About

Building an Alternative Youth Institute

CENTER FOR YOUTH ADVOCACY AND NETWORKING

The Center for Youth Advocacy and Networking [CYAN] is an autonomous institution for youth organizations and individuals that have common aspiration for youth-initiated developmental processes and empowerment principles.

It attempts to change the political culture and landscape of youth participation and involvement through innovative programs and support services.

A stakeholder in social movement with progressive reform agenda, CYAN is guided by the principles of democratic persuasion, shared accountabilities, mutual trust and collective leadership.

CYAN is a community of learners who openly shares ideas, competencies and knowledge to effectively engage institutional processes and meaningfully contribute in social change.

It is an institution that facilitates organizational growth, gender-fair initiatives, grassroots approaches, creative strategies and overcoming challenges among network organizations.

A non-stock and a non-profit institution, CYAN is established in 15 January 2005 to help and support youth organizations and builds a relationship towards an alternative youth institute for students, community-based youth, young workers, youth in governance structures and the marginalized.

MISSION-VISION-VALUES STATEMENT

CYAN envisions a society that recognizes the youth sector as stakeholders in providing for an enabling environment for active citizenship, alternative politics, progressive reforms and dynamic involvement in social development work.

In attaining its vision, CYAN strives to: optimize youth activism through innovative programs and approaches; sustain and expand partnership among youth organization that effectively empowers the youth; sustain sectoral advocacy for a developmental youth reform agenda and progressive democratic roles in the society.

CYAN’s organizational life is imbued with these values: social inclusion and participation, equality and partnership, commitment to serve and empower, intelligent and innovative activism and authentic humanization.

Thus, Building an Alternative Youth Institute is a constant reminder for CYAN to lead and act together with the youth for the youth, broader our horizons to make a difference, disrupt the system and change it.

PROGRAMS AND APPROACHES

A. Social Policy Advocacy Development and Engagement is geared towards achieving the youth reform agenda, participatory developmental processes for the sector. It also involves studies on the issues and concerns affecting the youth, policy analysis and campaigns that are of national significance as well as engagement with civil/political societies and the governmental processes. In general, it aims to support network organizations work while integrating gender perspective, influence policy makers and exact government accountabilities in fulfilling their responsibility to the sector.   The Center’s advocacy is focused on education reform, full employment, youth participation in governance, electoral and political reforms, building a peace constituency and gender equality.

B. Sectoral Organizing and Networking is the core program of CYAN involving direct organizing of students and community-based youth, alliance and issue-based coalition building as well as establishing partnership with youth organizations at the national level that leads to the formation and consolidation of progressive youth organizations.

C. Training, Consultancy, Institutional Capacities and Support Services seek to strengthen knowledge and skills of youth organizations towards self-reliance, empowering their members and set up a support system for their istitutionalisation concerns. This also addresses the needs of networks/youth organizations for continuing political education needs.

At present, its youth partners include:

Movement for the Advancement of Student Power is a grassroots student activist organization that works to uphold and assert student rights and welfare in 33 schools nationwide.

Student Council Alliance of the Philippines is a national network of student councils and governments working on social and education reform through government’s executive and legislative engagement.

ALYANSA ng Nagkakaisang Lakas ng Kabataan is a national organization of urban-rural poor youth whose main advocacy is focused on empowering the marginalized out-of-school youth, demanding for youth employment opportunities and livelihood programs.

BISIG Youth is a socialist youth organization advancing the call for systemic changes and economic restructuring for a just, equitable and humane society.

D. Basic Sector Linkages and Solidarity ensures youth integration with the marginalized sector of the society and with the international struggles through various forms.

It establishes linkages with the worker’s group Alliance of Progressive Labor (APL), peasant group Pambansang Katipunan ng mga Samahan sa Kanayunan (National Union of Rural-Based Organization) and the national political party AKBAYAN! (Citizens’ Action Party) as well as international organizations such as the Young Progressives of Southeast Asia (YPSEA), Global Youth Leadership Alliance (GYLA), Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES), International Union of Socialist Youth (IUSY) and Social Democratic Student of Sweden (SSU).

Since its establishment, it received and hosted a number of study visits and youth exchange exposure programs.