THE United States Peace Corps recently trained more than 65 youth leaders of the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) on motivating their fellow youth who stopped attending school during the pandemic to resume their studies.
The US Peace Corps and DSWD decided to scale up the innovative peer-to-peer approach of reaching out-of-school youth through life and leadership skills development, following its successful initial rollout to youth leaders in Nueva Ecija in November 2021.
“You are performing an incredible act of service by volunteering as peer leaders in your communities, and encouraging out-of-school to [resume their studies],” said US Peace Corps Country Director Jenner Edelman.
“May you take pride in being 4Ps beneficiaries, as you are contributing to nation-building through your volunteerism,” added Philippine National Volunteer Service Coordinating Agency (PNVSCA) Director Donald James Gawe.
The US Agency for International Development (USAID) funded the unique leadership training for 4Ps youth.
Because of the ongoing pandemic, US Peace Corps staff, rather than American volunteers, are supporting Filipino youth and promoting national volunteerism alongside DSWD, PNVSCA, and other partners.
The US Peace Corps is the US government’s premier volunteer group, and has supported Filipino communities across the country for more than 60 years. Through the decades more than 9,300 American volunteers have served as co-teachers, youth-development facilitators, or in other roles requested by host communities.
To date more than 300 Peace Corps volunteers have supported youth-development programs in the Philippines.