GROUP 7
POLITICAL ENGAGEMENT AND YOUTH
EMPOWERMENT
MEMBERS:
ARIEL JAY NADUMA
JOMAR PANDA
CHERAMY NARVASA
LOVELY PARDILANAN
Political Engagement and the Youth
According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization
((UNESCO) ((2016), youth is a period of transition from the dependence of childhood to
adulthood independence and awareness of our interdependence as members of larger
community. While the youth is a more fluid category than a fixed –age group, age is the
easiest way to define the youth in terms of education and employment.
UNESCO adds that a youth is a person who is between the age where he or she may
leave compulsory education, and the age where he or she finds his or her first
employment. UNESCO uses varied definitions of youth because high levels of
unemployment and high cost of putting up an independent household place many
young people into prolonged periods of dependency. Nonetheless UNESCO uses the
definition of UN, which specifies that youth are those persons between the ages of 15
and 24.
Four Aspects of Programs and Activities That Induce Youth Participation
1.Information Sharing– giving lecture or handing off fliers but informing with the goal of
facilitating collective and /or individual action.
2.Consultation– Public or private organizations will consult with the youth on certain
issues and will take their point of view in the process of decision making, actions, and
advocates of the organization.
3.Decision making – the youth are not only asked for their opinion, but they are enabled
to share the responsibility to decide on certain issues that may directly or indirectly
affect them.
4.Initiating action– the youth themselves take the initiative. In such cases other
organization must provide support to the youth, but only as guides and not to take over
the youth groups.
Some Major Issues and Cases on Youth and Participation
The UN, through the united Nations Development Program (UNDP), list primary issues
relevant to governance and youth participation. Among these are the following:
1.Young men and women are excluded from policy development given their leaves
political activism of the youth as under- or unrepresented in formal
groupings/organizations.
2.Theyouth participation in governance, including opportunities for engagement, is
dependent on different political, socioeconomic, and cultural contexts.
3.The participation of youth in formal and institutional processes is relatively low
compared to older citizens. This could be a manifestation of the youth’s
disenfranchisement to the political system both formal and informal means of
participation are beneficial for a democracy to work and these means must be
supported.
4.The youth are not adequately represented in formal political institutions and processes
including political parties, parliaments, election, and public administration It has only just
been recently, although very timely, that the youth’s engagement in the political
landscape has received major attention.
5. Young men and women tend to feel excluded and marginalized in their communities
given the limited opportunities and exposure provided for them to participate
meaningfully in decision- making processes.
Issues and Concerns for the Youth
1. Poor education system
2. Lack of support groups
3. Social inequality
4. Poverty
5. Cultural factors
Some Practices or Organizations that can be created by the youth
1. Support group for those who are bullied.
2. Support group for other youth and children with disabilities.
3. Environmental protection activities such as tree planting.
4. With their knowledge of mass media and other technology, they can create blogs
and pages for information dissemination on certain issues. They can also be
critical in reporting abuses of power.
5. Collective action and input for donations to their school or community.
6. Create programs such as sports training, hiking and biking groups to engage
other youth in more meaningful activities.
7. Coordination with other groups to provide more manpower in certain activities.
The Congress also ratified Act No. 8044 or The Youth In Nation Building Act,
which created the National Youth Commission and established a national
comprehensive and coordinated program on youth development.
This program is based on the following principles:
1.Promotion and protection of the physical, moral, spiritual, intellectual, and social well-
being of the youth
2.Instilling in the youth the values of patriotism, nationalism, belief in the sanctity of life
and dignity of the human person, conviction for strength and unity of the family,
adherence to truth and justice, and other desirable characteristics
3. Encouragement of the youth in character-building and development activities for civic
efficiency, protection of the environment, productivity and development and participation
in policy making and program implementation to reduce poverty and accelerate socio-
economic development
4. Mobilization of youth’s abilities, skills, and talents for people’s freedom from fear.
hunger, and injustices
Institutions or Agencies that Deal with the Issues of the Youth.
1.The department of social welfare and development (DSWD) is the government
agency that is tasked to look at welfare issues of the youth.
2.Youth Sectoral Council of the National Anti- Poverty Commission
3.National Youth Parliament
4.National Volunteer Service Coordinating Agencies
5.Sangguniang kabataan under the office of the president
Several civil society and private sector initiatives, local or international, that aid in the
project of youth civic engagement in the country. The following are some of them
1(Innovations in civic Participation.)
1.The ayala young leaders congress brings together university students throughout the
Philippines and engages student leaders through a series of workshops, which aim to
make the participants catalysts for change in the country.
2.The Palawan Conservation Corps, established in 1999, focuses on environmental
consciousness and community development. It empowers out-of-school youth from rural
areas to develop conservation skills, work ethic, and leadership qualities through
community development efforts.
3. Save the Children, an international organization, spearhead the adolescent Friendly
reproductive health services, which provides civic participation opportunities for public
health and community development. The organization allows young advocates to serve
as peer educators for sexual and reproductive health, and health and nutrition
awareness campaigns.
References:
https://www.studocu.com/ph/document/makiling-integrated-school/philippine-politics-
and-governance/political-engagement-and-youth-empowerment-q2-module-13-shs-ppg-
melc13/21175658
https://www.scribd.com/presentation/510660479/ISSUES-RELATED-TO-POLITICAL-
ENGAGEMENT-AND-YOUTH-EMPOWERMENT
