1. Project Title
Project Title
ACCOMPLISHMENT REPORT
Q.C. SEAL OF GOOD YOUTH GOVERNANCE (SGYG) 2026Outstanding SK Project Category2. Introduction / Background
Introduction / Background
In our first few months in office, we have noticed the need for increased research aptitude of barangay-level leaders in designing and implementing their projects, programs, and activities (PPAs). It is a priority to ensure that statistically significant data inform the PPAs we draft as a council; that we take tangible steps toward actualizing data-driven approaches in governance. Moreover, youth participation in local government affairs, as a universal goal outlined in the Philippine Youth Development Plan (2023-2028), remains conceptual if not for concrete steps that take into account the contextual and sectoral needs of Barangay Matandang Balara. We observed the lack of continuous consultations that can drive community participation forward and become sources for qualitative data to improve PPAs; and the lack of formalization and legitimization of organized youth groups in our Barangay.
As Clarke & Missinghan (2009) posit, “Participation leads to active citizenship when communities begin to organize themselves.” ProjectKAYO is a core project of the Sangguniang Kabataan of Matandang Balara (SKMB), rooted in the principles of inclusivity and participation (UNESCAP, 2009). SKMB firmly believes that participation, and by extension, active citizenship, can only be possible if government initiatives pave the way for citizens to do so. Accountability rests with government officials to create platforms that instigate the participation of their constituents (Clarke & Missinghan, 2009). In the context of SKMB, our youth should have the right not only to be represented but also to participate in decision-making processes undertaken in local youth governance. ProjectKAYO enacts such theoretical underpinnings through three (3) core initiatives: Consultative Processes, SKMB Passbooks, and Data-Gathering.
3. Objectives
Objectives
Specific Objectives:
- To strengthen the sense of community of our Katipunan ng Kabataan by honing their sense of identity, belonging, and social accountability through targeting to provide all members with an SKMB Passbook.
- To encourage research-aptitude in SKMB’s approach to governance by allowing the gathered and analyzed data from KK profiling and consultations alike to inform PPAs.
- To help formalize and support the following sectoral groups: Matandang Balara Teachers’ Association, Youth Environmental Advocates, Matandang Balara Medical Students’ Association, Youth Entrepreneurs Association, Matandang Balara Artists Association, and integrate them in the planning and implementation of relevant PPAs.
- To engage in multiple and consistent consultative processes per sector and area, emulating a better framework for youth participation in governance.
- To assist existing area youth organizations in Matandang Balara, and emphasize their role as part of the Katipunan ng Kabataan.
4. Accomplishments & Results
Accomplishments & Results
Activities Conducted:
Initiative #1
Consultations & Consultative Processes
Beginning with consultations, we make it a point to integrate ProjectKAYO in all our PPAs. A segment of each of our programs is dedicated to instilling in the participants their right to participate and to ask three (3) main questions: Ano ang mga pangangailangan na kailangan matugunan sa area ninyo? Ano ang mga proyektong kailangan ng inyong sektor? Paano tayo puwedeng magtulungan (collaborate)?
Data derived from these consultations directly influence the PPAs we develop as a council, ensuring that our interventions are data-driven and, more importantly, inclusive and consensus-oriented (UNESCAP, 2009).
In addition to the integration of these consultations into our programs, we also make it a point to conduct more intentional consultations with specific areas and organizations.
These are groups that have sought SKMB’s attention to start discourse on pressing concerns, or that are often far from the vicinity of the Barangay Hall. Important to note about Barangay Matandang Balara is that it is geographically dispersed. Considering space as organizational and communicative, those who have less access to the Barangay Hall, i.e., live farther away and need to commute, have, in extension, less access to community events and service-based projects. Bringing ProjectKAYO and other programs of SKMB to specific areas allows us to address this issue and reach more youth as consultants and beneficiaries.
Consistent consultations that take into account the unique sectoral and contextual needs of the youth in our barangay allow us to foster deeper public trust and key partnerships with civil society actors from all walks of life.
Relatedly, SKMB has successfully formalized the Matandang Balara Teachers Association (MBTA), Youth Environmental Advocates (YeA), Matandang Balara Medical Students Association (MBMSA), Matandang Balara Youth Entrepreneurs Association (MBYEA), and the Matandang Balara Artists Association (MBAA). These sectoral organizations have allowed SKMB to directly and meaningfully involve the youth in the projects, programs, and activities which concern them. For example, MBTA’s involvement in LingapKnK (Tutoring Services), MBMSA’s involvement in Luntiang Kinabukasan to help determine malnutrition in participants, MBYEA’s involvement in #SaKantoNgBalara Bazaar, YEA’s involvement in the planning and implementation of Hakdaw para sa Kalikasan, and the direct participation of the MBAA in the yearly celebration of National Arts Month.
The impact of our framework for consultative processes is further discussed in Results/Impact and Innovation.
Initiative #2
SKMB Passbooks
Setting the goal of 4600 Passbook Holders as indicated in the ACBYDP from 2023-2025, we have successfully surpassed the said goal with 4782 Passbooks, including a remaining 1390 to be claimed or delivered. The purpose of the passbook is not limited to incentivizing participation, but likewise gives our constituents a sense of belonging and an opportunity to claim their innate identity as members of the Katipunan ng Kabataan of our Barangay.
The passbook officializes youth participation through memorializing and preserving each PPA attended by each KK member. Every program implemented by SKMB has a Passbook Booth where participants can ask for their passbook to be stamped. A certain number of stamps correspond to equivalent KK Rewards, whose contents were finalized through the help of surveying during the initial batches of passbook distribution.
Such a mechanism brought by the SKMB Passbook formally acknowledges the participation of the youth and paves a path for our constituents to engage in programs and discourse that concern civic affairs.
The mechanism is standardized through meticulous record-keeping of project attendance, production and distribution tracking, and incentive status. The passbook, then, likewise deepens our data-gathering mechanisms, further streamlining the manner in which youth profiling occurs.
This allows us to more efficiently and effectively deliver appropriate services to the youth concerned. Additionally, this FY 2026, applicants will be able to view their incentive status online and apply for their passbooks through a digital portal (see Sustainability section).
Further, the SKMB Passbook Initiative allowed us to mobilize our Active Volunteers to serve as the technical working group (TWG) of the program, particularly in the distribution of SKMB Passbooks and conduct of KK Profiling in their respective areas. At least 30 of 177 identified Active Volunteers have taken part in the initiative (see Results/Impact).
In sum, the initiative deliberately holds space for the identity, voice, and the contributions of each Katipunan ng Kabataan—foundational to the initiatives of ProjectKAYO and SKMB’s PPAs as a whole.
Initiative #3
Data-Gathering
SKMB applies research aptitude in their approach to the planning and implementation of their projects. In addition to applying qualitative data garnered from consultations and textbook research done by project heads, quantitative data is not only mandated by law (i.e., KK Profiling) but necessary in ensuring that PPAs remain relevant to the needs of our constituents. Data-gathering, therefore, is heavily intertwined with the past two segments.
One of SKMB’s first initiatives is updating the KK Profiling Form with additional questions that can help us gauge the needs of our youth more aptly. Additionally, our SKMB Passbook Form has a survey-like end question regarding their participation in SKMB’s projects.
Such quantitative data is encoded, streamlined, and analyzed not only yearly, but as part of the project process of SKMB.
As a whole, the endpoint of ProjectKAYO is this: The people’s participation paves the way for collective action. It is a shared responsibility to cultivate and uphold youth empowerment; to remind each other of our voices, values, identities, and rights. As we always say in all our assemblies, repeat after me, “May mga karapatang pantao ka na nararapat pahalagahan. May sarili kang identidad na dapat kilalanin. May boses ka na dapat mapakinggan. May karapatan ka sa iyong kinabukasan. May halaga ka.”
Key Accomplishments:
- 4782 total SKMB Passbook Holders as of December 2025
- 5/5 Targeted Sectoral Organizations formalized and integrated in PPA planning and implementation processes of SKMB—reflecting iterative consultative processes as a framework for youth involvement
- Institutionalized consultative processes/framework in SKMB PPA Planning and Implementation
Results/Impact:
ProjectKAYO has inevitably been foundational for all our PPAs since the start of our term. It has enabled us to be data-driven in our approaches and build a community of youth that actively participates in our programs.
The target expected result of 4600 KK Members that “have been consulted and have participated in KK Organizing efforts (Expected Results, Annual Budget 2025, Sangguniang Kabataan ng Matandang Balara),” has been successfully attained through the provision of SKMB Passbooks to 4782 KK Members.
Additionally, through deliberately holding space for our constituents to claim their innate identity as Katipunan ng Kabataan members, we have formed over the span of three (3) years a group of Active Volunteers comprising 177 members who have served as TWGs, not limited to ProjectKAYO. The majority of whom are officers and members of their local area youth organizations, including but not limited to Villa Beatriz Youth Organization, Feria Youth Club, Sitio Payong Youth, Batang Luzon Youth Organization, and Laura Youth Council. They are the frontline manifestation of how ProjectKAYO as a program has strengthened youth participation and direct involvement in Matandang Balara.
Active Volunteers, Area Youth Organizations, and Sectoral Organizations during Projects
Our framework of consultative processes (specified in Innovation) and quantitative data-gathering mechanisms has influenced the successes of SKMB’s PPAs.
The involvement of the aforementioned sectoral organizations, specifically, has empowered youth sectors to have a voice in the programs that concern them, ultimately contributing to local governance. Among the examples mentioned, we would like to highlight the Matandang Balara Teachers’ Association to exemplify how we involve said organizations in project planning and implementation. Before the launch of LingapKnK (Tutoring Services), identified education majors from our database of students derived from ParaS.A.YO. (Supportive Assistance for the Youth) and eSKwela (School Supplies Distribution) were called for a meeting. They were informed regarding the objectives of ProjectKAYO, MBTA’s formation, and their involvement in LingapKnK. Afterwards, in the same meeting, brainstorming for LingapKnK occurred. Soon after, MBTA elected its first set of officers with a Logistics, Secretariat, Students, Formations, Academics, and Social Media Committee Heads. We then institutionalized ways, through specific delegations, how each committee of MBTA and the organization as a whole would be involved in the implementation of LingapKnK as a PPA. The Logistics Committee was involved in the inspection of materials upon delivery; the Secretariat Committee helped in the recruitment of and managed tutor-volunteers; the Students Committee was in charge of consolidating the performance of students in the tutoring sessions; the Formations Committee helped plan events of the program such as Orientation Day and Graduation; the Academics Committee helped develop the program modules and lesson plans; and the Social Media Committee helped with the documentation process and transparency reports of the program.
In this way, MBTA’s members and tutor-volunteers were deliberately empowered to contribute to governance through LingapKnK as a program of SKMB. Through their involvement and participation, transparency and accountability were reified; a concrete example of how participative platforms can be made by local government and how these platforms can enable active citizenship. The same consultative framework following similar processes was done for Luntiang Kinabukasan Year 1 and 2 and Matandang Balara Medical Students’ Association, Sining, Kwento, at Musika ng Balara Year 1 to 3 and Matandang Balara Artists Association, Hakdaw para sa Kalikasan and Youth Environmental Advocates, and SaKantoNgBalaraBazaar and Matandang Balara Youth Entrepreneurs Association.
Hakdaw & Youth Environmental Advocates
Sining, Kwento, at Musika ng Balara Year 1 & 2 with Matandang Balara Artists Association
Lingap KnK & Luntiang Kinabukasan
Matandang Balara Youth Entrepreneurs Association & SaKantoNgBalara Bazaar
In addition to concretizing concept/s, the involvement of these organizations also improved the programs they were involved in for the simple reason that the programs now took into account the voices of the people targeted. LingapKnK considered the thoughts and opinions of youth teachers-in-the-making; Luntiang Kinabukasan considered the medical knowledge of MBMSA; the desires and talents of artists were directly considered in the formation of Sining, Kwento, at Musika ng Balara; the experiential knowledge of youth entrepreneurs served as foundational building blocks to SaKantoNgBalara Bazaar—our PPAs became apt and effective because the programs, for example, were made by artists for artists, or by youth entrepreneurs for youth entrepreneurs.
This is furthered through regular SWOT Evaluations with the aforementioned organizations as the programs were implemented, and applying data garnered from KK Profiling and the SKMB Passbook Form. Thus, the impact of the program is not only seen through the figures attained but, more importantly, through the PPAs we have implemented. Quantitative and qualitative data were not simply encoded and garnered, but analyzed and applied, exemplifying how SKMB’s commitment to data-driven approaches transcended concept through ProjectKAYO.
5. Innovation
Innovation
Although the concepts embodied by the program are long-standing principles in scholarly works that pertain to governance and community involvement, the manner in which these were applied and pieced together is unique to ProjectKAYO.
The model of consultations that government agencies traditionally follow is:
In contrast, ProjectKAYO takes consultation further and defines it as an iterative process rather than a one-time event. Guided by Koschmann’s (2024) working definition of community participation as “the meaningful involvement of relevant stakeholders at relevant stages,” ProjectKAYO deliberately formalized sectoral organizations as part of its objectives with the intention of involving them from start to finish or from the beginning stages of planning (e.g., brainstorming) to the allocation of funds (e.g., drafting of the budget) and its utilization (i.e., implementation) for SKMB’s PPAs. Thus, there is a circular feedback loop and deliberate, intentional space for youth to participate and contribute in the programs that concern them. Here, youth involvement transcends mere representation and one-time consultations; youth contributions are welcome and encouraged. Active Citizenship, in this sense, does not remain an abstract concept but is collectively practiced. From building a sense of identity and community through the SKMB Passbook, the main goal of the initiative—to address the lack of youth participation in decision-making processes in local governance—is actualized. Thus, our framework for consultative processes looks like this:
Such innovative application resulted in strengthened sectoral organizations, successfully implemented PPAs with them, and a plethora of qualitative data.
Additionally, the SKMB Passbook memorializing each PPA attended by a KK member uniquely legitimizes identity and formally acknowledges participation. The mechanism institutionalizes participation as a key component of being a youth resident in Matandang Balara.
Lastly, SKMB’s Active Volunteers and area-based consultations uniquely consider the geographically dispersed context of Matandang Balara. SKMB serves as the first point of contact for the youth in local governance through bringing SKMB and ProjectKAYO to different areas far from the Barangay Hall, and having officers of Area Youth Organizations as part of SKMB’s Active Volunteers.
6. Sustainability
Sustainability
ProjectKAYO has been part of the initial CBYDP, and amendments thereafter, to ensure the longevity of the program. We understood before implementation that ProjectKAYO as a program would take time to develop and that iterativity was a quality we could not forsake to ensure that feedback for the program was constantly garnered and applied. In addition to monthly SWOT Evaluations within the council, our SKMB Volunteers who serve as the TWG of the initiative hold bi-monthly meetings to continue to tweak the way passbook application and distribution occurs. Valuing such feedback loop allows us to sustain the project through invaluable improvements.
Moreover, post-implementation, the passbook serves as a time-capsule that indicates which projects and programs a KK member has attended. By encouraging participation in SK-initiated activities through incentives or KK Rewards, it turns action into habit; ultimately honing active citizens.
Furthermore, this 2026, SKMB Passbook Applications and KK Rewards claiming can be done through Budget ng Kabataan: SKMB Transparency Portal. Each KK Member’s number of stamps can also be accessed through the website. Digitalizing these records in a streamlined website, both for users/KK Members and administrators of the site (i.e., SKMB Council), entails that the program mechanisms and existing data on KK Members will be preserved, giving succeeding administrations the opportunity to continue ProjectKAYO as an initiative.
Most importantly, we would argue that its most sustainable contribution is how the program expands the definition of what it means to be a Katipunan ng Kabataan member as outlined by law. More than being a registered voter within fifteen (15) to thirty (30) years old, the program defines being KK Members as youth who have the right to participate in local government affairs; citizens who have the right to demand redress and involvement. It resituates the primera facia of participation as a responsibility where it must lie: to those whose hands were entrusted with power. It reifies accountability as a two-way discourse: that, for citizens to participate, we, SKMB, as elected government officials, must first have the mechanisms that enable them to be informed, act, and participate as active and socially accountable citizens.
7. Supporting Documents
Supporting Documents
- Project Photoshttps://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1MsJfC_dH5cE1c-GH7HuW_hjEz7QJenoB?usp=drive_link
- Attendance Sheethttps://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1RRooJZe1pggZdCJml0k10xAW_KhvZFda?usp=drive_link
- SK Resolution/shttps://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1FuN4cwkwYwkAv2FtqzxuOpa2UndFrtXp?usp=drive_link
- Financial Reporthttps://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1tcWDeivAWPLeFPY0g4kIW6KQGUPj0whn?usp=drive_link
References:
- 01
Clarke, M., & Missingham, B. (2009). Guest editors’ introduction: Active citizenship and social accountability. Development in Practice, 19(8), 955–963.
https://doi.org/10.1080/09614520903233571 - 02
Koschmann, M. (2024, March 6). [Lecture]. Organizational Communication Perspective on Community Participation and Nonprofit Housing Work. De La Salle University Manila.
- 03
National Youth Commission (2024, February 10). Philippine Youth Development Plan 2023-2028.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1PxVj7apTCK-utUtla5gUV68w_jxfH3p5/view - 04
United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific. (2009). What is Good Governance?
https://www.unescap.org/sites/default/files/good-governance.pdf
Annexes:
- ProjectKAYO Presentation - Rendition #1https://drive.google.com/file/d/1uIfzAtxAM56Z7tbdmofZW5zHufjlaKx2/view?usp=drive_link
- ProjectKAYO Presentation - Rendition #2https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Qf8PUKoN00-4S_DGdzeaTbfvdtXoLjZ9/view?usp=drive_link
- ProjectKAYO Presentation - Rendition #3https://drive.google.com/file/d/1KudOgxbUj5DGG8E8YR2B8vRXqITWJrv4/view?usp=drive_link
- SKMB KK Profiling Formhttps://drive.google.com/file/d/1B1zT9z8QIYOY-b-QYeMbJaM5Sy5yXDSU/view?usp=drive_link
- Passbook Formhttps://drive.google.com/file/d/13eMXveBMrGcXUAdWtmS4TK4qJZb1mAL7/view?usp=drive_link
- Passbook Brochurehttps://drive.google.com/file/d/1oUDJxYCQuTRPsGDYCnULU0ED3bewllSb/view?usp=drive_link
One-Sentence Project Summary:
This project successfully addressed the lack of youth participation in SK-level government processes through ProjectKAYO, which includes the SKMB Passbooks, timely consultations, relevant involvement of sectoral organizations, and solidified data-gathering approaches, benefiting 4782 youth and creating a sustainable impact in Barangay Matandang Balara.