2.1. Initial preparation
As part of the workshop, each country prepared a paper which included a country profile; the demographic and socio-economic situation of rural youth; government policy on youth and youth development; current rural youth programmes; problems and issues; and future plans. POPCOM prepared a special country report on Philippine youth programmes from the perspective of youth organizations, government organizations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
Several months prior to the workshop and study tour, POPCOM formed a national advisory committee and management team to oversee the implementation of project activities. It provided advisory services and was responsible for the planning and conceptualization of the workshop processes; logistics and methodologies; identification of resource persons, training facilitators and choosing country report writers; recommending appropriate sites for the study tour; and monitoring and evaluating the entire process.
FAO Representatives in each of the five countries assisted with the identification and selection of appropriate candidates to participate in the training.
2.2. The workshop
The workshop was officially opened by the Executive Director of POPCOM. She gave a brief overview of the Philippine Population Management Programme, emphasizing the programme's main objective of achieving a sustainable balance among population, resources and environment to meet the national development goal of a better quality of life for every Filipino family.
The FAO Programme Officer in Manila welcomed the participants on behalf of FAO and encouraged them to continue to study youth programmes with a view to having young people more effectively involved in nation building.
The keynote address was presented by the Chairman of the Presidential Council for Youth Affairs. He urged all participants to give emphasis to the identification of the special needs of the youth population and to establish suitable programmes in response to these needs. Such programmes include support mechanisms for the education and counseling of youth in areas of gender relations and equality, violence, responsible family planning, family life, reproductive health, sexually transmitted diseases and HIV/AIDS prevention.
The Chief of the POPCOM Information Management and Research Division and overall project coordinator introduced the participants, the training facilitators, the secretariat and the guests.
After the opening session, the rest of the first day was devoted to an overall orientation of the workshop. It also included get acquainted and team building activities. On the second day, each national delegation presented a paper describing the situation of rural youth programmes in their respective countries.
The rural youth Officer from FAO Headquarters led a day-long workshop that included four main sessions:
- an explanation of the early development of FAO population education programmes for rural youth, including a presentation of the 11 FAO prototype rural youth population education leader guides in English;- briefing on the current status of the UNFPA-funded projects in Africa, Asia and Latin America;
- an examination of educational design elements and principles of teaching and learning for integrating FAO population education materials into rural youth programmes; and
- a work group session for country teams to develop strategies for integrating FAO materials into rural youth programmes.
Other major presentations during the week included: The Population Education Programme; Adolescent Health, Sexuality and Development Programme in the Philippines; National AIDS-STD Prevention and Control Programme; Technical Vocational Education and Training; Income-Generating Projects; Lessons in Rural Financial Mobilization; and Social Services.
2.3. The study Tour
The three-day study tour included visits to project sites of the Agricultural Research and Development Foundation (ARDF) in Nueva Ecija and Bulacan. Income-generating projects of women and youth groups were observed, including swine fattening, poultry, Tilapia breeding, food processing, sewing, duck raising, carabao breeding, and dairy. The areas of rural credit, income-generating projects and social services were presented, along with general information about the project activity.
A visit was also made to see work of the International Institute of Rural Reconstruction (IIRR) in Silang, Cavite, to learn about the incorporation of reproductive health, AIDS and family planning into rural development programmes. The work of IIRR includes developing, demonstrating and promoting globally adaptable rural reconstruction approaches, including integrated programme development, community organization and external linkages. For the benefit of the participants, emphasis was given to the community health, reproductive health and nutrition component of IIRR work.
2.4. Country proposals for rural youth population education project
As a result of the workshop, each country team drafted and submitted to FAO Headquarters proposals on rural youth population education with programmes in their respective countries, for possible funding from the FAO INT/92/P94 project. Although there is no additional money immediately available for Viet Nam and China, they both prepared proposals on strategies for follow-up activities to build on population education work for rural youth already under way in their countries.
Representatives from China, which has completed most of the population education activities under INT/92/P94, were able to share recent first-hand experiences which benefited the other four countries. Viet Nam is still in the very early stages of implementing its population activity with INT/92/P94. From the workshop these participants gained special skills and knowledge that can be used immediately as they return to work on their rural youth population education project.
Based on the participants' evaluations and all other indications, the workshop was a success in terms of accomplishing the intended objectives. In fact, the training went beyond the original objective of assisting the government representatives of China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Viet Nam to identify and better understand suitable rural youth programmes and activities which can be used in rural youth population education, vocational training and employment programmes. As a result of the workshop, at least two of the three countries - Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand - will implement an FAO rural youth population education activity under INT/92/P94. Proposals have been written and submitted by all three countries.
