The National Capital Region (NCR) Regional Chapter of the 2030 Youth Force in the Philippines Inc. (YFPH) convened for the first time on July 21, 2019 at SAAC Building, Commission on Human Rights (CHR), UP Complex, Diliman, Quezon City. With the leadership of the NCR Regional Council, about 100 member-advocates gathered to tackle the progress of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the country and the role of the youth in achieving them.
Among those in attendance were the member-advocates from the Philippine Institute for the Deaf (PID). They actively participated in the discourse, as they seek to learn more about the SDGs. This further reiterates the organization’s mission of leaving no one behind as it moves forward to achieve sustainable development.
The program started with a brief orientation about YFPH and the SDGs, and the presentation of a regional baseline data about the SDGs. To prepare the member-advocates for the Action Planning Workshop, Erycce Althea Antonio, National Director for External Affairs, moderated the Panel Discussions on the People, Planet, and Peace Pillars of the SDGs.
The Panel Discussions featured a dynamic set of youth leaders who talked about their initiatives, that help advance SDGs in the country. Among the speakers were Kenneth Roy Aranas of Youth for Mental Health Coalition Inc. (Y4MH); Estalker Argonza III of Project 50=50; Carol Anne Balita of Youth Alliance for Freedom of Information (FOI); John Carlo Borja of Ship for Southeast Asian and Japanese Youth Program (SSEAYP); Charmaine Distor of the local government unit (LGU) of Carmona, Cavite; Jon Michael Mendoza of Project Likhang Yaman Mula sa Basura (LIYAB); and Christian Marx Rivero of I Am Making a Difference (MAD). They also talked about the importance of multi-sector partnerships in executing their projects.
With a vision of expanding the reach of YFPH as a youth mobilizer for sustainable development, the NCR Regional Council also launched its flagship project, the Campus Core Group (CCG) Program, during the event. The CCG program aims to establish campus-based chapters of YFPH to localize the SDGs and to reach the grassroots through its student member-advocates.
The event concluded with the Action Planning Workshop, wherein member-advocates were grouped to come up with project ideas that aim to address the most pressing issues in the region using the SDGs as a framework.
Following the success of the event, YFPH will once again convene hundreds of Filipino youth leaders, advocates, and partners at its biggest annual event, the SDG Bayanihan Summit (SBS), this October 2019. The summit serves as a platform for different sectors to join the discourse on sustainable development. Now in its second year, SBS aims to highlight the importance of collaboration in achieving the SDGs through a series of keynote messages, breakout sessions, and the Global Goals Fair.
YFPH is a non-stock, non-profit, youth-led organization with over 3,000 member-advocates nationwide. It is a network of youth committed to help achieve the SDGs through a three-pillared approach of educating the youth, activating and mobilizing all stakeholders, and collaborating with all sectors of society.
ADVT
