Adenauer Young Leaders Program

The Philippines is considered one of the world's youngest countries. Almost 30 percent of the Philippine population is comprised of Filipino youth¹. They have emerged as a powerful force in shaping the nation. Young Filipinos are bearers of traditions, customs, and cultural heritage and will eventually assume the responsibilities of the future generation (Lanuza, 2004, p. 361²). It is crucial, therefore, to capacitate young Filipinos with the necessary skills to effect political, economic, social, and cultural reforms and developments (Mendoza, Yap III, Tanjangco, & Ko, 2014, p. 8³; Flores III, 2015, p. 335⁴).

As one of the major thrusts of the foundation in the country, the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung Philippines offers its newest leadership program, the Adenauer Young Leaders Program (AYLP). AYLP is an intensive leadership training program for young individuals from different backgrounds and sectors. The program will help the most promising individuals develop their leadership skills, priming them to take on more prominent roles in their organizations, communities, and groups. AYLP underscores leadership development and education in politics, economics, and international relations, highlighted by immersions/learning visits. This program is fully-funded and -managed by the KAS Philippines Office.

The program aims to achieve the following:

1. Prepare young individuals to become responsible models of citizenship and holistic and effective leaders in their organizations, communities, and groups by capacitating them through lectures and discussions, workshops, fora, and immersions/learning visits.
2. Offer mentoring opportunities to promising individuals who have the potential to become impactful leaders. Individuals from marginalized sectors/minorities with less access to such leadership programs due to economic, geographical, and other reasons will be prioritized.
3. Build mutual respect and understanding among various groups, whether differentiated culturally, ethnically, religiously, and the like, through shared democratic values.

 

Visit the link to know more about the AYLP Batch 2 program: AYLP Batch 2 Program Information.

 

[1] The Republic Act No. 8044, the Youth in Nation Building Act, defines youth as persons ranging from 15 to 30 years old.

[2] Lanuza, G. (2004). The theoretical state of Philippine youth studies: Current trends and future directions. Young, 12(4), 357-376.

[3] Mendoza, R., Yap III, D., Tanjangco, B., & Ko, A. (2014). Insights from the Pinoy Youth Barometer on the Youth Vote. SSRN, 1-12.

[4] Flores III, L. (2015). In Search of Youth-opia: Nurturing the Next Generation Catalysts, Collaborators, and Change-makers. In R. Mendoza, E. Beja Jr., J. Teehankee, A. La Viña, & M. Villamejor-Mendoza, Building Inclusive Democracies in ASEAN (pp. 335-346). Anvil Publishing Inc.