The
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Citi Foundation are staging the
Youth Co:Lab Regional Summit in Bangkok from March 26 to 28, 2018.
Launched
in 2017 by UNDP with support from Citi Foundation, Youth Co:Lab is a regional
program that aims to tackle social and unemployment challenges by harnessing
youth leadership, entrepreneurship and innovation. Youth Co:Lab is Citi
Foundation’s flagship Pathways to Progress program in the region.
Data
released by the International Labor Organization states that the global youth
unemployment rate is currently over 13 percent, translating to about 71 million
young people, aged 15 to 24, worldwide. About half or 33 million of these
people live in Asia Pacific.
By
engaging young people with policy makers and private sector partners, Youth
Co:Lab serves as a platform for networking, idea-sharing, mentorship and
collaboration through local National Dialogues and Social Innovation
Challenges.
The
inaugural Summit in Bangkok will comprise a Regional Dialogue on March 26 and a
Regional Social Innovation on March 28. A total of 21 teams, including three
from the Philippines, will pitch their social enterprise models at the
Challenge for a chance at additional capacity-building opportunities.
Proudly
representing the Philippines are Alex Austria of LawKo, a legal literacy
initiative that aims to bridge the knowledge gap between a complicated legal
system and the Filipino public; Pamela Nicole Mejia of Phinix, which upcycles
old clothes and fabric scraps into footwear and accessories; and Samantha
Sanchez of Arooga Health, which provides convenient access to emotional and
wellness care providers.
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Alex Austria and Keisha Mayuga of LawKo
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