The Filipino youth play a crucial role in addressing gender-based violence (GBV) and mental health in the Philippines. This proved true, especially during the pandemic.

Due to the COVID-19 lockdowns, seclusion, lack of contact with peers, and loss of emotional and financial security for many Filipinos significantly impacted the mental health of the youth. 

That is why UNFPA Philippines co-implemented the Australian government-supported Project BRAVE (Building COVID-safe Responses And Voices for Equity), which tapped 20 youth-led groups to mitigate the risks that the pandemic and GBV pose to the physical and mental well-being of vulnerable women, children, and adolescents.

LEARN MORE: Youth groups help address mental health, gender-based violence amid pandemic

Project BRAVE, through the joint implementation of UNFPA, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and the World Health Organization (WHO), recognizes the critical role of youth in the country’s journey towards eliminating all forms of violence against women, children, adolescents, and other vulnerable groups, as well as increasing awareness and access to mental health services. 

As it actively organizes community-based and leadership empowerment initiatives, Junior Chamber International (JCI) Puerto Princesa Peacock was among the youth groups chosen by UNFPA Philippines’ implementing partner Philippine Mental Health Association (PMHA) to be part of Project BRAVE.

Through a series of seminars and training sessions conducted by PMHA Palawan Chapter, JCI Puerto Princesa was able to formulate the concept of Project INDAY (Information Drive Awareness for the Youth) aimed to raise awareness about mental health and gender-based violence through seminars, creative contests, and social media campaigns. They utilized the start-up funds received from Project BRAVE to execute their campaign activities.

“Our main motivation for this project is really the lack of awareness and the stigma surrounding GBV and mental health, and we actually witnessed that during the pandemic,” said Abby Tinay, President of JCI Puerto Princesa Peacock.

Under Project INDAY, JCI Puerto Princesa conducted not only a series of seminars on GBV and mental health awareness but also Short Film Making and Infographic-Making Contests.These initiatives allowed the youth to showcase their creativity and passion for advocacy while raising awareness about these important issues. The films were shared on social media while the infographics were posted on the Palawan State University website. 

“During our project’s second run at Palawan State University...the students became interested in joining or attending the seminar because there are cases where the students themselves were survivors of GBV or faced mental health issues. So that’s where we saw that [GBV cases and mental health problems] are real. It just isn’t being shared [by the survivors] but cases like those do happen),” Abby shared. 

Through Project INDAY, they were able to refer the participants living with mental health problems to Sining at Gabay ng Buhay Foundation (SINAG), a non-profit organization that focuses on the mental well-being of Filipino youth.

Filipino youth as agents of change

Under Project Brave, JCI Puerto Princesa Peacock supported the important role of the youth as agents of change.

Abby said their campaign helped influence their fellow Filipino youth to become advocates.

“Our Project INDAY participants started to reach out to us saying that they want to become a part of our organization and to also be a volunteer of PMHA to help raise awareness about GBV. Perhaps that is the biggest impact [of Project INDAY] because we initially just wanted to raise awareness but the result was more than that—We actually helped transform people to become advocates,” Abby shared. 

By making use of the youth’s energy, time, creativity, and innovative and experience-based ideas, the country is one step closer to ensuring a safer Philippines for Filipino women, youth, and other vulnerable groups. 

Today, UNFPA works closely with Filipino youth-led organizations to promote innovative projects and ideas that can help survivors of gender-based violence in the Philippines. 

        - Written by Aprille Villaceran, UNFPA Philippines Communications Intern