SUGPAT to launch barangay leadership program
As part of the SUGPAT Adolescent Development and Participation Program, SUGPAT-BLP aims to capacitate these leaders in fostering a better barangay responsive to adolescents and youth through the creation of their barangay youth development plan.
The SUGPAT-BLP is one of the four main 
components of SUGPAT this year which responds to the fundamental question of how the youth can be enabled to participate meaningfully in local governance and in nation-building.
Covering 25 barangays in Zamboanga City, the SUGPAT-BLP is a six-month program introducing the Bridging Leadership (BL) Framework to barangay leaders. An important aspect of the program includes the practicum stage which will provide enough avenues for the participants to actualize in practice what they have learned in the BL modules.
Along with their BL experience, participants of the program will be equipped with knowledge and skills necessary in transforming institutional arrangements, facilitating collaborative implementation of programs, and planning and raising resources for innovative programs for the adolescents and youth.
Kicking off with research
After recently conducting their Focus-Group Discussions (FGDs) and Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) last March, the ACLG has moved forward to establish the roadmap for the SUGPAT-BLP.
The FGDs were held last March 26 with the Barangay Youth Task Force composing 10% of the 25 selected barangays of the program.
Participants unanimously implored that the youth can do more than just programs on sports and entertainment (fiestas, ligas), infrastructure (covered courts, benches), and support. They added that if capacitated, they have much more ideas to offer especially in youth development (capacity building/skills training/formation).
The areas of concern following the FGDs included: youth development programs, availability of youth organizations in the barangay, youth participation, and youth involvement in the decision-making process.
Common issues encountered by the youth also surfaced during the FGDs which included drugs, teenage pregnancy, youth in conflict with the law, out-of-school youth concerns, and gangs.
Moreover, to solicit from them their perspective of the situation, concerns, and opportunities for the youth, the ACLG also went to the Barangay Chairpersons and Kagawads of four towns to hold the KIIs.
Upon analysis of results, the areas of concern are in tune with those gained from the FGDs with the youth but with an addition of policies, resolutions, and ordinances affecting the youth of the barangay.
A key take-away from the KII is the need for the empowerment and capacitation of the barangay focal point person, whose political will is seen as dependent towards the assistance of the barangay for the youth.
Making sense of the data
From the data gathered, the ACLG was able to come up with the draft roadmap for SUGPAT-BLP which will be used as a tool to assess and measure the progress and impact of the program from beginning to end.
The roadmap emphasized five aspects of the program that should be seen as success indicators: leadership and governance, financing, youth services, advocacy/capacity building, and information system. Other than these technical measurements, behavioral changes will also be taken into account in the assessment of the SUGPAT-BLP.
Given the needed data and roadmap, the ACLG is now working towards accomplishing the remaining actions for Phase 1 of the SUGPAT-BLP which is identifying the BL Competencies and the Module design.
The BL has been seen to address complex social divides and inequities. This is used widely by different sectors and agencies and has proven to yield immediate and sustainable results.