From Luzon to Mindanao, the #LEaPForward Capacity Building: Championing Young People, One LEaP! at a Time officially kicked off last April 23 and ran through May 7, 2025, across five LEaP! sites.
Across all sites, 54 Youth Serving Organizations (YSOs) gathered to take part in a four-day capacity-building program that covered both foundational and practical courses. From Positive Youth Development, Child Rights, and Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) to hands-on sessions on Passport to Earning (P2E), Youth Agency Marketplace (YOMA), and grant implementation, the sessions provided participants with essential tools and knowledge to better serve their communities.
The capacity building was designed to upskill YSOs by enabling them to develop project initiatives that enhance young people’s employability, encourage active citizenship, and promote community involvement. It supports the vision of long-term impact designed around LEaP!’s Four Skills Taxonomy: #LEaPforLifeSkills, #LEaPforDigitalSkills, #LEaPforWorkReadiness, and #LEaPforCivicEngagement. To guide the project proposals, LEaP! introduced the Four Skills Taxonomy as a flexible framework that allowed YSOs to design their projects based on one of these domains—addressing the specific needs of their communities.
Following the training, each YSO received a grant of ₱35,000 to support their project implementation, giving them the resources to put their learning into action and create community-driven impact. In line with LEaP!’s commitment to sustained youth engagement, the team remained present throughout the implementation process, providing ongoing support and monitoring so YSOs never had to navigate the journey alone.
This milestone was made possible through the strong partnership of Ateneo de Zamboanga University (AdZU), UNICEF Philippines, and Accenture, reaffirming a shared mission to empower young people across the Philippines and ensure that no dream is left behind.
-Nicko “CK” Gatpandan | Vergel Lozano