National Youth Commission

Sen. Pangilinan heads launching of National Youth Awards

Senate Majority Leader Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan and National Youth Commission Chairman Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV topbilled the launching of the third year of the Ten Accomplished Youth Organization (TAYO) on October 21, 2004 at the Krokodile Grillery in Makati City.

Sen. Pangilinan and Chairman Aquino also launched the TAYO2 magazine, a publication that showcases the best practices of the winning organizations of last year’s search. The event also marked the establishment of the TAYO Awards Foundation and the TAYO website.

TAYO aims to recognize, reward and encourage contributions made by groups of young Filipinos, who are at least 15 to 30 years old by identifying youth organizations, clubs and societies with well crafted, highly applicable and effective programs.

Organizations will be judged on the basis of a recent project or program that created an impact on the community and which best reflects the efforts of the youth sector towards nation building.

TAYO is known as the Philippines’ foremost award for outstanding youth organizations, wherein winners are chosen on the basis of a recent project or program that has benefited their local communities, their campuses, barangays, municipalities or cities.

The United Nations supports TAYO by giving out a special Millennium Development Goals (MDG) Award. The award is given to an organization that best responds to the MDG. The MDG seeks to: eradicate extreme poverty and hunger; achieve universal primary education; promote gender equality and empower women; reduce child mortality; improve maternal health; combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases; ensure environmental sustainability and develop a global partnership for development. The People Power People Foundation also gives recognition to all TAYO winners through individual citations as People Power People organizations.

Started in 2002, TAYO was the brainchild of Senator Pangilinan. In partnership with the NYC, headed by Chairman Aquino, TAYO quickly became a respected awards-giving initiative that reaped abundant support from youth clubs and societies, government agencies, schools and universities, churches and religious groups, private sector, and nongovernmental organizations. It also gained encouraging response from in-school, out-of-school, and working youth and young professionals who joined in its first and second years.

TAYO winners will receive a grant of P50,000 to continue their remarkable projects and a handcrafted trophy executed by sculptor Toym de Leon Imao.

TAYO is proudly presented by MIRANT Philippines, in cooperation with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Philippine Council of Young Political Leaders (PCYPL), Foundation for Governance and Convergence (FGC), National Movement of Young Legislators (NMYL), Philippine Daily Inquirer, Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR), Caltex Philippines and Cebu Pacific.

Deadline for submission of entries is 31 January 2005. For more information on TAYO, log on to the NYC website at youth.net.ph or e-mail [email protected]. You may also call numbers 781-1671, 781-1152, 749-9409, 749-9399 or text nyc2920.