Various line agencies and select youth-serving ministries in Mindanao converged at Bajau Hall, Office of the Chief Minister, BARMM Compound for the inter-agency consultation of the Bangsamoro Transition Youth Priority Agenda on September 20 in Cotabato City.

Among the representatives was EAI-PH’s country director, Salic Sharief, Jr., who attended the consultation resulting to agreed roles and contributions of numerous agencies with regard to the finalization of the Bangsamoro Youth Development Agenda.

Sitting there as both the former regional director of then Office of the Bangsamoro Youth Affairs and now a partner agency of the Bangsamoro Youth Commission (BYC), Sharief said EAI-PH is more than willing to support the commission in pushing for the priority youth agenda.

The Bangsamoro Transition Youth Priority Agenda is BARMM’s more contextualized version of the Philippine Youth Development Plan to address specific social context, considerations, and conditions, as well as the pertinent needs and challenges confronting the BARMM youth. 

The BYC, the policy-making and coordinating body of all BARMM Youth-related institutions and PPAs of the Bangsamoro Government, is leading this agenda.

Lo Ivan Castillon, a Peace Promotion Fellow and alumni from the OURmindaNOW Tech Camp Batch 1, serves as a member of the BYC Technical Working Group and presented the background and objectives of the workshop. 

Castillon is joined by Mho Sugadol in the group as a volunteer who is also a fellow and alumni of the same program.