MANILA, Philippines – A global study concluded that 7 in 10 young people have entrepreneurial dreams but due to lack of necessary skills, only 4 of them have realized that dream.
On the brighter side, Filipino youth are leading the changemaker movement as 1 in 4 social enterprises operating in the country is led by a young entrepreneur.
To drive more youth-led social enterprises, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Citi Foundation launched their Youth Co:Lab partnership on Thursday, December 7, in Makati City.
“The youth of the Philippines’ not only have a stake in the country’s development trajectory but can also play a critical role in shaping that trajectory," UNDP Philippines Country Director Titon Mitra said.
"UNDP is delighted to work with Citi Foundation in providing a platform to enable youth-led social enterprises to contribute to the achievement of the SDGs in the Philippines," continued Mitra.
Collab for youth innovation
Youth Co:Lab is UNDP Asia Pacific's program that aims to catalyze youth innovation towards solving the world’s biggest social challenges, for the fulfillment of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
"We are proud to be partnering with UNDP to empower young people to take control of their future...I firmly believe that empowering young people to lead through entrepreneurship and social innovation is a critical part of the solution," Jim McCue, Citi Shared Service Asia Pacific Head said during the launch.
UNDP-Rappler #HackSociety ideathon is one of the first national competitions under the program, alongside Thailand's and China's own youth innovation competitions.
The series of youth social innovation events are to culminate at the UNDP Regional Summit to be held in March 2018 in Bangkok, Thailand.
#HackSociety 2017 grand champion team LawKo will represent the Philippines in the regional competition. (READ: The winning ideas from #HackSociety) – Rappler.com