IN A bid to spread awareness on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDG), the Junior Chamber International (JCI) Kagayhaan Gold conducted a forum last Friday, November 16, at Centrio Ayala Mall.
The UNSDG Awareness Campaign and Forum, according to JCI, is to orient students and the youth on five of the 17 sustainable development goals: Good Health and Well-being, Quality Education, Responsible Consumption and Production, Climate Action, and Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions.
"This is our way of continuing our promise to the United Nations to help in the attainment of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals," Owen Jaen, the JCI Kagayhaan Gold former president and now project chairman, said.
JCI believes that by conducting this awareness campaign and forum, it will motivate and encourage the youth to respond to the call by helping address the different goals in their own little ways.
The organization also believes that it is important to let the youth take part in this advocacy since they will become the leaders of the future generation.
During the forum last Friday, each of the five goals was presented by speakers from different groups, namely: Nadine Angelica Casino of Modern Nanays of Mindanano, Brian Adam Anay of PAGBASA, Shariffa Patayon of Happy Earth Store, Jessica Wu of The Climate Reality Project Philippines, and the Balay Mindanao Foundation Inc.
The speakers discussed their initiatives to eradicate societal problems and suggest solutions on how the youth can take part with this advocacy.
Apart from the forum, the JCI Kagayhaan Gold will also conduct a campus tour for another UNSDG Awareness Campaign, wherein they will go around different schools in Cagayan de Oro City to teach the students of the sustainable development goals and how they can contribute to this cause.
"We will go around campuses to teach about the UNSDG, which is also part of our program na ‘Teach the Streets.’ It’s actually our flagship program which aims to teach children about the UNSDG," Roxanne Fuentes, the incumbent president of JCI Kagayhaan Gold, said.
The campus tour, according to Fuentes, will start in 2019.
"Right now, since we are in the transition phase, what we're doing is we're busy doing fund-raising projects for our community development programs," she said.
One of the said fund-raising projects of the organization is the "Kids for Christmas," which will occur on December 1, where children will undergo a series of art workshops.
"It’s going to be whole day activity wherein they get to experience a lot of workshops like painting, sketching, dancing. In return, these kids, yung registration fee will go to our 'Christmas in a Box,'" Fuentes said.
She added that the beneficiaries for their "Christmas in a Box" project are those who were victims of child abuse.
JCI Kagayhaan Gold is a non-profit organization composed of young professionals and businessmen in Cagayan de Oro City.