When George Bernard Shaw wrote, “youth is wasted on the young” he was definitely not referring to the young high school students who have joined Project Citizen (PC) -- an international program organized through the partnership between the Tan Yan Kee Foundation, Incorporated (TYKFI) and the Philippine Center for Civic Education and Democracy (PCCED).
Project Citizen is implemented in about 60 countries and designed to provide the youth with an appropriate avenue to develop civic knowledge, skills and habits as they immerse themselves in the existential problems of their community and engage their peers in healthy debate on policy proposals for the good of the community. In 2012, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) cited PC as an effective model for youth participation in society.
For 2013, TYKFI and PCCED implemented PC in three areas: National Capital Region (NCR), Bacolod City, and Butuan City .
On September 14-15, 2013, 21 Social Studies teachers from the Bacolod City division of the Department of Education (DepEd) attended the Teacher’s Training Seminar held at the University of St. La Salle. In NCR, 49 Social Studies teachers participated in the training hosted by the University of Makati (UMak) last September 21-22. On October 17-18, 85 Social Studies teachers from Butuan City participated in the training.
During the seminars, participants were trained to implement PC in their respective classes. Among the topics covered were how to identify community problems, how to conduct community research, and how to develop policy solutions to be presented in a public hearing. The trainers/facilitators were from the pool of PC teachers who have previously implemented the program in their classes in the past.
The teachers’ training will be followed by a series of coordination meetings, monitoring activities and school visits designed to guide teachers to successfully integrate PC as a service learning component of their subjects.On February 2014, these three areas will organize local showcases where PC student teams will present their policy proposals to the public. A national showcase is slated April 2014 which will gather 8 winning PC teams from all over the country.
For 2013, TYKFI and PCCED implemented PC in three areas: National Capital Region (NCR), Bacolod City, and Butuan City .
On September 14-15, 2013, 21 Social Studies teachers from the Bacolod City division of the Department of Education (DepEd) attended the Teacher’s Training Seminar held at the University of St. La Salle. In NCR, 49 Social Studies teachers participated in the training hosted by the University of Makati (UMak) last September 21-22. On October 17-18, 85 Social Studies teachers from Butuan City participated in the training.
During the seminars, participants were trained to implement PC in their respective classes. Among the topics covered were how to identify community problems, how to conduct community research, and how to develop policy solutions to be presented in a public hearing. The trainers/facilitators were from the pool of PC teachers who have previously implemented the program in their classes in the past.
The teachers’ training will be followed by a series of coordination meetings, monitoring activities and school visits designed to guide teachers to successfully integrate PC as a service learning component of their subjects.On February 2014, these three areas will organize local showcases where PC student teams will present their policy proposals to the public. A national showcase is slated April 2014 which will gather 8 winning PC teams from all over the country.
