National hero Jose Rizal once said, “The youth is the hope of our country.” Bearing this quote in mind, the welfare of our youth should be one of our utmost priorities. Unfortunately, the majority of the Filipino youth undergoes many problems. According to the Philippine government, poverty, lack of education, drug or substance abuse, vice, crime, and unemployment are among the top issues Filipino youth of today are facing.
Additionally, the youth in the Philippines are also struggling with mental health, bullying, and teen pregnancy, among others. These problems cause much difficulty for our youth to live their lives to the fullest and fulfil their roles for the betterment of our country. It is due to these circumstances that an NGO for youth in the Philippines is needed more than ever.
The Purpose of Childhope Philippines as NGO for Youth in the Philippines
NGOs, or non-government organizations, are non-profit organizations that operate independently of any government and serve as a humanitarian aid and as additional help aside from the programs and funds from the government. These NGOs provide assistance and support for a wide range of advocacies, many of which affecting today’s youth. as noted above, these include but aren’t’ limited to:
- Poverty
- Paucity in resources
- Lack of education and training
- Mental health
- Lack of access to quality and affordable healthcare
- Teenage pregnancy
- Crime and unemployment
- Drug abuse
Our purpose at Childhope Philippines is to promote, uphold, and protect the welfare of children and youths, especially those in less-fortunate situations.As an NGO for youth in the Philippines, Childhope aims to empower the Filipino youth through our various activities and programs.
Related Article: Non-government Organization in the Philippines: Bridging People to Shed Light and Hope
NGO for Youth in the Philippines: Youth-Empowering Activities
There are a lot of activities that NGOs all over the world have developed with the purpose of aiding in youth empowerment. Here are some of them.
Community Outreach Programs
Community programs encourage youths to focus on the issues they have at hand through education and direct engagement. Examples of this are recovery groups, community book drives, tutoring and hobby classes, baby or pet-sitting, virtual parties, and community fundraisers.
Special Occasions and Outreach Events
Outreach events utilizing festivals and special occasions give a unique spin to traditions that helps NGOs connect with the youth for improved participation. Examples of these include Christmas and birthday parties.
Livelihood and Selling Programs
Selling as an outreach program incentivizes youth to partake in activities while promoting NGOs to spread their message and attract potential donors.
Related Article: The Critical Role of NGOs in the Philippines in Advocating for Education
Childhope Philippines’ Youth Empowerment Programs and Activities
At the frontlines in developing initiatives through programs and activities aimed to empower our youth, Childhope’s activities include, but are not limited to the following:
Project Bamboo
One of our successful and ongoing programs is the Project Bamboo. In this program, we encourage the Filipino youth to be creative in addressing and tackling their economic needs in an environment-friendly way. It also aims to teach the youth vocational and technical skills. Among these include T-shirt printing, food processing, perfumery, and preparation of household items such as dishwashing liquids and fabric conditioners.
Aside from alternative education and service skills, Project Bamboo also provides livelihood trainings for youth participants in business concepts that they can choose to start on their own.
Street Education and Protection
Street Education and Protection, or STEP, is a 4-step program that specifically aims to help street children.
1. Education
The first step in this program is education. KalyEskwela, or school on the streets, is an alternative learning system that aims to bridge the gaps in education here in the Philippines caused by poverty.
2. Psychosocial Support
The second step in this program is psychosocial interventions. Mental health is just as important as physical health. With that being said, the aim of this program is to provide psychological aid and counseling. This will educate and help kids and their parents on how to cope up with stress and learning challenges they may face on their educational journey. This program also focuses on neglected and abandoned children by donating to shelters. These shelters are the hands providing for the basic needs of children such as food and home.
3. Access to Healthcare
The third step in this program is the Mobile Health Clinic, or KliniKalye, is a mobile clinic that prioritizes children and their health. We believe that every child has a right to have access to medical care. KliniKalye provides primary preventive medical care, consultations, and treatments. This ensures that the children are healthy and in full physical capacity to learn.
4. Skills Development
Lastly, life planning provides education on social responsibilities in order to be a good part of society. In this way, we are preparing the youth by developing their skills so they could face real-life situations with the proper education.
Youth Development Program
Another one of our programs is the advocation of youth development where we partnered with Asia Select Inc. (ASI) to hold a Career Planning Workshop. The main goal of this program was to educate the Filipino youth about youth development, which pertains to the stages of child development. This knowledge is essential for our youths to become successful adults. Specifically, this program taught youths about attitudes, competencies, values, and social skills.
Another aim of this program was to educate the participants of the importance of being more responsible in the development of their careers. Other than that, we have other various youth development training programs such as workshops, leadership seminars, and vocational training. Additional projects hosted by Childhope Philippines include outreach, protection, and education on the street’s programs, and technical assistance to other Asian nations who wanted to address the problem in their country.
Related Article: Childhope Philippines, on the Importance of Tapping the Youth’s Potential to Empower our Future
The Benefits of Youth Development Programs and Activities from Childhope Philippines
In any community and country, highlighting the importance of youth empowerment is essential. As mentioned earlier, young people are believed to be capable of great things and shaping the future of their country. This is why it’s vital that the Filipino youth must be taught and encouraged to be creative and inspire each other with ideas. It is also important that they are adequately presented with opportunities so they could live to their full potential. In this way, they will have the tools to form confidence that they can do and achieve anything they set their mind into.
The main benefits that NGOs for youth of the Philippines provide are alternative and additional education programs. This allows the Filipino youth to become gainfully employed. Their learned skills may also allow them to practice and/or establish their own business enterprise in the future. Most importantly, these programs teach values of a good Filipino citizen, and encourages growth in self-confidence, self-worth, capabilities, and determination to undertake anything with little fear.
Support Childhope’s Advocacy as an NGO for youth in the Philippines
The future of the Philippines can be bright through the empowerment of our youth. As an NGO for youth in the Philippines, we are striving to continuously run and create programs and activities that will motivate and teach our youth on how to be greater. You can help too! Donate today and help us empower the Filipino youth to make our country a better place.