The Children and Youth Foundation of the Philippines (CYFP), in partnership with Nokia and the International Youth Foundation (IYF), is reaching out to indigenous Filipino youth through the Philippine Indigenous Youth Leadership Training Program, now part of Nokia and IYF’s global Make a Connection initiative.
With the support of Nokia and IYF through the global Make a Connection program, the Philippine Make a Connection program will reach members of this often-overlooked sector of society. The program aims to help indigenous youth aged 15-24 develop life, leadership, and employment skills that will enable them to relate effectively and live productively in the culturally diverse Philippine society.
"Bringing the Make a Connection program to the Philippines is important to us," said Martin Sandelin, Nokia Senior Vice President, Corporate Marketing at the program launch today. "Laying a sustainable foundation for the future means making a long-term investment in human potential. We believe skills in communication, decision-making, conflict-resolution and teamwork-building can help young people everywhere to make a difference in their own lives and in their communities."
Also present at the launch was International Youth Foundation board member Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala II, President and Co-Vice Chairman, Ayala Corporation and Patti J. Lyons, Chairman and President of the Children and Youth Foundation of the Philippines.
The program is anchored in traditional leadership knowledge and practices in three Philippine tribal communities: the Manobos of Agusan del Sur, the Ibalois in Benguet, and the Badjaos in Sulu. Based on local research, an appropriate curriculum was developed which focuses on the need for indigenous youth to develop self-confidence through understanding themselves as individuals and members of a distinct cultural group.
The program also addresses the need for a deeper understanding of new challenges confronting indigenous communities and provides participants with the opportunity to reflect on how they, as potential leaders, can meaningfully respond.
There are about 110 indigenous tribes in the Philippines, scattered in 65 of the country's 85 provinces and making up 16 percent of the nation’s population, or roughly 11.6 million people. Of these, around 20 percent, or 2.3 million are between 15 and 24 years old.
Since its founding in 1993, the Children and Youth Foundation of the Philippines has sought to enhance the welfare and improve the prospects of disadvantaged Filipino children and youth. One of its four major program thrusts is the promotion of appropriate education for indigenous children and youth.
“We are very pleased to collaborate with an outstanding corporation like Nokia in pursuing children and youth concerns,” says Patti J. Lyons, Chairman-President of CYFP, of the project and its promising future as part of the Make a Connection program.
The Philippines becomes the eighth country to join Make a Connection, a global initiative of the International Youth Foundation and Nokia. Make a Connection is a multi-year partnership that promotes positive youth development by giving young people an opportunity to “make a connection” to their communities, to their families and peers, and to themselves. Programs have so far been launched in Brazil, China, Germany, Mexico, Poland, South Africa, and the United Kingdom.
About the Children and Youth Foundation of the Philippines (CYFP)
A subsidiary of the Consuelo Zobel Alger Foundation, the Children and Youth Foundation of the Philippines seeks to enhance the welfare and improve the prospects of disadvantaged Filipino children and youth, specifically those below 20 years of age -- victims of abuse, street children, children of indigenous people, and out-of-school youth among them. CYFP has four major program thrusts: prevention of child abuse and recovery and reintegration of victims, promotion of justice for disadvantaged children and youth, enhancement of the social and economic potentials of out-of-school children and youth, promotion of appropriate education for indigenous children and youth.
About the International Youth Foundation
The International Youth Foundation (IYF) is one of the world’s largest public foundations focused on children and youth. IYF is dedicated to supporting programs that improve the conditions and prospects for young people where they live, learn, work and play. Since its founding in 1990, IYF has worked with hundreds of companies, foundations, and nongovernmental organizations to scale up existing programs and build long-term strategic partnerships. Currently operating in more than 60 countries, IYF and its partners have helped more than 21 million young people gain the skills, training and opportunities critical to their success.
About Nokia
Nokia is committed to having a positive impact on society that extends beyond the advanced technology, products and services the company creates. Through its partnership with IYF and other regional philanthropic and social responsibility programs, the company prepares young people to embrace opportunities and possibilities
created by the global economy and new technological advancements. The company has been an active regional contributor to youth and education causes for many years, with Nokia employees making their own contributions as volunteers in a range of programs throughout the world. More information on Nokia can be found at www.nokia.com.
For more information, contact:
Anna P. Hidalgo
Communications Development Specialist
Children and Youth Foundation of the Philippines
Tel. +63 917 539 0920
Menchu D. Ambrosio
Marketing Manager
Nokia (Philippines), Inc.
Tel. +63 917 522 8335