UP student receives citation for community leadership

UP student receives citation for community leadership UP Diliman Broadcast Communications graduate Pocholo D. Gonzales, along with 16 other young community leaders from around the world, received the 2003 Youth Action net award at a ceremony in Washington DC in October. It was the fitting culmination of the seven-day youth empowerment seminar that was held from October 7 to 14. The winners, aged 19 to 24, were cited for initiating positive social change in their countries. Each also received US. Launched by the International Youth Foundation (IYF) and Nokia in 2001, Youth Action Net (youthactionnet.org) is an interactive website created by and for youth. IYF first announced the Youth Action Net awards competition in January 2002. Youth Action Net celebrates the dynamic role that the youth play in leading positive change around the world. YouthActionNet.Org forms a vital part of the Make a connection program, a global initiative of IYF and Nokia to provide opportunities for young people to connect to their communities. Thus, Gonzales and the organization that he heads--the Voice of the Youth (VOTY) Network--fit the criteria set by IFY. VOTY is an organization that seeks to empower the less fortunate children and youth by creating "a national platform for dialogue, self-expression, community involvement and cultural exploration to ensure that the voices of youth are heard." Reprinted from the UP Newsletter, 11/14/0/3 Go Back to Archives Go Back to Carillon Online Front Page                       Go Back to OAR Homepage

Notifying Visitors of Site Enhancements Giving youth a voice on issues affecting them Giving youth a voice on issues affecting them Pocholo Gonzales Quezon City, Philippines According to a recent survey of youth in the Philippines, young people view poverty, crime, and government-related issues to be the most pressing challenges facing the nation. At the same time, respondents overwhelmingly answered that they feel helpless in addressing such challenges. How do you empower young people to make a difference? How do you maximize the efforts of youth leaders who are actively promoting social change? Such questions have long motivated Pocholo Gonzales, now 24, in his work as a youth organizer. Pocholo sees great promise for engaging the active participation of Philippine youth in helping to ameliorate a range of urgent social problems. With young people, ages 15 to 30, making up one-third of the Filipino population, they play an increasingly large role in the development of Philippine society,says Pocholo. Their attitudes, values, mindset, and priorities have a critical role to play in shaping the future of our country. With that in mind, Pocholo and four other youth created Tinig Katataan, or the Voice of the Youth (VOTY), in 1996. Initially, VOTY founders, themselves possessing skills as young broadcasters, voice talents, and singers, focused their efforts on launching a youth radio program. For more than four years, the program aired for two hours each Sunday, giving young people the opportunity to voice their ideas and opinions on a range of issues impacting their lives. Over the years, VOTY members have been invited to present at local, national, and international conferences, and have been featured on national radio and television programs, as well as in newspapers and at school and community events. Today, VOTY has grown into a collaboration of youth organizations in nearly all 78 provinces of the Philippines. Its goal is to maximize the impact of young people working to make a difference. VOTY provides networks, tools, resources, and recognition for youth leading positive change in their communities. Among its efforts, VOTY is developing a peer-to-peer learning environment where youth may teach one another valuable skills. Its also working to create a national platform to enable youth voices to be heard and acted upon. With young people... making up one-third of the Filipino population, they play an increasingly large role in the development of Philippine society. A critical component of VOTYs efforts is the use of the Internet to facilitate communication and information-sharing. VOTYs website (www.voty.org) contains information on youth participation; a calendar of local, national, and international events; publications; and relevant links and statistics. E-mail discussion groups also enable young people to share what they know and network with one another. Currently pursuing a masters degree in broadcast communications, Pocholo sees great promise in utilizing todays communications technologies to strengthen youth participation and leadership. I believe that the media, radio, TV, and the Internet offers a powerful tool to inspire, inform, and involve youth, he says.