For the first time, the Dumaguete City government, through the Local Youth Development Office and Local Youth Development Council, opened applications for the Dumaguete Youth Achievers Awards.
The initiative aims to recognize and celebrate the impactful projects and programs implemented by young individuals and organizations in the city.
The Youth Achievers Awards is co-presented by three student organizations: the Renaissance Youth Leaders Forum, the SU Kapunungan sa mga Mass Communicators, and the NORSU Society of Student Communicators.
Entries for the DYAA 2024 will be accepted on the DYAA official email until 5 p.m. on Nov. 1. Applicants must submit entries according to the following sectors: governance and active citizenship, economic empowerment, global mobility, agriculture, environment, peace building and security, social justice, education, health, and student rights and welfare.
Entries must include projects that are ongoing or implemented from 2019 to September 2024.
An individual may submit applications for up to three different sectors, including any number of projects that adhere to the guidelines.
An organization can only submit a total of two entries for any sector. Each entry must include only one project.
Ten awardees under the individual category will receive a trophy of recognition and P2,500 each. There will be one awardee for each sector. Under the organizational category, five organizations will receive a trophy of recognition and P5,000 each.
Individual applicants must be Dumaguete residents aged 15 to 30 years old. Organizations must be based in Dumaguete, and registered under the Youth Organization Registration Program, or an honorary member of the Local Youth Development Council.
The DYAA is an initiative required under Sec. 35 of the 2019 Dumaguete City Youth Welfare and Development Code. “It is the desire of the City Government of Dumaguete to establish a mechanism in which an annual selection of the city’s youth achievers and outstanding youth organization will be realized,” the Ordinance states. “Through this, the youth will be motivated to excel on their own fields, and, thereby, for others to emulate the success stories of the awardees.”
Five years later now, the first DYAA is being organized by a team of government workers and student volunteers.
The DYAA consists of three phases. The first phase is a paper screening, where the applicants’ submitted documents will go through a paper review process and validation via phone call as needed. Applicants who achieve a score of at least 80 percent will advance to the next stage.
The second phase is a panel deliberation, where a selection committee of expert panelists will validate the impact of the projects and initiatives.
In the third phase, finalists must prepare for a final presentation according to the set guidelines by the DYAA Selection Committee. This will comprise 30 percent of their total score. The paper screening and panel deliberation, on the other hand, will complete the remaining 70 percent.
The results of this rigorous selection process will be revealed during the DYAA 2024 Awards Night on Dec. 7 at The Presidencia, City Hall. (Shay Du/SU KMC)
