CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (PIA) — To ensure a smooth transition for new Out-of-School Youth Development Alliance (OSYDA) representatives, member agencies must maintain proper documentation and records, as discussed in the group’s 22nd regular meeting on October 24.
Members also discussed developments in providing services for the youth sector in the city and its sustainability moving forward, as the funding and guidance of United States Assistance for International Development (USAID) Opportunity 2.0 come to a close this year.
“The goal is to converge and achieve collaboration with local and national agencies through partnerships, joint initiatives, and synchronized strategies in the next 18 months,” said Kotie Bax, youth development coordinator at Education Development Center (EDC), a global non-profit organization that envisions a world where all people are empowered to lead healthy, productive lives.
City Ordinance 14329-2022 established the OSYDA, which the current administration further strengthened through Executive Order 035 series of 2023. The USAID Opportunity 2.0 program funds this initiative.
The alliance envisions itself as a leading service delivery network that develops and empowers the out-of-school youth in northern Mindanao and creates sustainable opportunities for them to become socially engaged and economically independent.
Bax said that among the challenges that may arise are the funding shortfalls and loss of technical expertise. However, OSYDA’s members have, time and again, demonstrated a growing competence in managing key activities for the youth.
She also pointed out that continuing to raise public awareness to highlight OSYDA’s achievements in providing services for the out-of-school youth through the media, government communications arm, and the community will help sustain the organization’s operational efforts.
Hosted by the City College of Cagayan de Oro, the meeting was presided over by the city’s Sangguniang Kabataan Federation President Councilor Kenneth John Sacala as OSYDA member agency representatives discussed updates on the city’s alternative educational programs through the city’s newly established Education and Development Department, among others.
City College Department Manager Dr. Jestoni P. Babia said, “We’re talking about lives, and we’re talking about dreams. We’re talking about the future of our city. Let’s all continue to make a difference.”
Babia also said that when everyone works together, that creates a brighter future for the city and the Philippines.
He urged everyone to continue the collaboration among OSYDA member agencies, the local government unit, the private sector, and like-minded individuals to transform society for the better.
The night school program
The City Education and Development Department (CEDD) Manager, Richel Petalcurin-Duhay, provides the member agency representatives of the Out-of-School Youth Development Alliance (OSYDA) updates on the Alternative Learning System (ALS) Night School Program.
“Together with the alliance [OSYDA], there is a growing number of out-of-school youth who lack access to education,” said Duhay.
Duhay adds that while there is a city scholarship program for higher education, these out-of-school youth have not completed high school, prompting the CEDD to develop the Alternative Learning System Night School Program (ALS NSP).
The CEDD tapped into the academic institutions in the city to become partners, providing the facility for the ALS NSP. Out-of-school youth and those already in the workforce but lack academic credentials will benefit from this program.
To recall, the Xavier Ateneo de Cagayan University piloted a night school program under the tutelage of Prof. Jerome Torres.
USAID O2 closes
Before the USAID Opportunity 2.0’s close out this year, a stakeholders’ summit dubbed “Habi: Empowering Futures for Sustainable OSY Development in Cagayan de Oro City” is set to take place in November.
This will also be an opportunity to formally hand over the alliance to the local government unit. Habi will celebrate the milestones of OSYDA and recognize its members and partners through the years.
The day-long activity will feature a series of talks and panel discussions. They also plan to launch the city’s ALS NSP.
USAID, EDC, OSYDA, the city’s Oro Youth Development Office, the City College, and the local government of Cagayan de Oro organize this event. (SAYU/PIA-10)
