Youths converge in Davao for summit

A TOTAL of 729 youth delegates from all over the Philippines will converge in Davao City for a three-day 1st National Youth Summit, opening Sunday until Tuesday next week.

Colonel Leopoldo Galon Jr., group commander of the 5th Civil Relations Service of the Armed Force of the Philippines (AFP), speaking in Friday's Kapihan sa PIA, said the holding of such a congress is the first-ever activity conducted by the AFP for the youths.

He said the delegates, representing different youth organizations from different parts of the countries, will make resolutions on their respective action plans. There are also out-of-school-youth (OSY) delegates joining the summit.

The action plans, Galon added, contain the different advocacies of the young delegates that they will share with one another. Out of the action plans, the delegates will make a commitment in pursuing their advocacies.

The three-day event is an interagency collaboration of Department of Interior and Local Government, Department of Education, National Youth Commission, Commission on Higher Education, and AFP.

Participants of the summit will flock in the Camp Alano in Daliao, Toril where several activities will be spearheaded there by the AFP.

Galon added that one of the objectives of the summit is to enhance the leadership skills of the participating youth.

"There will be speakers who will teach them how to run an organization and how to become self-sustaining as individuals," he said, adding that delegates will also get coaching on the planning of activities.

Galon added that the Task Force Davao, Davao City Police Office some personnel from AFP's Eastern Mindanao Command will oversee the entire duration of the event to maintain security of the participants.

The delegates, in turn, have thrown much support to this endeavor, saying that they will do all they can to help AFP in maintaining peace in the country.

Lani Mosing, a young leader of Youth for Peace Advocates Movement from National Capital Region and a student of Ateneo de Manila University, said all the learning she gets out of the summit will be shared with her colleagues back in her school.