Participatory disaster risk reduction (DRR) has been promoted to integrate the views of multiple actors and stakeholders and involve people in the decisions that affect their lives. Since 1974, a number of national policies in the Philippines have been encouraging the involvement of the Filipino youth in DRR initiatives in their communities. This study reviews the implementation of these policies through the Sangguniang Kabataan (youth councils) in Infanta Municipality and Makati City on the island of Luzon. It attempts to show the discrepancies between ideal scenarios reflected in the policies and actual youth council participation in DRR in practice by examining the availability of funds for youth councils to conduct DRR activities; the knowledge of youth council officials on the 2010 DRR law (Republic Act 10121); and the role of youth council officials in the Barangay (village level) DRR Committees. Several recommendations on how to enhance youth council participation in DRR are presented. Lessons from the Philippine policy experience can be useful for other countries in raising the involvement of their youth in DRR.
With the UN-led celebration of the International Year of Youth from August 2010 to August 2011 there has been a renewed interest in young people and the vital role they can play in important issues, such as disaster risk reduction (DRR). This study aims to examine the potential of science clubs as a vehicle for youth participation in DRR in the Philippines. A questionnaire survey was conducted to obtain quantitative and qualitative data. A total of 658 science club members from different provinces of the Philippines participated in the survey. The result of the survey is used to explain how the major barriers to youth participation in DRR can be overcome. Through science clubs, the youth can become a link between their school, home and community and can contribute to spreading knowledge about disaster prevention, preparedness and response learned inside and outside the classroom.
The youth are recognized to have enormous potential in addressing concerns like disaster risk reduction (DRR) because of their energy and number. In the 2010 DRR law of the Philippines, the government is encouraging youth participation in DRR activities, such as in organizing quick response groups, as well as in the inclusion of DRR in youth council projects. To investigate the extent of youth participation in DRR, questionnaire surveys and interviews were conducted in 36 villages of Infanta Municipality and 33 villages of Makati City. Respondents were asked to rate their involvement in and prioritization of the village-level implementation of 20 relevant Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA) tasks and to share details about their past, present, and future DRR activities. The study finds that although youth councils place high importance to almost all of the HFA tasks, few youth councils have a clear understanding of what is expected of them. Research findings show that little has been done to actually involve the youth in DRR in their community, especially in villages where youth councils did not allocate DRR funds. This study tries to contribute to empirical research on the visibility and significance of the roles of young people in DRR.
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