CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (PIA)--“Teamwork and harmony really do wonders,” Cagayan de Oro City Mayor Moreno said during an activity organized by a team of USAID Opportunity 2.0, a collaborative program aiming to improve out-of-school youth in the city through for one, bringing them back to school.

Moreno addressed his gratitude to the city’s partners for youth development. USAID officials Mission Director for Asia-Pacific and Mongolia Ryan Washburn and USAID Opportunity 2.0 Chief of Party Dr. David Hall and Educational Development Center recently conducted a mission visit in Cagayan de Oro City.

During the event, Moreno shared with the USAID and EDC teams and members of Out-of-School Youth Development Alliance (OSYDA) the city’s journey of youth development and creation back then of the Technical Education and Skills Development and Employment Committee (TESDEC) in an aim to gather together organizations that offer services on technical education and skills development.

These offices include Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), alternative learning system of Department of Education (DepEd-ALS), and offices in the City Government that provides services on youth development.

Moreno thanked the partners present for their services to the out-of-school youth in the city saying, “Thank you for the partnership. Thank you for the harmony. Teamwork and harmony really do wonders."

For their part, Dr. David Hall shared that he is as well thankful to the youth in Cagayan de Oro City for their enthusiasm and commitment that they have to move their lives forward. He is hopeful that the pandemic will ease this year since it is one of the greatest challenges currently faced by USAID O2.

“So, we hope in 2022, we can get to do more plans. In Cagayan de Oro, the momentum is already going through the great work of all the stakeholders here, but we hope to raise more to a greater level, to engage more youth, to have more youth work immersion, and also to launch it beyond that so that the youth can fulfill their true potentials,” he said.

Hall also addressed a message to the out-of-school youth. He told them that USAID Opportunity 2.0, along with OSYDA and all of the stakeholders in Cagayan de Oro are there to help them, and there is no need to feel lost. 

“There’s no need to feel that there is no way forward. We have mounted a system for the opportunities that are there for you. So please take note and we would love to celebrate your success,” Hall said.

O2 or Opportunity 2.0 is a program by the United States Agency for International Development that strengthens existing educational and skills development systems in the Philippines to provide second-chance education to out-of-school youth. (IJBD/PIA-10)