CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (PIA)--In a conducted 10th meeting and yearend assessment cum planning workshop of Out-of-School Youth Development Alliance (OSYDA) of Cagayan de Oro City, January 13, Dr. Miriam Pahm of USAID Opportunity 2.0 and Educational Development Center reintroduced the importance of Positive Youth Development.

“Positive Youth Development engages youth along with their communities or governments sector. Youth are empowered to reach potential,” she said.

Pahm discussed the Domains and Features of PYD. These are the Assets, Agency, Contribution, and Enabling Environment.

Assets are the necessary resources, skills, and competencies for youth to achieve desired outcomes. These are the key programs and projects, such as in the aspects of education, technical skills, and soft skills.

Agency is closely linked to Assets. This includes key programs and projects aimed at building youth’s ability to use their assets, specifically knowledge, skills and resources, to set goals and to act to achieve them. It is also related to building among beneficiaries the self-efficacy or the overall belief in an individual’s ability to succeed. This is attained through internships, apprenticeships, and coaching and mentoring.

While Contribution is youth’s capacity to help their selves and other out-of-school youth to succeed. In the domain of contribution, youth are engaged as a source of change. This is put into realization through the organization of youth-led community service or activities, youth leadership programs, peer mentoring, peer-to-peer collaboration and creating opportunities for youth to speak, among others.

Lastly, Enabling Environment is the domain that features safe spaces, belongingness, and youth-friendly policies are integrated. “Environment” in this domain refers to relationships with peers and adults, in a social perspective; attitudes, norms and beliefs for normative aspects; laws, policies, programs services, and systems in structural forms; and safe and supportive spaces, for physical perspective.

Pahm also mentioned the importance of Positive Youth Development as its approaches build youth assets, foster healthy relationships, strengthen the environment, and transform systems.

OSYDA is a group organized in an aim of improving lives of out-of-school youth. This alliance consisting government offices, private entities and non-government organizations will be the primary implementer of the programs funded by USAID Opportunity 2.0, a five-year collaborative program to provide second chances to 100,000 out-of-school youth through strengthening existing education systems and technical and skills development programs. (IJBD/PIA-10)