AdZU-SHS Student Represents PH Youth in International Meeting
An incoming 12th grade
senior high student of Ateneo de Zamboanga University represented the voices of
the Filipino youth in an international meeting of government leaders and urban
decision makers in Surabaya, Indonesia from May 6 to 8.
Joshua Rommel H. Vargas
was one of only two youth who were invited by UNICEF to participate in
“Growing Up Urban,” a conversation with mayors on making cities safe
and sustainable for every child.
He went alongside
Zamboanga City Mayor Beng Climaco who likewise represented the Philippines.
The forum aimed at
creating synergies between urban development and children’s growth through
child-centered urban planning and budgeting in East Asia.
Further, the meeting
gathered mayors, governors, and policy-makers in urban planning from 8
countries in East Asia including Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar,
Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines to share their best practices in
championing children’s rights in their respective urban cities.
Vargas was later asked
to give a commentary on the forum where he spoke about the youth being allowed
to exercise their right to participation in shaping the direction of
communities.
“The proposals that have
been mentioned may be well thought-out and comprehensive, but ultimately I
believe that no program would be complete without the creation of a feedback
loop that allows the youth to directly influence the solutions to the problems
they face,” he said to a crowd of about 50 who attended the meeting.
Vargas expressed that
the meeting with government officials and their participation as youth came at
a time when the Philippines was set to conduct its Sangguniang Kabataan (SK)
elections, which had been halted in 2013.
Coming from the “very,
very diverse” Zamboanga City, his hometown, Vargas also stressed the importance
of focusing not only on the physical and economic barriers but the social
barriers as well.
“We have to make sure
that people of all groups and classes feel welcome to use social services,
without the fear of stigmatization, insensitivity, or discrimination,” he said.
The varsity debater and
student journalist ended his commentary by thanking the mayors who shared their
best initiatives in their cities to make them safe for children.
“We can all agree that
solving the urban paradox will make our cities, even societies, better—not only
for every child, but also for everyone,” Vargas concluded.
As this was Vargas’
first international event, he’s grateful for the opportunity to be able to travel
with a purpose.
“I love traveling
in itself, but this time I was able to go where my voice can be heard and where
I can be part of the discourse shaping the future of Asian communities,”
Vargas shared.
Vargas is an honor
student enrolled in the STEM strand of Ateneo de Zamboanga University in the
Engineering cluster. He dreams of becoming a computer science researcher.
Other than excelling in
academics, Vargas is an editor of The Oculus publication, a member of the
Ateneo Debate Congress, and a founding member of the Ateneo Design Society.
His participation in the
Surabaya meeting was made possible through the Ateneo Center for Culture and
the Arts, UNICEF Philippines, and the City Government of Zamboanga.
Val Amiel Vestil / Ateneo
Center for Culture and the Arts
