What are the views, ideas, and challenges of the youth today in civic and political participation? How do these differ from the views, ideas, and challenges experienced by development workers a generation ago? How can we get more young people to be involved in development work? These are the questions the fourth e-Talk session of the CODE-NGO Social Development Week 2022, co-organized by the Central Visayas Network of NGOs (CENVISNET), tried to answer.

Esteemed youth leaders Bryan Ezra Gonzales (National Society of Parliamentarians) and Julian Manongdo (Millennials PH) shared their experiences and insights on youth participation alongside two seasoned development workers, namely Mardi Mapa-Suplido (Chairperson, INCITEGov) and Marie Sol Gonzalvo (Ramon Aboitiz Foundation). 

Many CSO leaders became interested in development work through opportunities provided by/in their schools and universities. It was also the case for our resource speakers. Mardi and Bryan, for instance, were part of their student councils. Sol found joy in being of service when she started out in volunteer and development work. Julian, as a graduate student, worked in youth organizations on issues that resonated with him while immersed in his university’s culture of activism. 

Challenges Then and Now

Mardi and Sol see that formal venues for youth participation, such as the local youth development councils and the National Youth Commission, are not appreciated as much and are taken for granted. With this observation, Sol added however that people want to be active in their own way now, noting that young people sign up for something if they see that they are being engaged creatively, making activism “sexy”. Comparing a 2010 study by INCITEGov and a 2021 survey by YouthLed of the Asia Foundation, Sol identified disaster risk reduction and management and climate change as among the top themes young people are very interested in nowadays. Generally though, Sol sees that the reform agenda of the youth are the same (education, environment, health, etc.) and are just harnessed more creatively now. 

Youth leaders Bryan and Julian saw how technology has greatly shaped the way the youth could be engaged. Having access to smartphones, young people experienced the polarizing effects that activism in social media has caused them, even at the family level. But even if the pandemic has indeed affected the way Julian and his group did their youth organizing work, harnessing online platforms has allowed them to expand their reach to different cities and municipalities. Both Bryan and Julian confidently declared that the energy of the youth is still active and present. Then and now, however, funding remains a problem for youth organizations. 

Inspiring the Future

To make young people more involved in development work, Mardi believes it is important to immerse them in various settings or contexts in order for them to better understand the national situation. It is also important for NGOs and CSOs to be intentional in having young people involved. Mentoring youth leaders is important,  said Bryan and Julian, as it allows for the transfer of competencies that will enable them to stay in the development sector. Likewise, Sol remarked that it is important to equip them for the kind of NGO/CSO leaders we want them to be, i.e. to be built with fortitude. At the end of the day, “Hope is our currency as civil society practitioners. We want these young people to be Hope Warriors. The day will come when they will be our torchbearers.”

They think that it’s over

But it’s just begun

Only one thing can save us

Only the young (only the young)

-Taylor Swift (Only the Young)

Watch the recording of this e-Talk session here.  

Know more about the Social Development Week! 

Visit https://code-ngo.org/socialdevelopmentweek