Written by: Tess Bahom

In line with the Agency’s effort to provide further capacity building activities to the designated Volunteerism Focal Persons (VFPs) of Local Government Units (LGUs), National Government Agencies (NGAs), Government Owned and Controlled Corporations (GOCCs), PNVSCA conducted another meeting with the University of the Philippines Los Bańos Gender Center (UPLB GC) to firm-up its partnership in promoting and institutionalizing the conduct of trainings on Gender and Volunteerism; conduct joint research and public service projects; exchange of information, including, but not limited to, research publications; research materials and resources; and joint seminars and conference.  

Under the proposed collaboration for the immediate term, the UPLB GC will provide support to PNVSCA in carrying out a series of gender and volunteerism training for the VFPs and volunteer managers in the public sector covering the seventeen (17) regions nationwide.   The training program aims to build the capacity of the VFPs and volunteer managers in mainstreaming gender and volunteering in the implementation of their respective programs, projects and activities.

Prof. Sony Querijero of UPLB GC expressed interest for a longer-term collaboration specifically on the mainstreaming of volunteerism in the education sector, policy research, among others.

With the positive outcome of the meeting, ED Gawe conveyed PNVSCA’s appreciation to UPLB GC and looks forward for the immediate signing of a partnership agreement between UPLB GC and PNVSCA to provide the framework of the engagement. 

The author is currently the Senior Volunteer Service Officer of the Program Coordination, Monitoring and Evaluation Division (PCMED), Philippine National Volunteer Service Coordinating Agency.

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