An ongoing call for applications offers young peacebuilders a free short course on the intersection of youth, peacebuilding, and sustainability. The short course is designed by the Seeds for Mindanao Advocacy and Youth Leadership (SMAYL), with support from the U.S. Mission to ASEAN and Cultural Vista. SMAYL is one of the recipients of the 2021 Seeds for the Future Award, competing with over 600 applicants from across Southeast Asia. The Young Southeast Asian Leadership Initiative (YSEALI) Seeds for the Future Small Grants Competition funds up to $15,000 of each grantee project.
SMAYL is the brainchild of MSU-IIT’s Political Science faculty, Dr. Primitivo Cabanes Ragandang III, along with Dr. Mary Koren Witting Acuesa and Mr. Charl Mark Ane. The three all hail from Northern Mindanao and have been into youth peacebuilding for many years. For 2021, they will implement a project that aims to empower young peacebuilders through a youth leadership program. The project also aims at providing a venue to understand the Mindanao conflict, the second-oldest conflict in the planet albeit not well-understood even among Filipinos.
The short course is built around the global recognition of youth’s integral role in peacebuilding, as manifested in the passage of United Nation’s Resolution 2250 (in 2015) and 2535 (in 2020). But while young peacebuilders have captured the spotlight among peacebuilding practitioners, funders, and scholars internationally, there is prevalent unsustainability among youth peacebuilding initiatives, thus the need to develop a locally grown support system for young peacebuilders. Such a ‘local turn’ in peacebuilding empowers the locals and is also linked to peacebuilding sustainability.
This 54-hour short course is coupled with an online learning hub. It generally aims to provide regular support, feedbacking, and eventually establish a network of young peacebuilders in the region. The program offers young peacebuilding a hybridized short course geared towards developing an action agenda on the intersection of youth, peace, and sustainability.
The short course is a hybrid of self-paced and live teleconferencing sessions. Self-paced sessions allow the participants to access and comply with the course content at any time within the three-day module schedule. Live teleconferencing via Zoom enable the participants to engage with the speaker and course mates in a real-time interactive session.
Deadline for applications is 31 May 2021. For more information about SMAYL and the short course application, visit them on Facebook and the link for application.
The College of Business Administration and Accountancy (CBAA) triumphs over three other colleges in the city during MSU-IIT National Multi-Purpose Cooperative’s Bright Ideas: Sustainability Pitch Competition last August 24, 2019 in Pala-o, Iligan City.
The one-day competition was conducted in celebration of International Youth Day 2019 and encouraged students to focus on Solid Waste Management. CBAA, represented by a power trio – Estephanie Bucog, Allyn May Serenado, and Isabella Mozo with their coach Prof. Joana Marie C. Edera, awed the judges with their product pitch on their Project Solitile, a functional floor tile out of polystyrene plastics such as plastic bottles, plastic wrappers and styrofoams. The team aimed to “reduce and upcycle plastic wastes while providing a cheaper alternative to commercial tiles” with an advocacy to “provide livelihood opportunities to families beyond poverty line through trainings on production and selling of Solitile”.
The day was concluded with STI College in 4th place, Iligan Medical Center College (IMCC) in 3rd place, Saint Michael’s College in 2nd place and MSU-IIT’s College of Business Administration and Accountancy (CBAA) hailed as champion with one judge declaring it as, “This is the pitch we’ve been waiting for”.
Out of the more than 150 maker exhibitors during the 3rd Manila Mini Maker Faire held last June 22-23, 2019 at the Mind Museum in Taguig City, 7 of these maker groups from the Southern part of the Philippines were assisted by FAB LAB Mindanao. Dubbed as the greatest show and tell on Earth, the Maker Faire is an international movement of exhibition on invention, creativity, and resourcefulness. With the 2019 Manila Mini Maker Faire’s theme on ‘Sustainable Technologies’, FAB LAB Mindanao staff gave plenary talks on the update of the Phililippine FAB LAB Movement along with its volunteership opportunities and participated in a panel discussion on innovation in the face of the climate crisis. Now on its third year of gathering the Philippine Maker Community, the Manila Mini Maker Faire has emphasized during the two-day exhibition of innovation and invention, the principles of responsible sustainable production that FAB LAB Mindanao has been practicing in MSU-IIT.
by Bainorah I. Amate, Office of the Vice Chancellor for Planning & Development
“We are not only after the profit, we commit to protect the environment because it is part of our Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)” Mr. Toni P. Ragot said during the 46th Environmental Youth Camp Seminar-Workshop on March 12-13, 2016 conducted at Mapawa Nature Park, Malasag, Cagayan de Oro City. Ragot is the Officer-in-Charge of CSR-Holcim Philippines, Lugait Plant.
The Youth Camp Seminar-Workshop is one of the programs of Environmental Management Bureau (EMB), Region 10 conducted four to five times every year sponsored regularly by different industries of Region 10. The 46th youth camp activity is sponsored by Holcim Philippines, formerly known as Union Cement Corporation, which initiated the first youth camp in 2003.
There were eight (8) students from the Kataastaasang Samahan ng mga Mag-aaral (KASAMA) of MSU-Iligan Institute of Technology who were invited to attend the youth camp, namely: Ann Monette P. Doplon, Raul G. Lucero Jr., Beverly Joy D. Mejos, Kristel M. Pedisani, Yuri Glenn G. Cenon, Hermie R. Bangcong, Jayson M. Patilan, and Rico P. Impas, Jr. The challenge is for the IITians to see the targets, implementation plans, and timelines when to act, support and protect the environment.
Since 2003, there has been 2,300 individuals who are trained as young guards for the environment.
The Environmental youth camp intends to intensify the campaign for environmental protection and sustainable development through field exposure and workshops, lectures on Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000 (RA 9003) and the Philippine Clean Air Act of 1999 (RA 8749), games, and team building activities.
Manila, Philippines — MSU-IIT Dragons (Layang-Layang) and MSU-IIT Dagitab Dragons (Tarintik P-BE) – the two teams from MSU-IIT join the 2016 Shell Eco Marathon Asia (SEMA) held at the Quirino Grandstand, Manila on March 3-6, 2016.
The Team Layang-Layang which competed for the gasoline subcategory is comprised of Leonardo Nogas Jr., Vicente de los Santos II, Aldrei Zamm Recamadas, Frederick Irving Rico, Earl Taladua, Eric Taladua II, Mark Villanueva (Team Manager) and Dr. Eliseo Villanueva (Faculty Adviser).
The Team Dagitab which competed for the battery electric subcategory is comprised of Karl Martin Aldueso, Fer Mykiel Gonzales, Rhea Mae Gairanan, Darryl Dave Ditucalan, Apollo Clyde Gicum,Muhammad Khalifah Macadato, Kister Genesis Jimenez (Team Manager) and Dr. Jonathan Maglasang (Faculty Adviser).
“We will be stronger the next time”, said Prof. Kister Genesis Jimenez, a Computer Engineering faculty who is also the Dagitab’s Team Manager. Darryl Dave Ditucalan, a 5th year Electronics Engineering student and a member of Dagitab said “A lot of challenges were encountered”.
A total of 100 student teams from 17 different countries participate the event and the Philippines with twenty-eight teams has the largest contingent.
Shell Eco Marathon challenges the student participants to design, fabricate and drive the most energy efficient cars.
De La Salle University, Mapua Institute of Technology and University of San Carlos were winners in the said event. Other participating schools from the Philippines are Ateneo de Davao University, City of Bogo Science and Arts Academy, Far Eastern University Institute of Technology, Malayan Colleges Laguna, New Era University, Mindanao State University – Iligan Institute of Technology, National University, Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila, Polytechnic University of the Philippines – Manila, Central Colleges of the Philippines, Don Bosco Technical College – Mandaluyong, Cebu Institute of Technology – University, University of Mindanao, University of the Philippines-Diliman, Technological Institute of the Philippines-Quezon City and Manila campuses, University of the East, and the University of Santo Tomas.
This has been the third time that the Shell Eco Marathon Asia took place in the Philippines. Singapore will host the next year’s SEMA.
