Background and Problem Statement

Youth activism has always had a negative connotation in the Philippines. When you hear the word activist or aktibista, it is almost synonymous to terrorists. On the contrary, our own national hero, Jose Rizal, has always been promoting the power of the youth for the betterment of the society and the country. Furthermore, recent studies have documented the potential of youth activism for influencing political change toward socially just ends. This special issue builds on such research by focusing on youth activism as a context for learning and development (Kirshner, 2007). Being an activist does not mean that you go against the president or the government, it just means that one pursues social justice, that is, a society in which everyone receives their due and no one is wrongfully deprived of it (Shelley, 2017). In the society we are living right now, it is high time that we educate and inform the youth of the current state of the world with the aid of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals. With the help of literature and student engagement (Trowler, 2010) we can effectively educate the youth to be agents of positive change.

The title of the booklet is Bata Ka Pa which is a phrase in Hiligaynon which means “You are too young” or “You are still young”. The former signifies the unequal opportunities that the youth receive because others would think that they are too young to act upon these social issues due to ageism or then discrimination due to one’s age (Kane & Palmore, 2000). The latter, on the other hand, signifies the capability (“Rethink. Youth,” 2012) and potential of the youth to act upon the said social issues.

Goals and Objectives

•           Raise awareness towards contemporary issues and the Sustainable Development Goals

•           Promote culture through works of local artists

•           Distribute booklets in Public and Private Schools in Region 6, Western Visayas

Scope

We will be calling for contributors that are willing to write short stories and poems about contemporary issues in the Philippines and compile it in a booklet which we will distribute to different Public and Private Junior and Senior High Schools all around Western Visayas. Starting at Bacolod City from June to July then at Iloilo City on August.

            Activities:

• Call for contributors (local artists)
• Talk on Civic Engagement before the distribution
• Distribution of Booklets

References

Kane, R. L., & Palmore, E. B. (2000). Ageism: Negative and Positive. Journal of Public Health Policy. https://doi.org/10.2307/3343350

Kirshner, B. (2007). Introduction: Youth activism as a context for learning and development. American Behavioral Scientist. https://doi.org/10.1177/0002764207306065

Rethinking Youth. (2012). In Rethinking Youth. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781446250297

Shelley, C. (2017). Activism. In Studies in Applied Philosophy, Epistemology and Rational Ethics. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-52515-0_8

Trowler, V. (2010). Student engagement literature review. Higher Education.

For detailed information you may access the attached project proposal.