COTABATO CITY (Oct. 25, 2024) — The Bangsamoro Youth Commission (BYC) concluded the three-week Basic Organization and Leadership Training for 180 youth community partners from eight SPMS Box municipalities in Maguindanao del Sur on October 25 in Cotabato City.
The final group, which began their training on October 21, included participants from Datu Unsay, Shariff Aguak, and Datu Saudi-Ampatuan.
Spearheaded by BYC with support from the Special Development Fund (SDF), this initiative aims to empower out-of-school youths (OSYs) with essential leadership and organizational skills needed to manage their organizations and contribute to peace-building efforts in conflict-affected areas of Maguindanao.
BYC Chairperson Marjanie Mimbantas Macasalong encouraged the participants to continue their pursuit of education, regardless of the challenges they may face.
“Like many of you, I was born in a camp and didn’t have the chance to study continuously. I was the oldest in my class, but I did not let my age hold me back. Eventually, I completed my PhD as the youngest in my class. The only thing I want to remind you is that it’s never too late. Your determination will drive your success,” Macasalong said.
In the next phase of the project, participants will undergo training in project proposal development and pitching. BYC will award seed grants and educational assistance to support community projects, including Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism (PCVE) orientations and leadership mentoring. This phase is designed to foster community resilience and youth leadership.
Seed grants will be awarded to youth organizations in each municipality, along with cash assistance for education. These funds are intended to encourage youth groups to launch community development projects that promote peace and conflict resolution.
This approach will help rehabilitate war-torn towns by revitalizing social and economic structures and integrating Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), particularly youth, into established institutions while fostering political participation.
Prior to this training, these youth community partners also participated in Alternative Learning System (ALS) classes.
Through these initiatives, BYC is addressing the needs of over a hundred OSYs, empowering them to engage in local governance and community development while rebuilding the social fabric of conflict-affected areas in Maguindanao.
Policy papers will be produced as part of the project, where several challenges and issues of the Bangsamoro youth will be addressed.
A policy forum with several offices of the Bangsamoro government will be held to lobby the policy papers for relevant programs and projects conceptualization. (BYC PR Unit/AAA)
