THE Davao City Youth Development Office (DCYDO) is expanding its youth intervention programs through a school-to-school peace campaign, the establishment of Teen Centers in barangays, and strengthened monitoring of Children in Conflict with the Law (CICL) to address increasing cases of youth violence, school riots, teenage pregnancy, and out-of-school youth.
Acting Division Chief Emmanuel N. Crismas said the office shifted from its annual Peace Camp to Project Race, a school-based intervention that will initially cover 10 schools identified as having high numbers of youth-related incidents.
The program is being implemented in partnership with the Public Safety and Security Office (PSSO), Task Force Davao, the Philippine Army's 27th Infantry Battalion, and 1197 dxFE.
"We shifted from the usual Peace Camp to a school-to-school approach because of the reports involving our in-school youth. This is one of the interventions of the Davao City Youth Development Office, in coordination with the City Social Welfare and Development Office, to address issues involving young people, including violence and reported riots in schools," Crismas said
He said the city conducted six Peace Camps last year — four in Eden, one in Los Amigos, and one in Daliao Plantation — which focused on culture of security and values clarification.
Under Project Race, Peace Camp alumni will serve as peer educators and conduct 30-minute room-to-room discussions on the culture of security together with partner agencies. Students will then participate in Values Clarification sessions facilitated by 1197 dxFE Station Manager Magnolia Yrasuegui.
Crismas said the DCYDO was created through a 2023 city ordinance establishing the Local Youth Development Office under the supervision of the CSWDO. The office provides logistical and technical support to Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) councils, conducts youth leadership programs, and implements activities aligned with the SK's 10 Centers of Participation, including peacebuilding and security.
The office is also strengthening its intervention for CICL by working with district social workers and SK officials to monitor the reintegration of children into their communities through home visitations and by checking whether they return to school, find employment, or pursue other productive opportunities.
"Most of the CICL come from broken families or experience a lack of family support. That is why we continue to monitor them through home visitations and ensure they receive support once they are reintegrated into their communities," Crismas said.
To provide youth-friendly spaces, the city continues to push for the establishment of Teen Centers in every barangay. While the proposed ordinance creating the centers has been returned to the committee for further deliberation and amendments, the Davao City Council has already approved 182 resolutions urging barangays to establish Teen Centers.
The city is also targeting the conversion of 97 existing SK offices into Teen Centers that will provide developmental programs instead of functioning solely as SK offices.
"We're aiming nga dili na sila moingon nga, 'Moadto mi sa barangay para mangayo og tabang,' kundili, 'Moadto mi sa Teen Center para mangayo og tabang (We're aiming for young people to no longer say, 'We will go to the barangay to ask for help,' but instead say, 'We will go to the Teen Center to seek the support we need)," Crismas said.
He clarified that the Teen Centers are developmental, not rehabilitation or correctional facilities. The centers will conduct Sangguniang Kabataan assemblies, peace and security symposiums, leadership activities, and programs addressing teenage pregnancy, youth involvement in violence, and the increasing number of out-of-school youth. Cases requiring specialized intervention will be referred to social workers or the appropriate government agencies through an established referral mechanism.
The main Teen Center is located in Barangay 2-A, near People's Park.
The DCYDO also continues to conduct semestral visitations, coordinate with youth organizations and SK councils, register youth and youth-serving organizations, and implement peacebuilding initiatives throughout Davao City. JOHN ADAM ALADAD/SPAMAST, SUNSTAR INTERN
