MODULE I

The Role of the Youth in Community Development

The state recognizes in the vital role of the youth in nation-building and shall promote and
protect their physical, moral, spiritual, intellectual, and social well-being. It shall inculcate in
the youth patriotism and nationalism, and encourage their involvement in public and civic
affairs. (Art. II, Sec. 13, 1987 Philippine Constitution)
The above-quoted provision of the Philippine Constitution is a recognition of the fact that the
youth indeed constitutes the bulk of the Philippine population. They constitute a rich reservoir of
productive manpower. It is in this light that the State recognizes their vital role in nation-building
as a reaffirmation of the immortal statement of Dr. Jose Rizal; youth are the hope of the
fatherland. Alongside with that policy of the State is its duty to promote and protect their wellbeing and allow them to develop their physical, moral, spiritual, intellectual and social life in a
wholesome and normal manner and thus transform them into useful citizens and potential
leaders.
To assure the youth that their rights are promoted and protected, the government is doing its best
effort by conceptualizing and eventually implementing programs and activities that are geared
toward enhancing their skills, potentials and abilities in almost all fields of productive endeavors.
Today, the State provides various assistance to the youth especially in the field of education.
Suffice to state that in public schools education is a right. This is intended to give everyone
including those that belong to the poor among the poorest citizens of the country the opportunity
to obtain a degree or at least become educated. To make education more accessible, the
government still gives scholarship grants, study now-pay later programs, summer youth jobs,
sports and league competitions, summer youth camps and trainings.
In protecting their moral, spiritual, intellectual, and social well-being, and inculcate in tem
patriotism, nationalism, and their involvement in public and civic affairs, they should enjoy the
following rights without distinction to legitimacy or illegitimacy, sex, social status, religion,
political antecedents, and other factors:
1. Wholesome family life that will provide him with love, care and understanding, guidance
and counseling, and moral and material security;
2. The right to well-rounded development of his personality to the end that he may become
happy, useful, and active member of society.
3. The right to be brought up in an atmosphere of morality and rectitude for the enrichment
and the strengthening of his character.
4. The right to an education commensurate with his abilities and to the development of his
skills for the improvement of his capacity for service to himself and to his fellowmen.
5. The right full opportunities for safe and wholesome recreation and activities, individual
as well as social, for the wholesome use of his leisure hours.
6. The right to protection against exploitation, improper influences, hazards, and other
conditions or circumstances prejudicial to his physical, mental, emotional, social and
moral development.

7. The right to live in a community and a society that can offer him an environment free
from pernicious influences and conducive to the promotion of his health and the
cultivation of his desirable traits and attributes.
8. The right to care and assistance, and protection of the State, particularly when his parents
or guardians fail or are unable to provide with his fundamental needs for growth,
development, and improvement.
9. The right to an honest and efficient government that will deepen his faith in democracy
and inspire him with the morality of the constituted authorities both in their public and
private lives.
10. The right to grow up as a free individual, in an atmosphere of peace, understanding,
tolerance, and universal brotherhood, and with the determination to contribute his share
in the building of a better world.
In protecting the rights of the youth, Congress enacted laws that are intended to promote, protect
and guarantee their rights. Worthy to mention is RA 7610, otherwise known as the Child Abuse
Law that imposes penal sanctions should the offender is found guilty. The Family Code, the
Child and Youth Welfare Code and several other laws that are designed to guard the youth from
unwarranted abuses perpetrated by scalawags of the society.
(Source: Ruel A. Lavapie et al. Civic Welfare Training Service. 2005)
The Youth for Sustainable Development
The kind of change required by sustainability implicates each community, each household, and
each individual. Successful solutions to problems at this level of society will need to be rooted in
the cultural specificity of the town or region if the people are to be supportive of an involved in
such change. UNESCO APD (1997) Educating for sustainable future
In the end, sustainable development will be made at the local community level. All the other
changes in favor of sustainability by business, by national governments and by international
agencies help create the conditions that facilitate action for sustainable development at the
local level by individuals, families, schools, hospitals, workplaces and neighborhoods.
As a result, all over the world people are working together to build a sustainable future at the
local level. The focus on the actions being taken by local governments and their citizens to make
their communities sustainable particularly that of educating and empowering the young as in the
countrys National Service Training Program.
This is so because the youth comprise nearly 30 percent of the worlds population. It is
imperative that youth shall proactively participate in all relevant levels of decision-making
processes because it affects their lives and has implications for their futures. In addition to their
intellectual contribution and their ability to mobilize support, they bring unique perspectives that
need to be taken into account.
In the Philippines, with the NSTP, the youth are trained to become civic conscious and defense
prepared individuals towards national development.

(Source: Florida c. Labuguen et al. Understanding the National Service Training Program. Mutya
Publishing House, Malabon City, Philippines. 2012)

Serving Others: Volunteerism

Volunteerism is a cross-cutting social phenomenon that involves all groups in society and all
aspects of human activity. Volunteer action directly contributes to economic growth, social
welfare and protecting the environment. It also helps to build and/or consolidate social capital
and to promote more participation and self-initiative, thereby, establishing or stabilizing
democratic processes. Volunteerism opens wide doors of opportunities for other things. Serving
others can lead an individual to new avenues which he can gain valuable experiences in life.
Through volunteer work, one can expand his horizon and learn how to live with other people and
can even gain new friends. The experience of living in a new environment can make him more
understanding and compassionate while at the same time learning new skills to develop his selfesteem and interpersonal skills. Opportunities abound for him to share his skills and resources,
but so much more to share his hopes and dreams, and in the process, make other dreams come
true.
Serving others through volunteer work can challenge one to tap his resources, get in touch with
his inner self and discover latent abilities he never thought he had. Given the responsibilities of a
volunteer, many people have discovered their deep sense of commitment and the heart to help
others. Volunteerism recognizes the power of individuals driven by their commitment to make a
difference wherever they are.
(Source: VSO Leaflet)
Literacy and Numeracy
Literacy and numeracy are the foundation stones of education. Students will not be able to
benefit fully from school education and will face serious difficulties in reaching their school
education and will face difficulties in reaching their full potential without literacy and numeracy.
Literacy and numeracy are the essential tools for an effective further learning. They are
considered as the cornerstones of all the phases of learning and it is crucial for children to
develop these foundation skills at the earliest possible time in their school years.
The Philippine education system priorities are geared toward the attainment of an effective and
efficient learning and raising standards of educational attainment for all in and out of schools,
especially in the core skills of literacy and numeracy. Further, it aims to achieve better levels in
national measures of achievement including examination results.
Our government is closely monitoring education authorities and schools to ensure that all
Filipino children have the opportunities and encouragement to attain high standards in literacy
and numeracy. The Philippine government is particularly concerned to assist pupils from socially

disadvantaged areas to reach their full educational potential by acquiring good-quality skills in
literacy and numeracy.
Not only the youth should be the focus of our government, but also adult as well. They also need
to be literate and numerate for them to be able to function and progress at work and society. A
separate set of standards should be produced for each of the basic skills of literacy and numeracy
for youth and adults.
Literacy covers the ability to: speak, listen, and respond; respond and comprehend; and write to
communicate. According to Scottish Executive Report on Adult Literacy and Numeracy in
Scotland (2001): It is the ability to read, write and use numeracy to handle information, to
express ideas and to make decisions and solve problems as family members, workers, citizens,
and lifelong learners.
Numeracy can be described as the knowledge, skills, and appreciation needed for students to
understand and utilize mathematical ideas, techniques, and applications. Numeracy involves
students in integrating such skills as interpreting quantitative information, performing
straightforward calculations mentally, estimating values are known and unknown, and
developing intuitive knowledge measurement units.
Numeracy covers the ability to: understand and use mathematical information; calculate and
manipulate mathematical information; and interpret results and communicate mathematical
information.
Benefits of literacy and numeracy
1. Improved levels of literacy and numeracy enhanced employment prospects for young
people;
2. A move towards economic sustainability increased take-up of further and higher
education;
3. Students better prepared to take up modern apprenticeships higher levels of
employment;
4. It is widely accepted that the greatest benefits accrue as a result of high quality training
and the opportunity to reflect upon and modify ones own practice. Employing literacy
and numeracy will give students the opportunity to improve.
Social Mobilization: An Approach in the Implementation of Civic Welfare and Training
Services(Excerpt from the paper presented by Dr. Florida C. Labuguen, President, Association
of Civic Welfare and Training Services Implementers of the Philippines during the Seminar
Workshop for Coordinators and Trainers on the Implementation of CWTS Program in the
National Region Civic Welfare Training Service Conducted at Conference Hall, IRTC
Building, TUP, Manila on March 18-19, 2003)

The Concept of Social Mobilization

The concept of social mobilization emerged from the recognition that a genuine participatory
approach to development is essential for success and sustainability. Civic society participation in
development efforts is, therefore, increasingly recognized by agencies and governments as
essential for promoting good governance improving responsiveness of national policies and
programmes to citizens needs and ensuring transparency and accountability in policy-making
and implementation processes of such programs like the Civic Welfare Training Services.
Genuine participation of people involved and the citizens, however, is very necessary and goes
beyond dialogue with or contracting a few non-governmental organizations. It must engage all
citizens (women and men, in their various capacities, socio economic status, affiliations and
locations) beyond elections to active participation in making decisions that affect their lives.
Involving people requires efforts and mechanisms that can empower all but, most especially, the
disadvantaged members of society to participate effectively in development processes.
The social mobilization concept requires working hand-in-hand with individuals, organizations,
policymakers and communities to forge a collective identity to achieve common goals. It is
through this process that people at various levels of society engage in dialogue and negotiation
wherein collective action emanates. It is also an approach that involves planned actions and
processes to reach, influence and involve all relevant segments of society across all sectors from
the national to community levels in order to effect positive behavior and social change.
Social mobilization is also an approach and tool for the Civic Welfare Training Group to adopt
whichever can help people to organize for collective action pooling resources and building the
solidarity required to resolve common problems and work towards community advancement. It
is a process that empowers men and women to organize their own democratically self-governing
groups or community organizations, which enable them to initiate and control their own personal
and communal development. It is a process of taking action to influence behavior to positively
affect social change at all levels of society.
Effective social mobilization goes beyond community organizations, harnessing the potential and
efforts of government, non-government sectors and citizens to work towards sustainable social,
economic, and political development. The benefits of social mobilization to community
organizations and its impact locally and national can b best sustained within an enabling
political, policy and regulatory environment where mechanisms for linking experiences and
lessons at the community level to policy are developed.
Social mobilization, as defined by UNICEF, is a broad scale movement to engage peoples
participation in achieving a specific development goal through self-reliant efforts. It involves all
relevant segments of society: decision and policy-makers, opinion leaders,