BCYD partners with NYC, OPAPP

YOUTH EMPOWERMENT ---BCYD Executive Director Salic ExanSharief, Jr. (2nd from right) flanks with NYC Chairperson USecAizaSeguerra (2nd from left) and OPAPP UnderSecretary Dickson Hermoso (right) during the “7th Consultation on Youth Management in Public and Civic Affairs” last March 02, 2017 held at the MSU Charm Pavilion, Mindanao State University in Marawi City. Inset - NYC Chair USecAizaSeguerra speaks before youth participants. (BCYD – MINDANAO EXPOSE’)

COTABATO CITY --- The Bangsamoro Center for Youth Development (BCYD)continues to enhance and empower the youth through responsive and quality-driven programs with its recent partnership with the National Youth Commission (NYC) and the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) during the conduct of the “7th Consultation on Youth Management in Public and Civic Affairs” last March 02, 2017 held at the MSU Charm Pavilion, Mindanao State University in Marawi City.

Salic Exan Sharief, Jr., Executive Director of BCYD, said the consultation mainlyfocused on the youths of Lanao del Sur through the consolidated efforts of the Lanao Youth Council and BCYD.

“It was attended by more than 200 participants from various schools in Lanao,” said Sharief.

Sharief said speakers and lecturers included former Marawi City Mayor Omar Solitario Ali where he discussed youth and federalism together with MSU Vice-President for Administration and Finance Atty. Jamaloden Basar, Arriza Nucom of the KRIS Library, former Mayor of Iligan city Atty. Franklin Quijano, Under Secretary Dickson Hermoso of OPAPP and NYC Chairperson Under Secretary Aisa Seguerra.

In her message, Seguerra reiterated the NYC continues to provide the youth sector with opportunities so they become active partners in nation-building through youth programs and projects that will develop and harness their potentials and enable them to be of great service to their country and community.

“Dir. Sharief and I have recently visited some provinces in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao and our main objective is to inform our communities of our various programs for the youths most especially in the aspect of peace,” said Seguerra.

Sharief added there was also a sharing session on youth issues during the workshop facilitated by LYC and BCYD.

“The youth participants were able to share their sentiments on the current issuers affecting our society nowadays,” said Sharief.

Further, Usec Hermoso stressed the youth should haveactive participation in the discussion of the peace process.

“They play a major role in realizing true lasting peace here in Mindanao,” he said.

Meanwhile, Sharief said they are doing such endeavour given the factthat it was not long ago, youth sector was neglected in almost all basic services provided by both the government and the private corporate world.

“It was only this time when regional bodies came to realize setting up their respective youth offices,” he said.

Sharief added that notwithstanding the fact that the Bangsamoro population is highly concentrated in the Mindanao archipelago, it is also a public knowledge that a certain percentage of the multi-tribal composition of the Bangsamoro is spread out in various parts of the country.

“The creation of the BCYD comes as a response to the challenge of disconnected individual efforts of the existing Moro youth offices and youth organizations in the different regions of the country,” he added.

In this regard, components of BCYD mainly focused on education and intergenerational relations, environment and climate change, research and data management, juvenile justice and electoral reform, entrepreneurship, and livelihood and financial inclusion.

“BCYD intends to be the intergenerational domain of the Bangsamoro populace where efforts and programs for the Bangsamoro can be consolidated in a unified manner,” he said.

Sharief said they would want to invest in the capability expansion and upskill of the young children and young generation.  It is devoted to a systematic monitoring of the application and execution of its learned principles by the stakeholder clientele in the diversity of life disciplines.

“We are going to conduct research studies on issues and concerns of the youth, provide team-building and synergy workshops to beneficiary communities, devise training modules on leadership, peace building, project management and socio-economic empowerment on the youth, and establish and create linkages between and among youth organizations within and outside Mindanao archipelago,” said Sharief. (GILMHAR A. LAO - MINDANAO EXPOSE’)