Wherever I am, the world comes after me.
It offers me its busyness. It does not believe that I do not want it.
Now I understand why the old poets of China went so far
and high into the mountains, then crept into the pale mist.
"The Old Poets of China" by Mary Oliver

CALL FOR ENTRIES: Youth-In-Charge: Environmental Action of the Youth as Champions of Sustainability | A Competition

Details
The UP Asian Center and UP CIFAL Philippines are now accepting entries for the 2025 competition, Youth-In-Charge: Environmental Action of the Youth as Champions of Sustainability.  The deadline for submission is on 17 February 2025, Monday. The competition is open only for high school and college student organizations based in the National Capital Region, Philippines.

ABOUT THE COMPETITION

The UP Asian Center and CIFAL Philippines believe that the youth plays a crucial role in enhancing community resilience by working closely with local communities to address their unique challenges. In line with its commitment to promote initiatives to understand the Philippines in its broader Asian context,  the Asian Center organizes a forum and a competition showcasing projects of youth organizations that highlight best practices that can be adopted by other organizations in the Philippines. This initiative aims to recognize the contributions of local youth organizations and communities and foster a dialogue on enhancing community resilience.

Objectives:

1.    To raise awareness on the importance of creating inclusive, safe, and resilient communities;
2.    To highlight the role of the youth in developing innovative solutions that address specific local issues; and
3.    To advocate for the adoption of sustainable practices in local communities.

GENERAL COMPETITION MECHANICS

    1. Youth organizations that implemented a project or activity related to sustainability and environmental management may participate in the competition.
    2. Participating youth organizations may only submit one (1) entry (1 project or activity per organization).
    3. The organization must submit a project or activity that has already been implemented in the last three years (2022, 2023, or 2024) for the benefit of their schools, universities, or communities.
    4. The organization is required to submit a detailed description and documentation of the project using the template provided. The submission should include proofs of implementation such as photos, valid certificates, reports, etc.
    5. In the submission, the youth organization must identify a specific environmental and climate challenge faced by their community in relation to the UN Sustainable Development Goals including but not limited to the following
        • SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation
        • SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy
        • SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
        • SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
        • SDG 13: Climate Action.

ELIGIBILITY

    1. Youth organizations must be based within a Department of Education (DepEd) recognized secondary schools (high schools) or Commission on Higher Education (CHED) recognized tertiary academic institutions (colleges or universities) located in the National Capital Region, Philippines.
    2. The youth organization must be recognized or registered within their respective academic institutions.
    3. The youth organization representatives must be available to present their project or activity on 14 March 2025 at the Asian Center, UP Diliman, Quezon City.

SUBMISSION CONTENT AND FORMAT

Interested organizations must submit a short and concise project documentation using this TEMPLATE [Insert link here]. The submission should contain the following information:

      • About the Project
      • About the Organization
      • Other Attachments

Entries should be formatted accordingly:

      • Single-spaced, A4 size paper, using the latest APA citation style (if any).
      • Font size 11 Arial Font.
      • Must adhere to the word count indicated per section 
      • Must not exceed 10 pages (excluding annexes and attachments)

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

    1. Interested organizations may submit their entries using this Online Form: bit.ly/youthincharge. The deadline for entries is on 17 February 2025.
    2. The full project report should be consolidated in ONE (1) PDF file only. While, the other required attachments must be in PNG format. 
    3. Organizations must use the following file naming convention: 

For high school level organizations: 

“NAME OF ORGANIZATION - HS_Youth-in-Charge 2025 - [Type of Document]”

For college/university level organizations: 

“NAME OF ORGANIZATION - UNI_Youth-in-Charge 2025 - [Type of Document]”

Example :

“UPD STUDENT COUNCIL - UNI_Youth-in-Charge 2025 - Project Docu”

“UPD STUDENT COUNCIL - UNI_Youth-in-Charge 2025 - Organization Logo”

POWERPOINT AND POSTER PRESENTATIONS FOR SHORTLISTED ABSTRACTS

•     All finalists will be required to do an oral presentation during the conference in 1 June 2024.

ABOUT THE ORGANIZER

This conference is organized by the UP Asian Center. View past graduate student conferences.
For inquiries, please contact us at  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 891-8500 loc. 3586.
The Asian Center, University of the Philippines Diliman offers M.A. degrees in Asian Studies with four fields of specialization: Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, and West Asia. The UP Asian Center also has an M.A. program in Philippine Studies that allows students to major in Philippine society and culture, Philippine foreign relations, or Philippine development studies. It also offers a Ph.D. program in Philippine Studies in conjunction with the College of Arts and Letters and the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy. For an overview of these graduate programs, click here. As an area studies institution, the Asian Center also publishes Asian Studies: Journal of Critical Perspectives on Asia, the latest issue of which can be downloaded at the journal's website.