COTABATO CITY (October 24, 2022)—Thirty fellows of the Bangsamoro Young Leaders Program – Leadership Communities 2 (BYLP-LeadCom 2) culminated their year-long fellowship through a project showcase on Tuesday, Oct. 18, at CityMall Cotabato, Cotabato City.
During the activity, the fellows had an opportunity to exhibit their projects, share their implementation narratives and encourage various stakeholders to take part in their advocacy.
The program, which started in 2021, aims to empower the youth leaders in Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) to provide suitable and sustainable solutions to the pressing needs of their communities.
Throughout the implementation of the program, the fellows underwent series of workshops designed to develop their leadership skills and guide them through the process of planning, proposing, implementing, and managing community projects that align with local government initiatives.
BYLP-LeadCom is a joint initiative of Ayala Foundation Inc., BYC, the Australian Embassy, and Eisenhower Fellowship.
Since receiving their ₱50,000 seed fund in November 2021, the fellows have been implementing community-based projects in different fields, such as health, education, livelihood, and peace development.
Tinapayan4Peace, a project a fellow from Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao del Norte, provided capacity trainings to internally displaced families in his town in tinapayan product processing.
Through his project, the families were provided livelihood kits and trained on basics of financial management to help them establish their tinapayan business.
Meanwhile, another fellow’s project in Basilan, Project 3K (Kabataan Kalusugan Kasanyangan), was able to establish a mini medical boutique to provide affordable and easy-to-access medical supplies to their community.
In addition to the boutique, Project 3K also held health awareness campaigns, provided school supplies to children and conducted a clean drive and health center renovation in the town.
During the culmination activity, BYC awarded additional ₱20,000 project grant to each fellow to upscale their projects in their respective communities.
In March 2021, the fellows had a two-week Learning Circuit to several government offices, development partners and social enterprises in different key places in Mindanao, including Butuan City, Cagayan de Oro City, General Santos City and South Cotabato.
The fellows also paid a special courtesy visit to several ministries and offices of the Bangsamoro Government to showcase their projects in which the latter can provide support.
The BYLP started as Basilan Young Leaders Program in 2015, and then further improved to Bangsamoro Young Leaders Program in 2018 to widen its scope and offer opportunities to more leaders across the region and its special geographic areas.
In 2018, the first batch of the BYLP-LeadCom successfully implemented 22 youth-led projects, with the help of their teams and mentors. These projects mainly focused on agriculture, fisheries, livelihood, peace and culture and others. (BYC PR Unit/KAA)
