Written by: Alyssa Marie Villa and Carleen Salas

PNVSCA joined the 2-day “Care What YOUth Wear: Toolkit Pilot Testing Workshop”  organized by the Global Initiative for Exchange and Development Inc. (GIED), in partnership with the National Youth Commission (NYC) on 21-22 February 2023 held at the TAYO Conference Room, NYC Office in Quezon City.

Photo taken during Day 1 of CARE What YOUth Wear: Toolkit Pilot testing workshop from 21-22 February 2023 at NYC, TAYO Conference, Quezon City.

A total of 19 young people ages 18-30 from different youth organizations and educational institutions participated. Aside from PNVSCA, participants came from the Young Public Administrator’s Guild, Earist College-Y Club, Ecpat Youth and Children Advocate, Senatorial Youth Council of Leaders/Sangguniang Kabataan, Philippine Children’s Ministries Network – Youth for Safety, Central School Government – Cavite State University Bacoor Campus, St. Patrick School, Arellano University, Apuradong Kabataan ng Puerto Princesa (AKNPP), AVES Community Based Organization, Inc., National Youth Commission, Angat Kabataan, Power of Filipino Youth, Jose P. Laurel High School (JPLHS).

The Care What YOUth Wear Project is under the Erasmus+ Program of GIED which aims to foster the commitment of young people from Europe and Asia to take an active role in meeting global challenges based on awareness and critical understanding of the phenomena of global interconnectedness and contribute to promoting the concept of global youth work by bringing the issues of the global garment industry to young people and empowering them towards the behavioral change to make their consumption patterns more sustainable.

Photo taken during the Getting to Know You ice breaker.

PNVSCA representatives were fortunate to take part in the pilot testing of the toolkit, which comprises taking care of production, marketing & promotion, consumption and disposal of clothing. With this, lectures and hands-on activities were given to the participants to give them a feel of the importance of sustainable fashion. The organizers were able to showcase videos and podcasts on fast fashion, greenwashing, the importance of the supply chain and how this affects the environment. The participants were able to have the opportunity to get to know one another by actively participating in plenary sessions, group discussions and various art activities in relation to the topics discussed respectively.

Photo taken during the presentation of outputs in one of the workshops.

Ms. Queenie Dadulo, President and CEO of GIED, hope that the participants will use the knowledge and skills gained in the workshop to come up with their own advocacy activities as well as promote youth volunteering. This is also a good opportunity for them to explore within their organization how they can share their time and other resources in expanding their efforts/initiatives for the environment. Ms. Shayne Taay of the National Youth Commission, YORP Secretariat, closed the 2- day activity with a briefing om the Philippine Youth Development Plan (PYDP) 2023 – 2028. She emphasized that this workshop gives an impact in the call for action for the Youth participants/YORP to become PYDP Champions and align this to further promote volunteerism in each of their communities.

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The authors are currently the Volunteer Service Officers II & I of the Program Coordination, Monitoring and Evaluation Division (PCMED) and Policy, Advocacy, and Technical Services Division (PATSD), Philippine National Volunteer Service Coordinating Agency.

Visit PNVSCA website (www.pnvsca.gov.ph) and PNVSCA Facebook (facebook.com/PNVSCA) for other stories and information on volunteering.