The NEDA Regional Office (NRO) V in partnership with the National Youth Commission conducted the Ambisyon Natin 2040 Youth Summit held last December 13 at Concourse Convention Center in Legazpi City. It was attended by around 300 leaders of youth organizations in Bicol from junior and senior high schools, Alternative Learning Centers, tertiary schools, Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, barangay youth task force, multi-sector youth organizations including youth leaders with special needs, and representatives of indigenous communities. The Summit aimed to engage the youth in advocating the Ambisyon Natin 2040 to their respective organizations to help sustain the momentum for the long term vision. Advocacy materials and tokens were distributed to the participants at the event.
In her opening message, NRO V Regional Director Agnes Espinas highlighted the role of the youth as the country’s future workers and leaders. She also presented the Ambisyon Natin 2040 or the long term vision of Filipinos for self and country and discussed how to achieve the Ambisyon Natin 2040 vision. She also laid out some suggestions on how the youth can participate in the development process through enabling policies and mechanisms for barangay youth task force, local development councils, national youth parliament, among others
Winner in the song category of the Design the Future Philippines Ruby Anne Lorca of Legazpi City sang her composition “Pilipino Para Sa Kinabukasan” during the event. Backed up by the Don Juan band, Lorca led the summit participants in singing the song that encourages the youth to sustain and fight for their dreams.
The summit provided a venue to build support towards the attainment of the vision by motivating the youth to get involved in the development process. Some of the insights shared by participants during the open forum were the following: (a) to sustain the momentum across four administrations until 2040 through continual stakeholder engagement; (b) improve coordination among implementing agencies to ensure youth development; (c) enhance education curricula to focus on values formation and competency building; and (d) continue engagement and dialogue with the youth to sustain ownership and buy-in.
The youth summit is the second of two major advocacy activities on Ambisyon Natin 2040 organized by NRO V. The first was held last November 15 for the key development actors in the region composed of representatives from regional agencies, local government units, government owned and controlled corporations, the academe, private sector, and civil society.
Annaliz B. Bellen, DRD-NRO V
Photos by NRO V