‘Unity with social distancing’: City Youth Month empowers ‘Nagenyouth’ DANCE OFF. Naguenyouths partake in the Ballet Dance Workshop in the Naga City People’s Hall as part of the 2021 City Youth Month Celebration held last May. Photo by Naga City Youth Officials and words by Sharline Berjeuga
JIBRIL ALLEEN LORENTE WITH THE THEME ‘Saringsing’, the Naga City Youth Officials (CYO) led the celebration of the City Youth Month 2021 to showcase the talents and skills of the “Naguenyouth” amid the ongoing pandemic. The month-long event kicked off on May 8 with a live stream on the CYO Facebook Page, attended by the CYO led by City Youth Mayor Berlineth Nymia Montes, City Youth Vice-Mayor Christopher Cambe, Sangguniang Kabataan Federation President Mary Kyle Francine Tripulca, as well as City Mayor Nelson Legacion, and City Vice-Mayor Cecilia De Asis. “Dai ta dapat pabayaan na magpundo an pag-uswag kan siyudad nin Naga, lalo na an pagtulod kan interes kan mga jovenes, nin huli lang ta may mga angat kitang kaatubang ngunyan. Dapat ngani, mas pakusugon ta pa an mensahe niato sa mga jovenes na sinda kaiba ta sa laban kontra COVID-19,” Legacion said during the kickoff ceremony. Two days after the beginning of the celebration, an online literary exhibit featured prose and poetry from Naguenyouth on the CYO’s social media pages. The said activity added more literary pieces from the youth until May 14. One of the participants in the said exhibit was GAS 12 learner Bernadette Abainza, whose entry was the first piece displayed. Her piece, “Where would I?” tackles the struggles of the past, present, and future. “The experience itself is something that I should be grateful for because the city itself read one of my works, and it is overwhelming for me not
because it had its limelight but because I’m able to show that I can be one of the voices of the youth in this kind of matter,” Abainza shared. After the online literary exhibit was the Online Visual Arts Exhibit, which was held on May 21 with the theme ‘Sirang.’ The next two days then consisted of various seminar workshops for Dancing, Public Speaking, Theater, and Visual Arts - all of which bannered the theme ‘Parigonon! Pagpaorog kan Talentong Naguenyouth’ was held at the Naga City People’s Hall. The seminar workshops were followed by a two-day Naguenyouth Business Trade Fair that
Photos by Photo by Naga City Youth Officials
showcased small and big businesses ran by the youth. The fair was held on May 25-26 physically on the City Hall Grounds, and virtually on the CYO social media pages. An open mic was also held on May 26 for any aspiring performers. And on May 28, the City Youth Month Celebration ended with a program that was also streamed live on Facebook. Aside from the people who were in the opening program 20 days prior, Philippine Vice President Maria Leonor Robredo was also present, who called for continued support and unity among the youth. “Grabe man an kadipisilan, pirming mas dakula an pagkakataon. Pagkakataon na makiayon, makagibo nin karahayan. Kamo mismo an pruweba kaini. Magkatuwang kamong naghahanap nin mga oportunidad na maging mas matibay, mas makanuod sa kada saro na magin mas marhay na youth leader. An pangapodan ko saindo, ngonian, ipadagos. Ipadagos nindo an pagpapakusog kan saindong pag-iriba. Widen the path along the way, so that others may join your cause. You were made for times like this,” Robredo declared. Montes also assured the youth that the CYO will continue working to improve their situation. “Asahang patuloy na magiging bukas, malinaw, at maka-NagenYouth and aming mga polisiya at programa. Walang sawang tatangan sa panig ng mga kabataan ng Naga, at walang pagod na aakay at magbibigay ng lugar upang mapakinggan at matugunan ang inyong mga pangangailangan at hinaing,” the City Youth Mayor added. Throughout the celebration, the Senior High School Supreme Student Government and The Pantograph and Malaya served as the CYO’s partners for the event.
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