and Diwata knows that in being part of the Red Cross Youth, she helps people protect themselves from these unfortunate events.

“Simple lang naman po talaga yung project namin,” says Diwata when asked about the DMER. “Mangongolekta lang ng bote, tapos ipagsasama sama para masakyan. Diba? Pero sa kasimplehan niya, doon nagiging mas madali dalhin sa ibang lugar. Nakausap ko nga po yung isang Red Cross din na member sa NYC, sabi niya po kahit

The Red Cross Youth is a major arm of the Philippine National Red Cross, which aims to train young individuals aged 7-25 years old in the values of ser vant leadership and volunteerism.

Its mission is to educate and empower them in the spirit of the Red Cross through holding training sessions and providing opportunities for directing and harnessing their energies and idealism into humanitarian activities. The Red Cross Youth – Junior Rescue Team of Cauayan City National High School was first established in August 2005 by Mr. Arnel Reyes, their current adviser. Starting out with just fifty (50) members, RCY-Junior Rescue Team now has one thousand (1000) members, which is a third of the school population. RCY-JRT celebrates monthly activities that focus on leadership, disaster preparedness and community-building, which include the Red Cross General Assembly, National Disaster Consciousness Month, Friendship Games, Environmental Youth Camps, Dengue Awareness Month, World AIDS Day, Fire Prevention Month, First Aid Summer Training and Basic Leadership Training, among others.

Diwata is thrilled with the chance to represent RCY-JRT in TAYO 12, and she talks enthusiastically about its significance for young students like her : “Napaka-importante po ng pagiging handa sa kahit anong pwede mangyari, kaya tina-tr y nating unahan. Kaya nga po masaya talaga ako na may Red Cross sa High School namin. Imagine niyo po, High School pa lang, Red Cross na! Diba kasi kailangan po talaga ng skills na tinuturo ng Red Cross: yung pagtulong sa iba, yung pagsagip sa iba.”

In the coming months, RCY-JRT is looking to continue collecting PET bottles for their emergency raft. Additionally, the TAYO grant and Special Award that they received from TAYO’s partner Coca-Cola Foundation Philippines, Inc. will be used to buy First Aid Kits for their community. “Iba po talaga yung feeling ng tumutulong. Kahit ‘thank you’ lang galing sa mga tinuturuan namin, tinutulungan namin tumawid nung bridge, okay na po sa amin.”, said Diwata animatedly, her youthful enthusiasm infectious and inspiring. Indeed, Red Cross Youth – Junior Rescue Team’s Disaster Management Eco-Raft seems ordinar y – but to the students and residents of Cauayan City, Isabela, the creation of this hardy, eco-friendly tool can make all the difference in the world.

ENVIRONMENT, DISASTER RISK REDUCTION AND CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION

saan ito dalhin, kunwari kahit sa Tawi-Tawi, maiintidihan nila at ma-aapply. Kasi universal po ito e. Recycling, tapos pagtulong sa pag-prevent ng disaster. Yun lang naman po talaga ang goals namin sa Red Cross.”

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YES-O Lucena City National High School Ransohan Extension

Mangrove Reforestation Project Lucena City, Quezon

Mangroves are botanical wonders that grow and thrive in extreme conditions that would ordinarily be fatal to other plants. These hardy trees play host to many different species: birds roost on them, shellfish attach themselves to the roots, young fish flock to them, and they are a source of livelihood for many in Quezon.

Because mangrove wood is suitable as an energy resource, people produce charcoal from the mangrove trees, and have passed on the practice to younger generations. Most of the inhabitants of the province have known the use of mangroves as their exclusive means to making a living, and also for their household use. It was no surprise that as time passed, these mangrove forests have thinned out and have alarmed several groups, particularly Youth for Environment School Organization, LCNHS Chapter - Ransohan Ext. The YES-O LCNHS Mangrove Reforestation Program in Barangay Ransohan, Lucena Quezon started in 2012 and it continues today. In the same year, the High School Program was established in the nearby school which the program partnered with. Since then, a total log ban has been implemented in the area. Instead of cutting down trees to be used for cooking and selling, residents of Lucena now use dried-out wood from mangrove trees that cannot be saved anymore.

Younger members of the community have rethought 32

their ways and have geared them towards contributing to the protection of mangrove forests. Members of the organization harvest propagules from the fully-grown mangroves in the coastline and re-plant them across other places. Many volunteers joined the tree-planting efforts of the organization. Out of school youth that previously spent their time idly now take part in workshops that teach stakeholders the importance of mangroves, and how to care for newly-planted ones in order for them to flourish. Schools, both public and private, along with local government units and non-government organizations have expressed their support and interest in taking part of the program as well.

Grateful as they are for support of many parties and groups, YES-O LCNHS representative Medel tells of the physical challenges in collecting and replanting seedlings for their reforestation project: “Yung isa pa po talagang challenge samin, talagang lumalangoy kami (para makakuha ng bunga ng bakawan). Ako nga po, nasusugatan ako ng mga talaba. Sa mga ugat ugat kasi, maraming talaba. Noon nga pong nagkaroon ng documentary sa ABS-CBN, kami yung na-feature. Kahit yung mga directors, studyante, nasugatan. Kailangan kasi talaga lumusong sa ilog. Ang ginagawa nalang namin, may dala kami laging medical kit. Buhusan lang ng alcohol,

YES-O LCNHS knows how important it is to sustain the momentum of their project. They are happy to report that 94% of the seedlings they plant survive, and the remaining 6%, they are quick to replace immediately. They also come back to their planting sites to make sure their mangroves are well-sustained.

“Following-through is very important. Yung bansa natin nag-iimplement ng programs na maganda.. Maraming enclosure. Pero how about the sustainability and maintenance? Nawawalan ng monitoring, eh. Halimbawa, sa National Greening Program – every Filipino should plant ten trees every year. Pero anong awareness ng mga tao dito? Kaya sa mga workshop namin, pinaiintindi talaga namin sa stakeholders na kailangan magtanim, sumunod..”, says Medel, underlining the importance of educating others. “Parang hindi po totoo. Reminder po ito sa akin na hindi porket bata tayo, stuck tayo sa gadgets natin. Dapat ginagawa natin yung responsibility sa community.”, he says when asked how it feels to bring home the coveted TAYO title. He is hopeful that more youth groups, especially those from Quezon will join TAYO in the coming years.

Immediately after TAYO week, Medel made his way to Polilio Islands where the mayor requested for him to propagate mangrove trees there. With YES-O LCNHS’s Mangrove Reforestation Program, the message of hope for our ecology remains evergreen.

ENVIRONMENT, DISASTER RISK REDUCTION AND CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION

okay na. Sa pangunguha po ng mangrove kasi, maraming risk. Yung mangrove forest kasi, di mo alam baka may ahas…” Despite these difficulties, Medel admires the devotion that their young volunteers have shown for their replanting efforts. Even when they get cut on sharp shells, they exclaim: “Okay lang kami Sir! Dati nga mga tambay lang kami. Noong dumating itong program tsaka yung High School, talagang nag-iba yung pananaw (namin)”. In 2014, during the height of the storm Habagat, he advised the volunteers currently assigned in the organization quarters to go home immediately to ensure their safety, but they all refused. Thirty young boys in their organization labored through the night, transferring 1500 mangrove seedlings to a safe area so they won’t be destroyed by the storm. Medel swells with pride as he recalls a day when someone asked the same volunteers what will happen to the project in the future, and they enthused, “Kaya po naming ipagpatuloy!”

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paying mind to what health and environmental harms it may cause them. In the Philippines, e-waste is usually sold in the local junk shop – something that is not advisable because these businesses may be engaged in waste management practices that are potentially damaging to both human health and the environment.

UP CIRCUIT

The E-Waste Project Diliman, Quezon City In this day and age, everyone has a mobile phone.

Most people have tablet computers, and many laptops and/or desktop computers. Televisions, microwave ovens, and washing machines are staples in your average home. Through industrial tools and gadgets that make life more convenient and communication a lot faster and efficient, people have enjoyed the benefits of 20th century technology. After these electronics have outlived their usefulness, people tend to move on quickly to the next best, latest gadget without a thought to properly getting rid of their formerly-valuable gizmo.

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Enter UP Circuit, which has decided to make the most out of discarded cellphones, computer parts, engines and other kinds of electronic waste.

An academic organization based in UP Diliman Electrical and Electronics Engineering Institute (EEE Institute), UP Circuit is composed of students who excel academically and participate in events that foster social and civic awareness – much like their annual event and TAYO 12 entry, “The E-Waste Project”. Electronic waste (e-waste), is something that EEE students are very much exposed to because they work with machines all the time. Curious students as they were, they looked into what happens to electronic devices that are old, irreparable and obsolete and discovered that e-waste disposal is a serious issue that has not been paid much attention in the Philippines.

Unbeknownst to many, e-waste is the fastest growing municipal waste in the world. As a matter of fact, developing countries are used as dumpsites for developed countries’ electronic trash without

The E-Waste Project is a collaborative effort between student organizations aiming to raise awareness on proper e-waste management, while providing a venue for practicing proper e-waste disposal at the same time. Participating schools and universities apart from UP Diliman conduct a week-long e-waste collection drive. Collected e-waste is then sold to Envirocycle, a DENRand LLDA- recognized and accredited waste management company. The proceeds of the project has been used to fund UP Circuit’s Advanced Knowledge for the Betterment of the Aspiring Youth (AKBAY), a socio-civic project geared computer literacy, specifically in public schools.

Additionally, Circuit members went around the communities surrounding UP Diliman with a “Karitronics”, collecting obsolete appliances from households. It is a common habit of many Filipinos to hold on to their e-waste and plan on fixing it in the future, but these waste products usually lay forgotten in storage areas, potentially leaking chemical toxins in the process. If told that they will be helping in a cause to provide for needy students like AKBAY, people will be encouraged to finally let go of their e-waste products.

Dubhe Bejo, UP Circuit officer and TAYO representative recalls a proud moment when they visited a beneficiary school and was introduced by a teacher to the class with: “O sila, mga estudyante din sila katulad niyo pero nag-donate sila ng computer para sa inyo”. “ Doon ko narealize na, oo nga no, studyante nga pala kami. Minsan, nakakalimutan na namin na oo nga, big deal ito na nakaya namin”, says Dubhe candidly.

The E-Waste Project has been ongoing for two years and has since donated a total of 16 computers to Sta. Lucia High School and Caloocan High School. UP Circuit plans to continue this effort and provide underprivileged kids a chance at a computer laboratory in school, while saving the environment – one discarded appliance at a time.

The Great Urban Challenge Cebu City

Urbanization comes with implications of progress: more buildings and infrastructure means more opportunities for employment, more residences and more productivity. This phenomenon, however, also plays host to multiple challenges at the same time. As of the year 2014, almost half of the entire world population resides in an urban setting. Many relocate from rural areas to cities because of better job opportunities and access to services such as education and health care. Due to this higher concentration of people within a region, shortages of important resources such as food and water may result. What adds to this problem further is the rising pollution levels that contribute to respiratory health illnesses.

Having lived in Cebu for most of their life, the founders and members of Youth for a Livable Cebu (YLC) came up with “The Great Urban Challenge” (TGUC). The premise that this effort hinges on is that they want to make Cebu a better place to live in – through the initiation and implementation of programs that increase liveability through green urban revitalization.

They have seen and experienced what it’s like to grown up in congested areas that could do with some fresh air and greenery. Within a span of three years, the project aims to tap into different stakeholders in the community, from the local government, public sectors, businesses, and private individuals.

Since its conceptualization in 2013, TGUC has undertaken several independent projects.

One such project was the introduction of vertical farming. Organization representative and longtime member of YLC, Fiona Lim, recalls how the simple act of creating a vertical garden across her bedroom wall caused a ripple effect: “I thought, ‘I really want to do something on my windows.

I want to plant my herbs there. I want it to be like my curtain.’ My friends helped me out with it and then we did it. Then one of my friends owns a restaurant… So we asked him, ‘What do you think of being the commercial establishment

that would introduce to your clients the idea of growing your own food?’. Her friend agreed, and has since maintained a vertical garden from which he sources the herbs and spices that he uses for his restaurant. Many inquiries from hotels, schools, other restaurants and barangay communities have resulted from it. “So with that small act from my house, to his restaurant, it spread to everybody,”, she says.

TGUC works under the theoretical framework of sustainable development, aligning all its activities on five pillars namely Plant, Live, Work, Play and Lead. The five pillars are the key result areas and guiding themes of the activities to be undertaken.

Plant focuses on activities on vegetation and urban farming; once clean and green public spaces are established, the Live pillar follows by focusing on community wellness, educating the communities on how to make use of their edible produce; the Work pillar develops the entrepreneurial spirit of the community through establishing business opportunities for the community out of the urban greening; Play promotes Filipino traditional games and activities that can be undertaken in these green public spaces; and Lead focuses on solidifying sustainable development by undertaking green urban practices.

Youth for a Livable Cebu recognizes that their ideas might be challenging to execute: it’s really a niche idea that people have to be ready for.

Members of the organization are patient about answering the questions that come with their seemingly radical ideas, conducting meetings and site visits with interested parties. For the love of their city, they work hard at making their fellow Cebuanos understand that development need not to mean the lack of greenery, teaching them to utilize space the best way one can and enjoy the plethora of benefits that it brings about. The Great Urban Challenge will be a continuing effort, possibly even beyond the 3-year timeline that the group originally sought out.

ENVIRONMENT, DISASTER RISK REDUCTION AND CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION

YOUTH FOR A LIVABLE CEBU

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CULTURE AND THE ARTS, PEACE & HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

It is through the culture & the arts that we are rooted towards promoting peace and development in communities, especially in our marginalized sectors.

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Culture encompasses the values, beliefs and traditions – acts we exhibit in our everyday lives. Likewise, it is reflected in our rich history, heritage and creative expression. It is through culture that we develop a sense of belonging in the communities we reside in. In a country as diverse as ours, culture becomes doubly fascinating and colourful, challenging to pin down and define. Finding pride in who we are as a nation is hinged on how well we accept ourselves collectively, no matter how different we are to one another.

forwarding a vision of peaceful society composed of many faces, many traditions that are all equally valued and accepted.

The following are programs that forward the valuation of human dignity, culture and arts, peace and security and the rights of indigenous peoples by actively integrating art and cultural appreciation, paving the way to an incessant connection between assessment, motivation, instruction, assessment, and practical application skills for the benefit of their project participants.

Art and culture are powerful tools to influence the minds of individuals. Through these, we are shown real world characters that sharpen and form our belief systems and perceptions.

Art and culture help us understand others, and guide our behaviours. Art isn’t just limited to visual arts such as painting and sculpture, nor does it pertain only to performing arts such as theatre, dance or song. Art and culture are seeped into all our activities and expressions that extend beyond the surface level and unite people with a common sense of self.

Isabela’s Indigenous Youth Servant Leaders Association of the Philippines (IYSLAP) works towards this goal by helping out upland indigenous communities through educational activities for children that involve singing, dancing and painting.

Additionally, they hold livelihood, ecological and feeding programs, ultimately aiming for the preservation and protection of these Indigenous Peoples’ unique traditions. Iloilo’s University of San Agustin Little Theatre (USALT) shared in the grief and consequent rehabilitation of Yolandastricken communities by creating and performing theatrical productions from their stories of Most importantly, it sparks curiosity in people survival, inspiration and hope. NCR’s Children’s towards accepting diversity, leading to peace Museum & Library Inc., Junior Council Alumni and harmonious coexistence. This interest in Association (CMLI – JCAA) gathers High School exploring beyond one’s self can encourage choirs and chorale groups in an annual event discussion and facilitate collaboration. Art to celebrate the Filipino youth’s musical talent articulates emotion in a way that no other and leadership potential. Similarly, Davao’s New form can, addressing feelings of isolation and Breed Special Force holds free acting, film and inadequacy and replacing them with reminders performing arts classes to the young individuals of solidarity and a strong sense of self. Story- to veer them away from immoral and illegal telling through art shares experiences that activities, apart from offering other environmental promotes acceptance of pluralistic values, and educational programs.

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IYSLAP (Indigenous Youth Servant Leaders Association of the Philippines) Pondong 2B’s para sa IP’s Echague, Isabela

While there have been many organizations that claim to champion the rights of Indigenous People, members of the Indigenous Youth Servant Leaders Association of the Philippines is proud to be an organization that describes themselves as “isang grupo na binubuo ng katutubong kabataan para sa kapwa katutubong kabataan”. Because the members share the same background as their project beneficiaries, they have a special stake in the project – they’re working for their very own rights.

IYSLAP representative Remart mentions that he started thinking about how to improve the conditions of his brothers and sisters in highland Isabela when he was nine years old. Because his family was wrought with problems, he chose to find a productive way to use his time. It was then that he established IYSLAP. “Pondong 2B’s para sa IP’s” is a collection drive for bote (bottles) made of plastic and bakal (metal) that can be sold to shops. The income from these products are then used for funding the 5 programs that ISYLAP came up with, in addressing the needs of the tribes in Isabela: 1) A weekly feeding program for the children in Isabela, 2) Basic classes for learning programs on reading, writing and conducting story-telling sessions that teach moral values through art, drawing, painting and songs, 3) Treeplanting and caretaking activities, 4) Clothing drives and solicitations to be given to the IP communities, and 5) and IPeace Boodle, a meal that beneficiaries partake of. This showcases camaraderie and goodwill between members of the indigenous communities and people in the lowlands, proving that discrimination is a shameful and immoral practice. Besides selling bottles and metal for funds, members of the organization also help the IPs sell their crops and other agricultural products.

IYSLAP’s vision is that of a society where Indigenous 38

an orientation wherein they were informed of ethical and unethical behaviour, lest they offend the tribe that they were trying to assist.

There is a pressing need to pay attention to the rights of Indigenous People, because as Remart has observed, “Kailangan po maayos yung IP Law po natin. Kasi talagang nilalabag po nila eh. Lalo na sa researchers…. Nagssearch sila, tapos ipapagbenta nila yung product, hindi man lang bigyan yung community.

Yun po talaga yung sakin. Maraming pumapasok sa lugar, para sa study. Okay naman kaya lang sumusobra po. Tsaka binebenta nila ng malaki tapos ni piso hindi nila binibigyan… Yun yung sa akin yung ayaw ko talaga. Kasi mayaman po talaga kami sa cultures and traditions, medicines. Yun po yung talagang nakikita namin. Unti-unti na po kasi naming naaalis yung tribal war, eh. Iyon na lang po yung problema, yung hindi kami nabibigyan ng credit”. While IYSLAP has already done much, there is still more to be done for the IPs.

CULTURE AND THE ARTS, PEACE AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

People can be comfortable in sharing what they believe in, their practices, and who they are as a people, and this fuels their drive into helping them trust others and work with them. Remart himself shows the possibility and immense benefit of inter-tribal and intra-tribal fellowship: he is a member of the Itawes tribe, and the other people in the organization is from the Ilongot, Igorot and Ifugao tribes, among others. Together, they go up the highlands to visit the remote IP communities and assess their needs so that they could provide those. It was a literal uphill struggle for IYSLAP when they started their project: “Pag pumunta kaming bundok, 3AM… tapos once a day lang po yung biyahe.

Kailangan naming umakyat sa bundok 5 hanggang 6 na oras hanggang mareach lang namin yung areas.

Noong una talagang mahirap kasi nung inask naming yung mga mother nila kung kailan sila pinanganak, yung sagot, “Noong umuulan/ Noong umaambon.” So ang hirap po talaga sa side naming kung paano namin uumpisahan yung programs namin. Kasi yun po, wala rin silang permanent na bahay. Yun yung pinakamahirap kasi hirap kami i-assess kung ano yung needs nila.” The group addressed this with the help of their volunteers: a volunteer was assigned to each family in order to get to know them and be able to tell what they need most.

Before being assigned to families, volunteers underwent

As the members comprising the Indigenous Youth Servant Leaders Association of the Philippines prove themselves to be the formidable guards of the rich culture that is of our indigenous brothers and sisters, we are reassured that they are in good, able hands.

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UNIVERSITY OF SAN AGUSTIN LITTLE THEATRE imagine|a|nation Iloilo City

The super typhoon Yolanda of 2013 left homes devastated and buildings destroyed, but the greatest damage of it all was one that could not be seen nor touched physically: the blow that it dealt to the human spirit. One of the places that were struck the worst was the province of Ilo-Ilo. There were many relief operations available to victims of the storm, but one specific endeavour from a university in IloIlo City stood out from the rest.

“Project imagine|a|nation” is the response of University of San Agustin Little Theatre (USALT) to the aftermath of Typhoon Yolanda. It is a series of creative works that reflect the stories of those that had to endure suffering and loss brought about by the storm, aiming to reach out and reassure them that they will get through what seems to be the insurmountable challenge of continuing and rebuilding their lives. The series is comprised of productions such as Voices After the Storm, Basura Busters and imagine|a|nation – works that utilized different approaches in delivering stories of strength and hope in the face of adversity. Voices After the Storm is a collection of short monologues culled from news reports, social media posts and personal accounts. Volunteers from the University of San Agustin visited the Municipality of Lemery in Northern IloIlo, which was hit by the storm. They provided relief goods and medical assistance, and the members of Little Theatre thought of putting on a show for the kids. They performed “Basura Busters”, - a story of three kids turned heroes to save their bewitched parents from Buyong Basura with help from kids of the local community. Aside from the comic relief that the play afforded the children, it encouraged the young 40

audience to do their part in rebuilding their communities. It was received very well. During the interactive play, organization representative Ron Espinosa says, “The kids, they joined talaga.

Hindi pa nga namin sila natatanong, nagvovolunteer na sila. Ang saya ng feeling. They were already joining us to get the trash to banish Buyong Basura. Tinuturo namin yung trash bins para ma-sort din nila tapos sumusunod sila.”. After the play, the children even approached the performers, asking about and playing with the recycled items that they used for props. Last but not the least, imagine|a|nation was a full production that used a minimalist set to make the narrative speak for itself, and further reflect the universal characteristics of stories from the storm and ensure that everyone in the audience can relate in one way or another. It was already performed in several places, including Bacolod for the National Commission on Culture and the Arts, and in the Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA) Theater Center in Manila.

In creating this series of works, USALT consulted with psychologists and specialists in theater-in-education, special education, theater production and playwriting from the Ford Foundation International Fellowship Program Philippines Alumni Association, Teatrokon, the Western Visayas Theater Network.

They were aware of the sensitive nature of the plays’ stories, and wanted to be able to address the audience in an effective but gentle manner, considering how difficult it must be to be reminded of their experiences during the storm. After each play, the audience were also given time to ask questions and undergo debriefing to ensure that their viewing experience was properly processed and understood.

Despite the challenges in delivery, this small yet powerful theatre company from Ilo-Ilo has spread their message of hope loud and clear. These plays were inspired by and performed for all the Filipinos who soldiered on through the storm. Although performance art may be intangible and overlooked as mere “entertainment”, Imagine-A-Nation created for the organization a way to rebuild what has been thought lost during the storm: courage and resilience. USALT used the best weapons in their arsenal against a formidable tragedy: art and storytelling at its best, solid proof that we are always more than any Yolanda, and the communities we build for ourselves during the most testing situations will always be greater and more solid than any calamity that threatens us. Nation-building is very well encapsulated in the University of Little Theatre’s guiding words: “Yolanda ka lang ah, Pilipino kami.”

CULTURE AND THE ARTS, PEACE AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

Ron, who participated in the conceptualization, writing and performance of Imagine-A-Nation, talks about the challenges of the project: “Mahirap po magsulat ng mga ganito, kailangan sensitive ka. Yung choice of words, paano mo ipe-present… Kaya marami po kaming drafts, brainstorming… We want to extend this to the world, our nation. We want it to be accessible but we didn’t want to lose the effect of the local language. We wrote this in Hiligaynon eh. Iba po talaga yung crisp ng Hiligaynon eh.” He says that the actual reception of the audience was also a bit testy. “Minsan po naiisip namin na baka negative yung maging response. Baka magbreak down sila while watching. Yung isa pa… Least conventional po yung kasi yung approach ng Imagine-A-Nation, parang indie (movie) siya, ganon. Pero naiisip namin, ito yung dapat pinakapinapanood kasi nation-building talaga ‘to eh. Imagine-A-Nation is the best play I’ve been in during my time in theatre. Kasi iba eh, may advocacy talaga, grabe yung hugot.”

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CMLI JUNIOR COUNCIL ALUMNI ASSOCIATION Voices in Hamony Quezon City

The Children’s Museum and Library Inc. (CMLI) is a non-stock, non-profit national organization which aims to promote youth welfare and youth development in the country through events that focus on fostering the young’s deeper appreciation and understanding of language, the arts and their rich cultural heritage. CMLI contributes to the social, intellectual and cultural growth of the young by means of training seminars and conferences held throughout the country, all of which center on leadership training and values formation.

Started in 1993, the Children’s Museum and Library Inc. – Junior Council Alumni Association (CMLI – JCAA) was founded because past Junior Council members who have already graduated wanted to continue on actively participating and contributing to CMLI’s cause. CMLI-JCAA’s flagship project, Voices in Harmony (ViH), is the annual premiere and sought-after high school chorale competition of the country wherein celebrated high school chorales participate. Debuted in 1999, ViH is produced by the youth for the youth, and is a non-profit and self-subsidizing project. ViH has enjoyed the partnership and support of various institutions like the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, and the National Youth Commission as well as other companies.

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Consistent with the objectives of CMLI,ViH aims to promote youth empowerment through musical excellence, forging

friendship and camaraderie among the participants. A contest piece is selected annually to be presented by the finalists – these songs include Lipad ng Pangarap, Iisang Bangka, and Bagbagto. The contest proper is divided into three stages: it starts with the Orientation Seminar which informs the choirs of the rules and regulations of the competition, followed by the Elimination Rounds where choirs present their chosen OPM songs. Ten groups advance to Finals Night, wherein the finalists perform the contest piece assigned them. The champion receives medals, a cash prize, and Aria, the muse of the champions, which is Voices in Harmony’s roving trophy.

This event showcases original Filipno music at its finest, a resounding declaration against the sentiment that “OPM is dead.”. Although Voices in Harmony was originally slated as a one-time event to raise funds, it has received such a warm welcome from music enthusiasts that CMLI-JCAA has gone on for 16 years, successfully organizing the event. Challenges included that of funding at the start of every year, but the organization manages to pull through with sheer will and determination.

As a testament to the group’s successful advocacy in promoting Filipino singing talent, organization representative Nicole Namuco happily reports that this year, Voices in Harmony will be a concert and not a competition. Teachers and conductors approached the organizing team and asked if they stage the event as a benefit concert, with CMLI’s training pool of singers and participants as beneficiaries, saying “Gusto talaga namin, kasi nakikita namin na from a competition you’ve become a community.” To this impressive feat, Nicole reacts: “Ang sarap sa feeling na binebenta mo yung event as a competition, kasi doon sila kakagat eh. Pero at the end of the day na-achieve mo yung goal mo na hindi lang siya competition sa mata nila. At the end of the day, they realize why we are doing this – for the youth, by the youth.”

New Breed Special Force What started out as a youth group that worships in Church together has become a full-fledged program aimed at giving young people hope and guidance in living in what seems to be an angst-ridden, cynical world that they have no place in. This project, “Reaching Out and Passing On”, was implemented

by Davao’s New Breed Special Force (NBSF) and has been ongoing since 2008. It started during the members’ regular community visits wherein they perform plays and song and dance presentations in barangays as their expressions of faith.

They noticed that right after their simple presentations, many children and young adults approached them to express their interest in doing the same. The members of NBSF have since welcomed people from all walks of life, providing community service-oriented activities for the youth to devote time to, such as Bible studies, taking charge of day care centers, feeding programs and livelihood programs for the parents.

New Breed Special Force is the youth organization under Davao Christian Bible Channel, Inc. (DCBC), a non-profit media corporation, whose mission is to spread the Gospel through media and other means. To capitalize on the youth’s proclivity for mass media, NBSF offers acting and film-making workshops. Members participate in the creation of short films, recorded in the local dialect and aired in the Davao Christian Bible Channel’s (DCBC) TV station for free. They have also continued conducting mini-concerts in barangays, providing entertainment to fellow youth that is both captivating and enlightening in terms of values and moral behaviour, at the same time. All the programs that New Breed Special Force offers are free of charge – the only thing they asked is that project participants pass on the same kindness and generosity to others by helping them and relaying the skills they have learned to build a stronger, more productive community focused on good works.

predisposed to committing violent acts. After he approached NBSF members and joined them in several activities, he surrendered his improvised weapon – a homemade gun. It was revealed that he was actually on the watch list of the local police already, but because of the good behaviour he displayed upon joining New Breed Special Force, he was cleared of his criminal allegations. He has since found work as a taxi driver, and comes to visit the organization. One other member with a similar background ended up working in the Bureau of Fire Protection.

Organization representative Bridgette Abrina met her husband during the project’s run, and they have two kids together. This added responsibility does not stop them from devoting time for the project, recounting what they answer children, aged two and four years old, when they ask: “Minsan pag umaalis kami, nagtatanong sila, ang sagot namin, ‘we will help people.’. At an early age, yun alam nilang ginagawa namin… We help people.”.

Reaching Out and Passing On will be an ongoing effort, as the organization aims to still improve on what their programs already offer. They plan to partner with other groups and gain professional certification on the skills they offer so that they can pass on more knowledge to their members and project participants.

CULTURE AND THE ARTS, PEACE AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

Reaching Out and Passing On Davao City

Reaching Out and Passing On was aimed specifically at communities wherein majority of the residents, specifically the youth, have become inclined to join gangs or resort to unproductive, if not illicit activities. People undertake these actions because they feel as if they have no other choice when this kind of behaviour has been the norm in their families and their communities. Despite the threats to physical security, members of NBSF enter the said places with the assistance of the police sometimes. They realize that it is especially important to make these young people feel that there is more for them to do, and they don’t need to be stuck in the cycle of misguided behaviour. It is in one of those communities that they were able to change the life of one young man who was 43

LIVELIHOOD AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Enterprise development plays a vital role in economic progress, may it be via individual start-up ideas or community-cooperative endeavors.

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Free enterprise plays an extremely vital role in economic development, may it be in the individual sense or for the community.

Individuals who engage in businesses are catalysts for economic growth, earning themselves money while becoming constantly challenged to innovate their products to ensure customer satisfaction in the long run.The rate of a nation’s economic progress depends upon how well it can re-invent products, which in turn depends upon the distribution of talent in making and selling products within the population.

TAYO 12 had participating organizations who knew the value of inculcating entrepreneurial know-how in members of the community, so they can establish sustainable livelihood for themselves instead of dwelling in unfortunate circumstances.

Their projects took to finding ways to reduce and eliminate economic and sociopolitical hindrances to development, unemployment, food insecurity, financial illiteracy, and economic stagnation.

Mindanao’s ACCESS PYLP Alumni Association has successfully made businessmen and businesswomen out of 33 out of school youth from conflictridden areas of Mindanao. Isabela’s Katipunan ng Kabataang Santiagueno has also established a successful business enterprise from creating charcoal briquettes from agricultural waste. In the same light, UP Diliman’s Business Administration Student Council has taught a barangay in Rizal sustainable and profitable livelihood by creating a farm in their community. These organizations have gifted their project participants with jobs to empower and inspire them in becoming productive members of the communities. Beneficiaries have made their mark in their small towns through well-crafted products and enthusiasm over hard work and industry.

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ACCESS PYLP ALUMNI ASSOCIATION- ZAMBASULTA CHAPTER PROJECT RISE Zamboanga City

Many of us across the country are aware of how conflictridden Mindanao is.Very often in current affairs shows, we find updates on the latest run-in between rebel groups and government forces that leave us quite jarred and doubtful that things will soon improve in that region of our country.

It is easy to forget that the vulnerable people caught in between the struggles for peace and reconciliation in Mindanao are those that need our optimism, our help and assistance the most: the young individuals who have no choice but to endure the physical insecurity in their area because that’s where their family, their life is – and they have nowhere else to go.

Project RISE (Role Models Inspire Skills in Entrepreneurship) is a skills-enhancement workshop set up in Zamboanga for the benefit of young individuals caught between the crossfire of conflicting parties in Mindanao. A direct response to the Zamboanga Siege in September 2013, the project specifically caters to those from the four areas of Zamboanga, Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi. It instructs the beneficiaries in entrepreneurial skills and gives them an opportunity to apply what they learned by the provision of project grants. Participants of the workshop, upon receiving ample instruction, are required to submit 46

business proposals. Upon approval by the project organizers, they are given financial aid to actualize their business plan.

Their business set-ups are evaluated by ACCESS – PYLP Members regularly so they can provide assistance as needed.

The conflicts in Mindanao have stalled the lives of these beneficiaries for so long that their schooling has been stalled.

Cris Barredo, ACCESS – PYLP’s organization representative to TAYO 12 tells the story of of their project participants: “Yung beneficiaries po namin, sila yung mga naapektuhan ng kaguluhan sa Mindanao, mga internally-displaced citizens. Mga umabot na po sila ng 20s, pero hindi pa rin sila nakaranas ng schooling dahil nga siyempre, for fear of their lives. 20 years old na, pero hindi pa rin marunong pumirma ng pangalan. Kasi wala talaga silang safe access, eh.”

“Medyo nahirapan nga po kami hanapin yung participants namin, kasi hirap na rin sila mag-trust. Sino ba kami, baka ibang klaseng recruitment yung gagawin dito, ganoon. So kinailangan namin i-explain ng maayos, na entrepreneurship workshop ito, ganyan. Grupo-grupo silang dumating, meron from Lamitan, Basilan, meron ding mga babae. Merong isa doon,Teacher siya.

Pero natuto humawak ng baril, kasi paano kung kailanganin.

Baka may sumugod sa area nila.”, Cris explains, discussing the

The project catered to thirty-eight male and female participants, both Muslim and Christian. Before the Project RISE, none of them engaged in entrepreneurial activities. Conducting this Special Skills Enhancement Training in Zamboanga City informed them of what entrepreneurship could offer them, and how productive they can be for themselves and their families despite their lack of formal schooling. During the training, all of them were instructed about necessary skills in confidence and trust building through cultural expression programs fostering the appreciation of one’s cultural identity. This gave them opportunities to mingle with youth from other areas, allowing them to appreciate others’ culture as well. Speakers from TESDA, the Western Mindanao State University and Silsilah Dialogue Institute gave them hands-on training on food processing, organic farming and arts and crafts (beadwork). Before the beneficiaries went back home to their respective residences, they agreed upon Memorandum of Understanding with the project organizers, which allotted them project grants worth P2000.00 per person. Per group, they came up with business proposals for their livelihood projects.

ACCESS-PYLP Alumni Association Inc. is an organization composed of Mindanao-based alumni who were under the US Embassy’s “Philippine Youth Leadership Program.” Their primary goal as an organization is to work for sustainable peace and development in Mindanao. To achieve this, the group focuses on training and education, advocacy and

campaign, and the development of programs and projects specifically targeting the youth sector. The organization has been actively involved in community outreach programs since March 2010.

To date, ACCESS – PYLP has helped 33 young individuals put up their own business through their project. Several of their participants from Basilan grouped together to form “Youth for Change,” and they have taken to passing on the entrepreneurial skills they learned from Project RISE. Another participant has successfully ventured into the business of making conference kits for large, formal gatherings in Mindanao. Recently, she and her mother supplied the conference kits for the Dayang-Dayang Sultanate of Sulu, a national event in Zamboanga.

LIVELIHOOD AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP

difficulty of trying to make good intentions ring clear in a place that has been wrought with violent confrontations that make people fear for their lives on a daily basis.

It was a pleasant surprise for Cris to have been awarded as one of the TAYO 12 Winners. She recounts: “Yung pagsali namin sa TAYO, we didn’t plan it. Pero nung nag-visit kami sa beneficiaries namin, nakita namin yung eagerness nila to make their businesses succeed. So we promised them that we will help them kung hanggang saan namin kaya, kaya po kami sumali. Kung anumang makukuha namin dito, sa kanila pupunta talaga, to sustain the livelihood programs they started.” With that, Cris is more than happy to be coming home to Mindanao and bring their promise into fruition.

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Katipunan ng Kabataang Santiagueño Charcoal from Agricultural Waste Santiago City, Isabela

Santiago City is composed of 37 different barangays, and has continuously grown in size and number since it was formally recognized as a city in 1994.With its urbanization and growth, waste production has also ballooned to epic proportions, as the city generates 30 to 35 tons of solid waste a day. Half of this waste is biodegradable, as it is left over from processes in agricultural and forestry practices. This was a unique opportunity that the members of Katipunan ng Kabataang Santiagueño (KAKASA) saw. It was a chance for them to make lasting change in the city they call home.

“Agricultural Waste to Energy” is straightforward in its goal of creating something out of what is already thrown out and deemed useless: productive energy from waste.

Members of KAKASA were focused on finding a way to produce charcoal briquettes because they observed that those were what the residents of Santiago used, and it was a necessary instrument in their lifestyle as a largely-farming community. Their goal was to raise funds for the tuition fees of out of school youth by selling this product. At first, they tried to make charcoal out of paper waste – they went around the city and collected paper from various private and public offices to make into charcoal. This proved difficult because they needed so much paper in order to make a few pieces of charcoal, thus limiting their capacity to help. They delved deep into research to find out what they could use, and discovered that they could use parts of trees

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that couldn’t be sold anymore, dayami, and other such waste. With the help of their supportive Mayor, they bought a charcoal-making machine, and have since been able to consistently produce boxes and boxes of charcoal from trucks of waste. The charcoal briquettes they produce are easy to ignite and burns completely in at least 50 minutes. When burned, it emits a steady heat with a low, clean flame – making it both costefficient and environmentally-friendly at the same time.

These benefits are especially important in a time where forests are being heavily cut and burned down, and energy sources are being quickly depleted.

Besides KAKASA’s inclusion in the Top 20 Finalists for TAYO 12, representative Jhelie identifies one as her proudest moment: “Yung pag um-aattend po kami ng graduation ng mga napag-aral namin. Meron na rin kaming 98 na napag-aral. Technical vocation po… Hindi pa po namin kaya yung mga medical courses, mga BA… Sobrang dami nga po ng 98. Noong una akala naming maliit pa. Pero nung kinwenta namin, ang dami na pala!”.

Their youth members help out in producing and selling their charcoal product when they aren’t busy with school – this is how they help out in the cause that allows them access to education and a better life. “Ito pong charcoal yung sinasali namin sa mga launching na product ng Isabela. Lalo na ang mahal ng LPG. Maliit na lungsod lang naman po kami. Iilan lang pong mga mayayaman. Siguro mga 75% dun yung mga magsasaka…

LIVELIHOOD AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Mga walang trabaho. Kaya ito po yung nakikita naming malaking maitutulong namin.” Jhelie is also very proud that 4 out of 5 Area Finalists are from Isabela, and she looks forward to working with her neighbour organizations soon. Like the beneficiaries of their project, Jhelie has personal struggles to overcome as she is juggling work and family responsibilities with that of leadership in the organization. She remains hard-working and driven, especially because she knows she is working for the greater good of her city.

Funding has been difficult to come by for the organization, especially because the machine they use for charcoal-making is costly, but they always remain optimistic, especially after receiving a financial grant from TAYO, which will be of invaluable help. The members of KAKASA cannot wait to put ninetyeight more or more students to school through their resourcefulness and hard work, all the while providing livelihood opportunities for her community, and safeguarding our forests’ protection and sustainability.

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UP Business Administration Student Council (UP BA SC) Adopt-A-Barangay Diliman, Quezon City

Barangay Puray in Rodriguez, Rizal, is home to approximately 5,000 people mostly Bisayas and Dumagats.

From UP Diliman, getting to the area requires a 2-3 hour long drive and an equally long trek. This walk entails crossing rivers, bridges and marshes to get to the town proper. Because the barangay is relatively inaccessible, they are often overlooked in terms of proper attention and assistance – such is the case of the communities that need those things the most.

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The UP Business Administration Council (BAC) has taken on the important task of partnering with Barangay Puray to raise their quality of life for themselves through their project, “Adopt-A-Barangay.”. Zachary See, BAC organization representative, recounts that the community subsists largely on making charcoal out of forest wood, a practice that entails cutting down a large number of trees. For 4 years now, members of the organization have been helping out the community through book drives, medical missions and the provision of solar lights.

Most recently, they have chosen to focus on starting the barangay on a new, sustainable livelihood program through the creation of a farm within the bounds of their town, to be started, maintained and profited from by the members of the community. In their efforts to produce charcoal, inhabitants of Barangay Puray were not aware that it was due to the deforestation they were causing in huge tracts of land surrounding them that they have been experiencing more floods as of late. Had it not been for BAC helping them realize this through their assessments, they would have continued ravaging the woodlands and causing more damage in the long-term. This information has allowed them to rethink their ways, abandon charcoal-making, and focus instead on the Puray farm.

BAC members brought in experts from the Department of Agriculture and the Bureau of Soils and Water Management to analyse the topography and soil composition of the place so that they could operationalize an abundant farm at the soonest possible time. The organization also organized a seminar series to teach the residents effective farming strategies and increase their farming productivity. More of those instructional lectures will be held for them so they can also practice contour farming – a practice of tilling sloped land that will conserve rainwater and reduce soil erosion. In line with the suggestions of the Bureau of Soils and Water management, The Bureau of Plant Industry contributed a variety of seeds and seedlings for the demo farm. Other organizations such as Engineers Without Borders, were also involved in the project, serving as the primary engineering team who gave suggestions on proper irrigation and water collection methods. BAC also enlisted the help of the UP Department of Geography in utilizing human geography – practicing ethical and accurate measures in understanding and relating to the residents of Barangay Puray to bring proper and necessary solutions that would result in warm reception and societal support. Currently, the members are looking for a market to sell the produce of Puray farm.

UP Diliman’s Business Administration Council’s project proves that just student leadership through excellence is not limited by the physical bounds of a university. Instead, Zach expresses, “It’s really that we are able to build a connection with people. In many cases, it’s all about what we can do, what we can give them. But in this case, it’s actually us trying to ask from them what they want from us,”, stressing the importance of going out of one’s comfort zone and asking what you can do to better the lives of others.

Adopt-A-Barangay will be a continuing project in Rizal, until such time that Barangay Puray stand and thrive alone in the goal of maximizing their potential as a developed community engaged in ecologically-sound, productive, and fulfilling enterprise.

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HEALTH, NUTRITION AND WELL-BEING

A healthy citizenry is key to a productive and effective nation. As we progress today, the challenge is to further provide health care & nutrition, food security, sanitation and other initiatives where Filipinos can have quality, sustainable and meaningful lives.

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One of the crowning achievements of our civilization has been the establishment of healthcare systems capable of keeping us fit and active, reaching life spans that would have been considered staggering just a few hundred years ago. Well-to-do young people in today’s world have access to the information, support systems, food and medical care that allow them to lead healthy, active lives into their seventies, eighties and beyond. Despite this, there remains a need for projects that pursue the provision of quality health care, general health and welfare, food security, sanitation, among other initiatives that seek to attain health-related Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)as outlined by the World Health Organization (WHO) – efforts that TAYO 12 has borne witness to and lauded.

UP Manila’s Phi Lambda Delta extends the chance at long, productive lives to infants who are in dire need of nutrition, through their milk-letting project. In the same way, West Visayas University’s Order of Asclepius arms barangay residents with essential health skills to provide efficient medical services for themselves and others in the community through instructional videos.

Both organizations impart important health education and medical training to social sectors that are often overlooked but absolutely essential.

Philippines, meet your future doctors. They have yet to finish Medicine proper but already they’re saving lives, one baby and one barangay at a time.

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PHI LAMBDA DELTA Sorority Milk Matters UP Manila

“Milk Matters” is the flagship project of UP College of Medicine’s Phi Lambda Delta Sorority that ultimately aims to provide a stable supply of breast milk for babies by establishing community-based milk banks. High-risk babies in the Philippine General Hospital-Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (PGH-NICU) must be sustained by breast milk due to their poor health, but mothers have difficulty doing so due to their own health reasons or their financial incapacity to return to the hospital.When faced with this problem, Gela and her sorority sisters asked “What role does the youth play in addressing this?”. PGH was then currently sourcing breast milk from Non-Government Organizations, but none of those were youth-led ones. They proceeded to answer their own question by starting Milk Matters, the first youth effort in addressing a problem of this nature.

The group visits communities and invites nursing mothers there to participate in breast milk donation drives for babies who need them. Collection is done (in PGH), where mothers are evaluated to ensure that the milk they give is suitable for consumption. Collected milk is sealed and stored in refrigeration units that keep it fresh for at least 3-6 months. In addition to donation drives, the sorority gives public health lectures to communities to encourage women to actively choose to breastfeed, as it is not only best for their babies’ nutrition, but it also beneficial for their own health. Lactation nurses are present during milk drives to help assist and demonstrate proper milk-letting.

One of the difficulties that the group encountered during the project’s implementation is the attitude of the mothers towards breastfeeding. “Gatas lang ‘yan eh”, is a common reaction, and many feel that there isn’t much difference between breast milk and store-bought baby formula – a misconception that the sorority ably addresses with their information drives. Baby Axel, for example, was a premature baby born with lung and stomach infections and

needed breast milk because of his poor health. While he was confined in the PGH-NICU, his mother was likewise staying in the ICU due to the complicated pregnancy. During this urgent time, Milk Matters sustained him with the milk he urgently needs. His condition has since then improved, and he has been discharged from the hospital with his mother. At least 79 other babies with similar conditions are being helped by Phi Lambda Delta’s project. The group is aware that another avenue for improving attitudes towards breastfeeding is within the families themselves – fathers need to show more support and encouragement towards their partners, and are also being emboldened to do so.

“It’s affirming to see how it inspires my sorority sisters… And not just the younger ones. Our alumnae have been contacting us, asking ‘What can we do to help?’”, Gela shares. “Wala pa itong one year!”, she exclaims. The group was anxious at first, because they entered TAYO without reaching their one-year mark, something that could spell doubt for the project’s sustainability and efficacy.They need not have worried, because in the short span of time they’ve had with the project, the group has already helped so many babies and so many mothers. They have already augmented the shortage of breast milk in PGH, with partnerships from different departments in the hospital. With support pouring in for their project, Gela looks forward to reaching out to more communities, not just in and near PGH.

HEALTH, NUTRITION AND WELL- BEING

When asked to describe the importance of breast milk in a single word, Phi Lambda Delta’s Gela Villa pauses for a moment and answers, “Ginto”. Her audience nods in agreement. Somewhere, hospital rooms are filled with babies crying in hunger and discomfort and they don’t know it yet, but their champion – a group of young women bent on improving natal and maternal conditions – has arrived.

Phi Lambda Delta believes that babies – the youngest of the youth sector – deserve all the help that their project is happy to extend them. It has been equally inspiring for the sorority to see how well they are able to push mothers to actively help out fellow parents: nursing women were enthusiastic about donating milk when they found out that they could help save the life of a baby, even if it wasn’t their own.

Indeed, a mother’s love knows no bounds – Milk Matters capitalizes on that truth, and has become a stirring vehicle for maternal health awareness and empowered community practices.

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ORDER OF ASCLEPIUS HEALTH, NUTRITION AND WELL- BEING 56

Order in Action: Videos for Health Skills Iloilo City Imagine a Barangay Health Center, and how it can accommodate only fifty residents who need medical consultation. Resident # 50 wants to have his blood pressure checked. A child comes in and falls in line, with a fever that has persisted for two days now.

For all he/she knows, he/she is already suffering from dengue fever – which can be life-threatening if not addressed immediately. Unfortunately, he/she cannot be accommodated no matter the urgency, because he came 51st in line.

A fully-functional, efficient Barangay Health Center is vital to the well-being of a community because it is the first line of medical consultation available to residents.

Upon detecting signs of more serious illnesses, patients who are in most need of urgent attention can be given priority.

Because barangay check-ups operate on a “first-comefirst-served” basis, there is no way that someone who needs medical attention as soon as possible can be given immediate assistance. The members of medical sorority Order of Asclepius from West Visayas State University, Iloilo City noted this glaring disparity and decided to address it through their project, “Order in Action: Videos for Health Skills.”

They visited the four barangays of Tanza Esperanza, Mabolo Delgado, North Baluarte and Malipayon in Iloilo to show them their instructional videos. The video demonstrated how to measure vital signs such as the temperature heart rate, pulse rate and blood pressure.

The video also contained procedures on basic First Aid, such as treating minor cuts and how to manage animal bites. These videos, recorded in Hiligaynon, were shown in the communities and also demonstrated in realtime by the organization members. Afterwards, the participants would show them how they would do the

procedures so the project organizers could check if they learned what they were trying to teach them and if they can do it properly. In two months, they returned to the communities to re-assess their skills and their ability to teach, after which they are authorized to pass the knowledge on to their neighbors. They still visit the communities every month for assessment.

Barangay Health Centers in the said barangays were given copies of the instructional health skills video, a portable DVD player and a First Aid Kit. Organization representative Nikki Portigo recounts the citizens’ reactions towards the project: “We tried to gauge ano yung impact nung project kaya nag-survey kami. Sabi nung tao na na-train namin, masaya daw siya kasi nakakatulong siya. Syempre, lahat naman diba gusto makatulong sa iba... Nung tinanong naman namin yung di pa namin na-train, ang bilis niyang sumagot: sabi niya, ngayon daw pupunta lang siya sa kapitbahay niya tapos sasabihin ‘Uy, masakit batok ko pwede pa-BP?’ tapos sasabihin ng kapitbahay niya, ‘Sige, kunin ko muna sa barangay yung kit’. She is honoured to have helped these people gain new skills and empower them to help out their neighbors and friends.

Order in Action: Videos for Health started in September 2014, and Order of Asclepius plans to continue the project and even translate the video to Tagalog so more people can benefit from it.

They are planning conduct visits to 2 rural areas in March: Maasin and Ahuy, in Iloilo. They have also been invited to Negros, where they will be teaching more people on basic health skills that for all they know can save a life – either their own or a neighbor’s – someday.

TAYO WEEK

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TAYO 12 WEEK

TAYO 12 WEEK TAYO 12 Week could be touted the most highlyanticipated Nationals Week yet, as the excitement was compounded by its postponement. Originally scheduled for December, Nationals Week had to be moved to February because of Typhoon Ruby. A bright side to this incidence was that TAYO Week was presented as another part of the 29th celebration of the EDSA People Power Revolution (1986), with the partnership of the EDSA People Power Commission (EPPC) and Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO).

This year’s TAYO participants are based in Isabela (Katipunan ng Kabataang Santiagueno (KAKASA), Indigenous Youth Servant Leaders Association of the Philippines (IYSLAP), Red Cross Youth – Junior Rescue Team (RCY – JRT) & CITE Youth Volunteer Group), Quezon (Youth for Environment School Organization (YES-O LCNHS)), Manila (Phi Lambda Delta Sorority & Kanlungan Pilipinas Movement), Quezon City (UP Circuit, UP CBA Council & CMLI-JCAA) Cebu (RAPID, & Youth for a Livable Cebu), Iloilo (University of San Agustin Little Theatre (USALT) & Order of Asclepius), Bacolod (Kwaderno), Cagayan de Oro (ROTA), Davao (New Breed Special Force), Misamis Oriental (Move This World – Philippines), and General Santos City (Hearts and Brains Youth Volunteers), and Zamboanga (ACCESS PYLP – Alumni Association) – a wide berth that shows how far and wide TAYO’s influence has reached.

TAYO Week was launched at the Emerald Function Room of Diamond Hotel in Manila on February 22, Sunday. All 20 finalists, fresh from travelling from home were ready to meet their fellow participants – some of which they already met during Area Finals, but still more were new friendships waiting to be made.

Everyone introduced themselves and their projects to the entire hall, to warm reception and cheers. They sat down for an orientation seminar on the flow of events for the next five days.

Lunch was served as they got to know each other more, followed by talks from TAYO 11 alumni: Manuel Yoro of Medical Missions, Inc., Jun Tibi of Kawil Tours, Kurt Asperas of Phi Kappa Mu, Jayson Vinta of Sining Bulakenyo, and Love Yourself ’s Luigene Yanoria. The five of them shared insights on how their experience in the competition affected their lives, and what has happened to their projects since then.

Manuel, Jun, Jayson, Kurt and Luigene then sat down with the participants in smaller groups to talk about the TAYO 12 project entries. The mentoring session was a long and productive one, with everyone maximizing even the hour-long break to still ask questions from the alumni. TAYO Vice-Chairperson Comm. Percival Cendana arrived and delivered a rousing talk about what the participants should remember for the following day’s Project Presentation and Judging.

This year’s TAYO Week was a departure from the routine that the competition has been following for more than a decade. Previously, Judging was held on the fourth day

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of the week-long event but on this time,“Judgment Day” came early. On the second day, participants boarded the bus to the Philippines Senate, all of them both anxious and excited at the chance to tell their stories in front of a formidable panel cochaired by Senator Bam Aquino, Chairman of the Committee and Youth, Comm. Dindong Dantes of the National Youth Commission and Ms. Cecile Alcantara, President of CocaCola Foundation Philippines, Inc. The other judges include: Ms. Aika Robredo, TAYO President; Secretary Nereus Acosta, Presidential Adviser for Environment Protection; Asec.

Celso Santiago, Presidential Communications Operations Office;Mr. Raji Tañada of EDSA People Power Commission; Dr. Manuel Dayrit, Dean of the Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health; Ms. Kin Lichauco, Vice-Chairman of San Miguel Foundation; Ms. Stephanie Orlino, Public Affairs and Communications Manager of Smart Communications; Mr. Celso Caballero, General Manager of Weather Philippines Foundation; Mr. Cesar Apolinario of GMA News; Mr. MJ Felipe of Abs-CBN; Mr. Prim Paypon of Dream PH; Ms. Laya Diokno of RockEd Philippines; Mr. Efren Penaflorida, TAYO Alumni and 2009 CNN Hero of the Year; Mr. Ramon Bautista; and Mr. Christian Bautista.. Majority of the contestants were jittery with nerves, but the entire lot managed to keep focused and ably delivered heartfelt presentations on their work. As in previous TAYO Judging portions, each organization had 5 minutes to present their projects and 10 minutes to answer the judges’ queries and clarification. After the eventful day, they rested fitfully, looking forward to the next day.

On the third day of TAYO Week, participants were bright and early as they went to the Malacanang Palace for the Awarding Ceremony. Everyone was dressed to the nines, eager for their names to be called up the stage. The event was hosted

by Mr. RJ Ledesma, and was graced by the president himself.

During the pre-program, the Generation TAYO: SelfWe for Change winners: Alay ni Ignacio (Education-based), Kwaderno (Community-based), UP Circuit (Environment-based), and University of Caloocan PASOA (People’s Choice), were announced. National Youth Commission (NYC) Chair Gio

Tingson opened the program and gave the floor to Sen. Bam Aquino for his Opening Speech. The awards were given by Pres. Benigno Aquino III, Sen. Bam Aquino, Sec. Kiko Pangilian, NYC Chair Gio Tingson, Comm. Dingdong Dantes, TAYO President Ms. Aika Robredo, and Coca-Cola Foundation Philippines Vice Chairman Juan Ramon Felix. Corporate sponsors of the search also handed over their special awards: Red Cross Youth – Junior Rescue Team received the Coca-Cola Barkada Award, Kwaderno Love Can Inc. was the San Miguel Special Awardee, Kanlungan Pilipinas Movement, Inc. received SMART Innovation Awardee, and finally, Order of Asclepius accepted the Lenovo Innovation Award.

His Excellency Pres. Benigno Aquino III delivered a powerful speech, commending the TAYO winners and finalists, and how their efforts are an important part of the collective effort that our country has made against injustice and inequality – something that the nation has fought for successfully since the EDSA People Power Revolution of 1986. The participants proceeded to Casa Roces for lunch, as sponsored by the Coca – Cola Foundation, Philippines. President

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TAYO 12 WEEK

of Coca-Cola Foundation Philippines Cecile Alcantara delivered a speech, followed by Vice-President for Public Affairs and Communication Atty. Adel Tamano and President of Coca-Cola FEMSA Philippines and Vice Chairman Juan Ramon Felix.

The fourth day of TAYO week was again, an early one as the participants went to different media stations to be featured in their morning shows. NYC Chair Gio Tingson, along with organization representatives from Phi Lambda Delta Sorority, Univ. Of San Agustin Little Theatre (USALT) and Red Cross Youth – Junior Rescue Team (RCY-JRT) discussed their winning project entries with host Paolo Abrera in ABS-CBN News Channel’s “Mornings @ ANC”. Everyone briefly shared what their projects are on live national television. Meanwhile, Kanlungan Pilipinas Movement, ACCESS PYLP Alumni Association and RAPID organization representatives were guests in “Straight to the Point” on DZXL 558 RMN Station. After their media visits, the participants had the rest of the day to unwind and relax with their colleagues. The night ended with the entire group spending the night together with the TAYO secretariat, NYC staff, OSBA team and Sen. Bam Aquino: talking their

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hearts out from topics that ranged to their project entries to personal stories that further cemented their fellowship despite this being their penultimate night together.

Finally, the fifth and last day of TAYO Week was a day devoted to just fun, leisure and shared happiness – it was the most highly-awaited Coke Day. Prior to their outing, they had to finish one last TV guesting.

All twenty finalists were invited to “Good Morning Boss” in PTV4. Everyone was briefly shared what their projects were on live national television.

After the guesting, the participants could now relax and free their minds of anything but enjoying the company of their fellow finalists. Coke Public Relations Officer Pam de Leon accompanied the TAYO 12 Finalists to Art In Island, Cubao where they spent the entire morning admiring the 61

paintings and taking pictures, non-stop. Ms. Pam de Leon explains that Coke chose the art museum to visit because it was one of the newest places around, and would be a festive culmination to the meaningful week-long event. As the 3D paintings and installations called for it, the participants looked at the art in different angles, each perspective showing them a pleasant surprise. The visit to Art In Island was a memorable one because it allowed the organization representatives to channel their creative-mindedness through art with their newfound friends. They all ate lunch together in Shakey’s, Robinsons Magnolia. Their last bus ride together as TAYO 12 participants was, like all the other bus rides they shared – noisy with jokes, friendly banter and lively conversation. They belted their hearts out on the built-in karaoke system in the bus, and enjoyed the Coke refreshments on-board. On that bittersweet last day, the TAYO 12 Finalists bid each other goodbye with the promise of keeping in touch and working together soon.

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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS: Q. Do we have to be an established organization to join TAYO? A. An organization has to be in existence for at least 6 months before it vies for a TAYO award. TAYO has a very flexible view on youth organizations. You don’t have to be a school organization or part of a national organization to join.

Even barkadas with established projects that are known in a community can enter the TAYO Awards search.

Q. Can I enter my project proposal for the TAYO Awards?

A. Project entries for the TAYO Awards should already be implemented or is currently being implemented. The fast rule is this: one of the criteria is Impact. To measure impact, we will need to know the number of beneficiaries and the number of times you implemented the project. If your project doesn’t have beneficiaries yet, or you have not yet implemented the project, we will not be able to gauge its impact.

Q. How do I become part of the TAYO organization?

A. Though we value your personal interest to be an active partner of TAYO, the secretariat and organizers itself is not an organization. You also have to be part of an organization to submit an entry to the TAYO Search.

Q. How do I get the TAYO Entry form?

A. You can download the entry form at the TAYO Awards Foundation website (www.tayoawards.net) or at the National Youth Commission website (www.nyc.gov.ph). We also mail out application forms, posters and magazines to schools and organizations that joined TAYO previously.

Mail your entries to one of these offices: TAYO AWARDS FOUNDATION 2602-C East Tower Philippine Stock Exchange Center Exchange Road, Ortigas Center Pasig City NATIONAL YOUTH COMMISSION 3rd Floor West Insula Condominium 135 West Avenue cor. EDSA, Quezon City Q. What will give our organization an edge in the search?

A. We noticed that a lot of youth organizations lack documentation skills to illustrate the strengths of their projects. Most photos will be group shots of ceremonies or members. Our judges will appreciate images of your organization in action of implementing your project.

Your project brief also says a lot about the organization and the project. Make every answer to the point, and name actual statistics if you have them.

Q. Where do I send my entry form and requirements?

Q. What kind of projects gets recognized at the TAYO Awards?

A. We are trying to maintain a paperless operation for our selection process. We are encouraging youth organizations to enter the search instead online and mail other requirements to tayo13.entry@gmail.com. We hope that you will be able to send your entry form and requirements as attachments in one e-mail only.

A. This year, organizations have to choose which category they belong depending on their project entry. TAYO Awardwinning organizations may fall into one of these categories: (1) Education and Technology, (2) Environment, Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation, (3) Health, Nutrition and Well-being, (4) Livelihood and Entrepreneurship, and (5) Culture and the Arts, Peace and Human Development.

If it would be more convenient for you to send your application by mail, both the TAYO Awards Foundation and the National Youth Commission have secretariats who can process your entry.

Q. If I already registered online, do I still need to send hard copies?

A. No. In TAYO, the less paper the better. If you finished your online registration, we will be in contact with you if your entry is deemed valid, complete, and after it passes through the Category Paper Screening Phase.

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Red Cross Youth and Rescue Team Rep Diwata Donato (middle) is awarded by President Aquino (extreme right) with the assistance of Mr. Juan Ramon Felix (sixth from left), Vice Chairman of the Coca-Cola Foundation Philippines, Ms. Cecile Alcantara (fifth from left), President of the Coca-Cola Foundation Philippines, Sec.Kiko Pangilinan (third from left), Sen. Bam Aquino (second from left) and Ms. Aika Robredo (extreme left).

Kwaderno Rep Richelle Verdeprado (middle) is awarded by President Aquino (extreme right) with the assistance of Atty. Cynthia de Castro (sixth from left), Assistant Vice President for Corporate Affairs of the San Miguel Corporation, Mr. Steve Piczon (fifth from left), Government Affairs Manager of the San Miguel Corporation, Sec.Kiko Pangilinan (third from left), Sen. Bam Aquino (second from left) and Ms. Aika Robredo (extreme left).

COKE Barkada Award: Red Cross Youth and Rescue Team

San Miguel Corporation Special Award: Kwaderno Love Can, Inc.

TThe Coke Barkada Award is given to a TAYO Winner that best demonstrates the qualities of a Coke Barkada Ambassador – a group that shares happiness and embodies the passion in changing communities through projects that mirrors what CocaCola has been doing in the fields of water stewardship, women empowerment, and promoting well-being. Red Cross Youth and Rescue team well deserved the award as they strive to make communities become safe places despite unfortunate calamities.

Their members assemble recycled materials like plastic bottles and gallons to produce innovative, life-saving and eco-friendly rafts that save lives during typhoons, floods and other emergency situations. Recipients of the annual Coke Barkada Award are granted Php 30,000 to improve and expand their projects.

The San Miguel Corporation Special Award is given to the organization whose project brought forth change in their community, enabling people to live better lives. The accolade was given to Kwaderno Love Can, Inc. for their relentless efforts in helping child workers in Bacolod City. The organization embodies dreams and love in action through their “A Child Worker No More and Sponsor a Child” project. They were able to provide better lives to the child workers through the provision of monetary allowance, rice subsidy, and other educational needs. Recipient of the San Miguel Corporation Special Award is granted Php 20,000 as additional assistance for their project.

Order of Asclepius Rep Nicole Angeli Portigo (fifth from left) is awarded by President Aquino (extreme right) with the assistance of Mr. Michael Ngan(fourth from left), Country Manager of Lenovo, Sec.Kiko Pangilinan (third from left), Sen. Bam Aquino (second from left) and Ms. Aika Robredo (extreme left).

SMART Youth Innovation Award: Kanlungan Pilipinas Movement, Inc.

LENOVO Most Innovative Project: Order of Asclepius

SMART, the largest wireless services provider in the Philippines, is a leader in technology and innovation. The SMART Youth Innovation award is given to the organization that best utilized technology to achieve organizational efficiencies as well as to enable the community they are serving. The Kanlungan Pilipinas Movement, Inc. embodied exactly this when they build a nipa hut that houses an Android-based mini personal computer pre-installed with e-books, educational games and videos, and a 16-inch lightemitting diode or LED television – all run by a solar power system in Salcedo, Eastern Samar. Their goal is to provide free, accessible information and learning to remote communities by setting up E-Learning Centers in rural areas.

Recipient of the Project SMART Award is granted Php 20,000 as additional assistance for their project

A state-of-the-art 10-inch Lenovo Yoga Tablet was granted to Order of Asclepius, in recognition of their unique and innovative project in Iloilo. Order in Action: Videos for Health Skills aims to enhance the health assessment and first-aid skills of health workers and lay members of barangay communities alike.Videos containing instructions and demonstrations of basic skills in health care were translated to Hiligaynon and donated to Barangay Health Stations in selected barangays in Ilo-Ilo. As a leader in innovation and technology, LENOVO considers Order of Asclepius a partner in promoting, developing, and utilizing technology as a necessity for national progress.

Special Awards

Kanlungan Rep Kyut Villarce (fourth from left) is awarded by President Aquino (extreme right) with the assistance of Mr. Ramon Isberto (fifth from left), Public Affairs Head of PLDT and SMART, Sec.Kiko Pangilinan (third from left), Sen. Bam Aquino (second from left) and Ms. Aika Robredo (extreme left).

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TAYO Awards Foundation, Inc.

ORGANIZERS

TAYO Awards Foundation, Inc.: Jose Sixto Dantes III, Chairman Rollie Fabi, Co-Chairman Jessica Marie “Aika” Robredo, President James de Vera, Program Officer Karla Mae de Leon, Program Officer Glaiza Ardoña, Admin & Finance Officer Arnold Bautista, Support Staff Erwin David, Support Staff Ernesto Sunga, Jr., Support Staff NYC Officials Chairman Gregorio Ramon A. Tingson Comm. Jose Sixto G. Dantes - (TAYO 12 NOC Chairman) Comm. Jose Rafael S. Cruz Comm. Percival V. Cendaña Comm.Jo Jan Paul J. Peñol Comm. Earl P. Saavedra Exec. Director Shierwin H. Taay

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NYC Staff Marielou Chua Cristabeth Madrigal Maria Regina Reburiano Krishna Belle Meniado Marlo Enriquez Maricor Anne Cauton Eric Ramos Erica Borja Augusto Daquioag Lorenzo Oscar Ebalo Elmer Argaño Ernest Lucas Julianne Andrada Rosalina Madamba Julivy Sucelle Demecillo Maritess Ramos Jonahkriza Aglupus Rebecca Mondejar Anife Dechavez Arlene Prepotente Carmela Cruz Ali Tedding Leomar Lariosa Kevin Sanchez Ann Nicoldette Dinaga Dioscoro Gallardo Danilo Fermin Armando Angeles, Jr. Rhenelyn Queen Dadulo Raymond Domingo Evanesa Pasamba Julius Gutierrez Nydia Delfin Maria Charito Carag Salma Jayne Tamano Sheridan Gajete Jig Morrondoz Evangeline Olandag Elsa Magdaleno Jenivie Ramirez-Salmo Baby Bernadette Fernando Ariane Coronel Warlyn Tambio Jocelyn Fernandez Katrina Beatriz Atienza Mignonette Reposar

The staff and trainees from the Admin, RYDD, PRMED and SMD Office of Senator Bam Aquino Georgina P. Nava Ares Goyena Saira Ferrer Paola Deles John Razil Paramio Anna Venturina Vina Vargas Boom Enriquez Katherine Purugganan Liza Castaneda Lea dela Cruz Rochel Ferrancullo Niccolo Atos Maritoni Alvarez Ariel Penarendondo Mary Grace Palpallatoc Lorraine Castaneda Tiffany De Guzman Norman Cualteros Carole Malenab Thea Murcia Keith Geamoga Dominador Taganahan Mary Ann Marino John Carlo Tuano Fitzgerald Cecilio Cecile Palines Karl Satinitigan Benjie Navea Mina Akram Leah Del Rosario Jeremy Javier Lucio Matienzo Darwin Saclao Richard Ty Domingo Dayro Simon Valencia Ditas Fajardo Senate Office of the Sergeant-at-Arms Senate Office of the Director for Maintenance and General Services Bureau Media Partners/Contacts: ABS CBN GMA News Interaksyon Rappler Bombo Radyo PTV4 Philippine Star Sunstar Love Radio Fox FM Radio Veritas DZGB Legazpi OK FM DZAS DZAR GNN

TAYO SEARCH TAYO Talks: Jason Balag-ey Daryl Lobchoy MUST Student Government Ryan Casiño Reynante Namocatcat Aika Bañiaga Bryan Reven dela Peña Davao Christian Bible Channel CMU OSA Sedfrey Cabaluna Faye Dominique Palmares John Montilla Roe Jamolao Sheena Lim Holy Name University Hotel Pier Cuatro USC-Pathways Rex Villavelez Paolo Saberon Rafael Enriquez Lhyn Arcilla Sean Policarpio Kevin Colina NYC Area offices in Baguio, Cagayan de Oro, Cebu and Davao UP Sandigan DLSU USG San Beda OSA PUP Political Science Society UP Prime All volunteers for TAYO Talks Area Screening: Luzon Maane Cauton, NYC Thea Murcia, OSBA Laya Diokno, RockEd Philippines Pebbles Sanches, Climate Change Commission Trina Quema,YesPinoy Foundation Timothy Mateo, Department of Education NCR Bea Atienza, NYC Erica Borja, NYC John Paramio, OSBA Pam de Leon, Coca-Cola Foundation Tiffany Suniga, Amnesty International Visayas JB Gutierrez, NYC Anj Siladan, NYC - OCRV Ariel Peñaredondo, OSBA Pam de Leon, Coca-Cola Foundation Serrano, UPLB Student Council Lourraine Alerta, Filipino Liberal Youth Mindanao Eric Ramos, NYC Mina Akram, OSBA Pam de Leon, Coca-Cola Foundation Nard Hartney Molina, NYP Alumni

Validators: Rhyan Casino Kirk Nerona Raymond Domingo Kirk Nerona Kevin Dingding Karl Mike Tabingo Cristyl Arcel Nunez Rex Villavelez Leanne Marie Torrato Faye Palmares Reuel Enerio John Panes Rj Casama Gerry Hermosilla Arleigh Oracion Karl Mae de Leon Ian de Leon James de Vera Anna Biala Marla Clemente Princess Fontanilla-Cabaccan Emil James Tanagon Gilbert Chan Henri Ching Mark Angelo P. Antonio Adelwina Rufino Emil James Tanagon Raymond Salazar Jestony E. Umali Sheena Lim Jovelle Dacumos Gebriel Remolacio Area Finals: NCR Earl Saavedra, NYC Monina Pacheco, Coca-Cola Foundation Philippines Leo Cortez, Jollibee Group Foundation Luisa Castañeda, OSBA Tobit Cruz, TAYO Alumnus Norman Cualteros Luzon Jo Jan Paul Peñol, NYC Pamela de Leon, Coca-Cola Foundation Philippines Valerie Cruz, Aboitiz Equity Ventures Christina Cabrera, Greenwich Raymond Bajarias, OSBA Joeby Barrientos, TAYO Alumna Visayas Perci Cendaña, NYC Dennis Pet, Coca-Cola FEMSA Philippines Berni Lauron, City Savings Bank-Iloilo John Paul Cadiz,Panay News Sedfrey Cabaluna, TAYO Alumnus Faye Dominique Palmares Link.exe Mindanao Jose Rafael Cruz, NYC Cynthia Yap-Aizon, Coca-Cola FEMSA Philippines Al Serdan, City Savings Bank Mark Francisco, Mindanao Daily News Rhyan Casiño, TAYO Alumnus Reynante Namocatcat

National Finals Judges Sen. Bam Aquino Aika Robredo, TAYO Awards Foundation, Inc. Jose Sixto Dantes III, NYC Maria Cecilia Alcantara, Coca-Cola Foundation Philippines Sec. Neric Acosta Dr. Manuel Dayrit Asec. Celso Santiago,PCOO Kin Lichauco, San Miguel Corporation Stephanie Orlino, Smart Communications Celso Caballero, Weather Philippines Foundation Raji Tanada, EPPC Prm Paypon, The Dream Project PH MJ Felipe, ABS-CBN Cesar Apolinario, GMA Network Efren Peñaflorida, Dyanmic Teen Company Laya Diokno, RockEd Philippines Ramon Bautista Christian Bautista PARTNERS Coca-Cola Foundation Philippines, Inc.: Maria Cecilia Alcantara, President Ma. Christina Cabalza, Education and Finance Manager Pamela De Leon, Program Officer, Communication Monina Pacheco, Program Officer, Environment

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Leirrand Ochotorena, Kanlungan NCR

San Miguel Corporation: Kin Lichauco,Vice-President and Head, Corporate Affairs Office Atty. Cynthia de Castro, Asst.Vice-President, Corporate Affairs OfficeGovernment Affairs Group Steve Piczon, Government Affairs Manager Aboitiz Equity Ventures: Sonny Carpio, EVP and COO, Aboitiz Foundation Celso Caballero, General Manager, WeatherPhilippines Foundation Susan Policarpio,VP-Government Relations Tori Vicente, Corporate Branding and Communication Manager Yhol Colegado, Corporate Branding and Communication Officer SMART Communications: Ramon R. Isberto, Public Affairs Group Head, PLDT & Smart Darwin F. Flores, Public Affairs Senior Manager Sally F. Aldaba, Public Affairs Senior Manager Stephanie V. Orlino, Public Affairs Manager Novaleeh C. Concepcion, Public Affairs Manager Michelle L. Bayhonan, Public Affairs Officer Manny San Lorenzo, Public Affairs Officer Elaine Alanguilan, Public Affairs Officer Marissa P. Mercado, Public Affairs Officer Deivid R. Rioferio, Public Affairs Officer May Marquez, Investor Relations Officer Verna Robles, Marketing Events Lenovo: Michael Ngan, Country Manager Jerry Dy, Consumer Segment Lead Anna Abola, Marketing Communications Manager Jasmin Cagsawa, Ardent Senior Accounts Manager Liz Martin, Ardent Accounts Executive Jollibee Group Foundation Greenwich

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TAYO Awards Foundation, Inc. A non-stock, non-profit organization, which aims to promote the convergence of stakeholders and policies for effective national and local governance. It facilitates dialogues and discussions among government and private sector leaders on current issues and concerns of the youth. TAYO Awards Foundation, Inc. maintains active communication and networking with past and current finalists and winners, and all participants in TAYO undertakings. It also engages in post-awarding activities that focus on continued capabilitybuilding.

Office of Senator Benigno “Bam” Aquino The youngest senator of the 16th Congress of the Republic of the Philippines is also the former TAYO President from 2006-2013. A multi-awarded youth leader and social entrepreneur before being elected into the Senate, Senator Aquino is also the Philippines’s first social entrepreneursenator. His office is now co-organizing the yearly search for the most outstanding youth organizations in the Philippines.

Sen. Bam has dedicated his entire career to empowering the youth and the poor, helping thousands of Filipinos improve their lives through access to opportunities and crucial support systems.

TAYO PRESENTER Coca-Cola Foundation Philippines In November 1986, Coca-Cola Foundation Philippines was established in celebration of the 60th anniversary of the bottling of the Coca-Cola in the country. The Foundation’s mission is: “To refresh the communities we touch through programs that provide Filipino youth the opportunity to become self-reliant, creative and productive citizens with the drive to excel.”

Coca-Cola’s partnership with TAYO began in 2005 through a special award dubbed as “Coke Barkada”, an award given to the youth organization that best embodies togetherness while making a positive change in the community. Since then, the Foundation’s commitment to youth empowerment grew ever stronger as it continues to support TAYO and its innovations year after year.

Other collaborations between TAYO and Coca-Cola Foundation include the Coke Planet Project and the TAYO Leadership Training.

TAYO ASSOCIATE PRESENTER San Miguel Corporation

National Youth Commission The National Youth Commission (NYC) is the premier youth policy-making body of the Philippine government. Providing a perspective and enthusiasm akin to the Filipino youth, the NYC represents the interests of the Filipino youth in affairs of government.

Apart from this mandate, the NYC aims to celebrate youth volunteerism and best practices sharing and for this reason, it is one of the institutions who have long spearheaded the TAYO search since year one.

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San Miguel Corporation is one of the Philippines’ largest and most diversified conglomerates, generating about 6.5% of the country’s gross domestic product in 2013 through its highly integrated operations in beverages, food, packaging, fuel and oil, power and infrastructure. San Miguel is one of the nation’s largest employers, with a direct workforce of about 18,000 employees. For each job created within the San Miguel system, many additional jobs are created through suppliers, distributors, retailers and other business partners.

For San Miguel Corporation, integrity, teamwork, respect for others and social responsibility are just a few of its corporate values that guide them everyday. Through its corporate social responsibility arm, San Miguel Foundation Incorporated, San Miguel Corporation proactively reaches out to others to bring forth change that will enable communities to live better lives.

MAJOR SPONSORS

MAJOR SPONSORS

Aboitiz Equity Ventures, Inc. (AEV)

SMART Communications

Aboitiz Equity Ventures, Inc. (AEV) is the public holding company of the Aboitiz Group. AEV’s core businesses, conducted through various subsidiaries and affiliates, are grouped into power distribution, power generation, banking, food, and land development. Its strategic business units are Aboitiz Power Corporation, Union Bank of the Philippines, Pilmico Foods Corporation, and AboitizLand, Inc. AEV firms are recognized in local and international surveys as among the best-managed companies in the Philippines and in the region, and are consistently cited for their commitment to good corporate governance. AEV has stayed focused on its mission to create long term value for all its stakeholders, implementing key strategies beneficial to everyone. Moving forward, with five generations of Aboitiz group business success behind it, AEV is pursuing its vision to be a truly sustainable enterprise that can be entrusted to future generations.

Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) is the Philippines’ leading wireless services provider. They believe in the convergence of people and in making a real difference for Filipinos. As a responsible corporate citizen, SMART is committed in strengthening community service initiatives on various fronts.

Their approach –- closely involving our partner communities in the implementation of various programs, emphasizing sustainability, tapping partners to help other partners, and integrating programs and projects in the mandates of different business units of the company.

MINOR SPONSORS

SM Cares The SM Cares program serves as the holistic and cohesive flagship for the many SM Supermalls CSR programs.

Broadly speaking, the goal of the SM Cares program is to ensure that SM serves not only as the retail industry leader, but also acts as a catalyst towards positive change in our nation; leading by example when it comes to corporate social responsibility.

Lenovo Lenovo is a multi-billion personal technology company serving customers in more than 160 countries, and the world’s third-largest PC vendor. Lenovo’s business is built on customer care, trust & integrity, teamwork, and, innovation & entrepreneurial spirit. As such, Lenovo integrates these core values into every aspect of business and into policies and procedures in areas of quality and safety for products, employee welfare, global supply chain management, ethical corporate behavior, social investments, and environmental affairs.

Greenwich Pizza Greenwich Pizza is one true Filipino pizza chain – a small entrepreneurship that made an extraordinary leap to the big league. What started out as a small over-the-counter pizza store in the Greenhills Commercial Center in 1971, is now the Philippines biggest pizza chain.

Jollibee Group Foundation Jollibee Foundation harnesses the strengths of its parent company, Jollibee Foods Corporation (JFC), and its partners, for community development. Its service to the community is exemplified by building into its programs the relevant strengths of JFC as a food service company so that program sustainability would have a fairly good chance. This results into happier, more capable individuals who are working to uplift the quality of life, for themselves and their families, as they contribute to nation-building. In 2007, Jollibee Foundation was certified by the Philippine Council for NGO Certification (PCNC) and subsequently granted a donee institution status by the Bureau of Internal Revenue.

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