Youth Hour to call on youth to register to get vaccinated, vote

(Photo Caption: Top right)

Last year, Youth Hour 2020 has not only celebrated the youth but likewise mobilized hundreds of them to organize their own local events. This year, we aspire to activate more of the Filipino youth, focusing on advocating voter registration and vaccination.

Truly, the pandemic hasn’t stopped the youth from contributing to building a better Philippines just like this team of adolescents in Aklan. Through Youth Hour 2021, PYDN wishes to inspire the youth by showcasing efforts of remarkable examples throughout the country. Contributor photo

On August 12, 2021, from 12 noon until 1 p.m., individuals, private organizations, youth organizations, and Sangguniang Kabataan councils will unite and celebrate the contributions of the youth in nation-building through the Youth Hour. This year’s celebration also aims to amplify the youth’s voice and participation by: encouraging them to register and vote in the upcoming 2022 national and local elections; encouraging young people to sign up for their local COVID-19 vaccination drives; and unleashing their core potential to lead and create the change they wish to see in the country.

This celebration is in line with the International Youth Day, and conforms to a local theme: “Transforming Systems for a Better Future” which highlights the capacity of young Filipinos to challenge and transform systems and status quo with their stories of courage, creativity, and compassion towards building a better Philippines for all.

Youth Hour is initiated by Positive Youth Development Network (PYDN) and Ideas Positive Alumni Community (IPAC), supported by the Council for the Welfare of Children, UNICEF Philippines and ING, Unilab Foundation, Ideas Positive, and Heads Up PH. More organizations and local councils are encouraged to join the celebration and organize local events of their own to take part in this year’s Youth Hour.

“Our version of Earth Hour for youth engagement is one hour of celebrating the Filipino youth’s contributions to and sacrifices for nation-building,” said Alfred O. Dicto, Executive Director and Chief Purpose Keeper of PYDN. “Youth Hour recognizes the great roles of youth in igniting the passion within them and effecting the change they want to see especially in this time of crisis”

Along with this celebration is the launching of the One Western Visayas Youth Coalition, a youth-led coalition in Western Visayas that also aims to forward youth participation and mobilization in the said region.

“We are inviting everyone to participate in this historic event, and join us in celebrating for the youth and with the youth,” said Carl Laurence Deala, Communications Head of PYDN.

A toolkit is available for organizations who wish to implement their own versions of the Youth Hour 2021 celebration which can be accessed through this link: https://bit.ly/YouthHour2021Toolkit.

This includes a Spotify playlist, poster, Facebook frame, and t-shirt designs they can print and share with their constituents. ###