On February 21 to 24 2022, a seminar/workshop on BARMM’s Youth Leadership for Democracy (YouthLed) Project was held in Palacio Del Sur, Zamboanga City which was attended by 38 appointed representatives of 191 youth organizations nationwide.
To note, YouthLed is a five-year program that aims to increase civic engagement leading to strengthened participation in Democratic Governance. The program is composed of leadership development, coalition-building, and civic education and engagement activities among young Filipinos, aged 15 to 30. YouthLed’s approach is anchored on the principles of Positive Youth Development, creating an enabling and productive environment for the youth.
During the 4-day seminar, the focal persons in the Sulu YouthLed network actively discussed their vision in Sulu which is for the youth to be an integral part in nation-building and for them to have a bigger role in the global context; for the elections to be transparent and peaceful and its results should hopefully help the future generations; and for education to transform the Bangsamoro youth into a more advanced and morally guided individuals. They also discussed that violent extremism may be curbed among the youth through the availability of proper education and livelihood training, and opportunities to earn a living. They also urged the youth to learn about food, agriculture, and fisheries because Mindanao, especially Sulu, is extremely rich in natural resources.
