More than 5,000 youths from all over Davao Region are expected to attend the Youth Environmental Summit in Davao City next month.
The Davao City Youth Development Office (DCYDO), in partnership with the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO), National Youth Commission (NYC), Office of Civil Defense (OCD), and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), will hold the summit at the Holy Cross Davao College Gymnasium on April 20.
With the theme “Youth at the forefront of Disaster Risk Reduction and Management,” the summit intends to engage young people in environmental activism.
The initiative is aligned with international initiatives to motivate young leaders to take on urgent environmental concerns and challenges.
Russel Bon Noval, Presidential Officer of the National Youth Commission, said the program began in 2022, but this year, for the first time, they will expand the summit from a city-wide level to a regional level event.
He said participants from five provinces of the Davao Region (Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, Davao Oriental, Davao Occidental, and Davao de Oro) will go to Davao City to discuss different environmental issues and concerns and establish the Disaster Risk Reduction Management (DRRM) network— a cooperative group of organizations and individuals working together to lessen the impacts of disasters.
“Ang gusto namo is to really equip the Sangguniang Kabataan in Region XI with the knowledge nga makahimo gyod og sustainable programs for the environment (We want to equip the Sangguniang Kabataan in Region XI with the knowledge to create sustainable, environmentally-friendly activities),” he said.
He also said the Environmental Youth Summit will be the first step in creating the Kabataang Resilient Program.
Emmanuel Crismas, Youth Development Officer of the Davao City Development Office, said they have partnered with the Sangguniang Kabataan to ensure that young people in Davao City will attend the summit.
He said they will also have post-summit programs and interventions together with the agencies to measure the effectiveness of the gathering in accomplishing its goals.
He added that by the participants will have the opportunity to learn about environmental challenges and work together on sustainability projects.
The event underscores the importance of including young people in environmental stewardship and decision-making processes. CIO
