In a large sense, our country is what we make of our youth. A country with a large population of young people who do not get enough of the right kind of education, or sufficient physical, moral and intellectual nourishment, and are provided with little or no vision of what they can or should do, will stay an unhappy country.

On the other hand, a country that invests in its youth, so that they can nurture and fulfill their dreams is a country of hope. Happily, the Philippine is one such country. In spite of budget limitations, our government is committed to insuring a better life for our youth.

The Philippines is one of the few countries in the world that have a government agency tasked specifically to help develop policies and initiatives designed to advance the cause of the youth.

"Our government's and society's responsibility to the youth has grown larger deeper over the past several years, not only because we have a bigger youth population but also because their needs have become more complex and in some cases more urgent than ever before ,'' says Paolo Benigno A. Aquino IV, Chairperson and CEO of the National Youth Commission (NYC).

NYC , created by Republic Act 8044-- otherwise known as the Youth-in- Nation-Building Act-- is the government agency tasked to "provide the leadership in the formulation of policies and in the setting of priorities and direction of all youth promotion programs and activities."

The NYC has its job sharply cut out for it, both by law, and the magnitude of the problems posed by our youth today. A young person, by definition, is one who is between 15-30 years old. Under this definition we have some 24.1 million Filipinos today. If we stretch this definition to include all those who are below 15, we will have around 55 million young Filipinos.

"We act chiefly as advocates of the cause of the youth,” says Mr. Aquino, popularly known as Bam, who at 26, is still very much part of this vital sector. "Where there already are existing policies and programs or other advocacies, we help in implementing these and also in partnering with other government agencies as well as private organizations in creating projects and programs to execute these policies.

Where there are no policies for a specific area involving the youth, the NYC comes in and recommends to the government agencies concerned, say, to Congress, the enunciation of such policies.

An example of these is the NYC's active participation in the enactment of the proposed Magna Carta for students, which is now being discussed in committee hearings being conducted at the House of Representatives and the Senate. The proposed Magna Carta will provide meaningful student participation in governance by ensuring their right to take part in policy making through the participation of student council/government president/chairman in activities, such as consultations on rules and regulations that affect students rights and welfare, including tuition increase.

At the moment, the NYC, is engaged in quite a handful of advocacy projects. It is promoting a national youth entrepreneurship program, which will enable young people to obtain credit to establish business enterprises on easy repayment terms.

It is also a prime mover in Kalahi—Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan- which provides short-term employment for out-of-school youth, and in the Ten Accomplished Youth Organizations or TAYO—which honors young people's organizations all over the country that creates and implements outstanding community programs and in various initiatives in drug abuse prevention; preservation of the environment; the enhancement of quality education, and the promotion of positive personal and social values among our youth.

One area which the NYC hopes will draw the interest of our young people today is the Youth Entrepreneurship Program (YEP), which is ready to encourage and arrange funding for business ventures to be put up by our youth.

"There is a revolving loan facility available under this program, and we will be ready to help our serious-minded would-be entrepreneurs go through the process of applying and qualifying for this facility, " Raul Dominic I. Badilla, NYC Executive Director, said.

Those who have ideas that may help the National Youth Commission formulate new policies for the youth or adopt fresh initiatives may write the NYC at Bookman Building, Quezon Ave., Q.C., or call them at 749-9399, 749-9404, 781-1152 and 781-2372. Or visit youth.net.ph for more information.

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