YSEALI members hold ASEAN-wide week of community
service campaign
By Graciela Mante
BUTUAN CITY, Dec. 12, 2017 – To celebrate the
fourth anniversary of the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI), a
series of more than 150 youth-led activities were conducted from December 1-10
across Southeast Asia in a community service campaign called YSEALI
YOUnified.
Launched in December 2013, the YSEALI is the United
States government’s premiere program to strengthen youth leadership development
and networking in Southeast Asia. Designed for ages 18-35 years old, YSEALI’s
wide array of programs – U.S. exchanges, regional workshops, in-country
programs, grant opportunities, and social media campaigns – allowed young
leaders in the region to hone their skills and connect with their fellow
leaders. YSEALI focuses on critical topics identified by youth in the region:
economic growth, sustainable development, education and civic engagement. To
date, YSEALI is now 112,000 members strong.
YOUnified, a portmanteau of the words youth and
unified, started in December 2015 in the Philippines when Filipino YSEALI
members mobilized more than 400 volunteers and engaged close to 4,000 Filipino
youth to mark the 2nd anniversary of YSEALI. There were 20 simultaneous
YOUnified events nationwide that encouraged youth to be civically engaged and
to collaborate on developing solutions to pressing local, national, and
regional issues.
In 2016, YOUnified brought together hundreds of
YSEALI members and alumni for an ASEAN-wide day of service. Together, they led
107 projects engaging an unprecedented 16,000 people on issues such as:
environmental conservation, trafficking, education for underserved areas,
disability rights, women’s advancement, and youth engagement with local
leaders.
This year, members of YSEALI organized more than
150 projects that took place throughout the 10 Southeast Asian countries and in
the United States on Dec. 1-10, 2017.
In the Philippines, 40 activities - 7 in Metro
Manila, 9 in Luzon, 3 in Visayas, and 21 in Mindanao - happened during the
10-day celebration, reaching an audience of more than 5,000 Filipinos.
Activities youth-led solutions to community challenges such as a digital
marketing boot camp in Baguio City, debate on regional environmental issues in
Cebu City, psycho-social intervention programs for families affected by the
Marawi siege in Lanao del Sur, and youth mentoring program in Pasay City.
Surigao had two activities to celebrate the fourth
Younified anniversary. On December 6, a Partnership Meeting for the Mamanwang
Malambuon project was conducted in the Surigao Chamber of Commerce Office in
Surigao City. The Mamanwang Malambuon: Mamanwa Youth Livelihood and
Entrepreneurship Project was selected for funding by the United States Embassy
through its U.S. Exchange Alumni–Philippines Program and aims to economically
empower the Mamanwa communities by training their youth in modules on
entrepreneurship, financial literacy, youth leadership, organic farming, basket
weaving and handicrafts making. It also aims to inspire the youth in sustaining
their communities and increasing their resiliency to radicalization. It will be
implemented starting January 2018 in partnership with the Surigao Chamber of
Commerce, the Provincial Government of Surigao del Norte, Department of Trade
and Industry (DTI), 30IB of the Philippine Army, Rotary Club of Surigao Midtown
Jewels, National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), Provincial
Agriculture Office, and YSEALI youth volunteers.
On December 9, Surigaonon youth artists held the
Jari Na Sab Kami! (Here we are again!) Arts Workshop where participants learned
the basic watercolor painting and anime drawing for free. The activity was
aimed to nurture the creativity of the youth of Surigao and build their talent
to express their thoughts and emotions to better connect and change their
communities.
To know more about the details of the different
activities happening in the Philippines and how to participate, visit
facebook.com/ysealiyounified. To check all activities happening across ASEAN
and the U.S., visit facebook.com/yseali.
For information on the Mamanwang Malambuon Project
and Jari Na Sab Kami Arts Workshop, please contact the Project Coordinator
Graciela Mante at 09778317519 or lalamante@gmail.com. (YSEALI/PIA-Caraga)
