The Center for West Visayan Studies of College of Arts and Sciences organized the Youth Conference on Culture, Arts, and Heritage (YouthCCAH) 2021 in May with the theme: “West Visayan Youth as Stewards of Heritage”. The online conference aimed to encourage the youth in Western Visayas and the other regions to participate and be inspired by the various initiatives of their fellow youth in heritage preservation and promotion.
The conference was held on the four Wednesdays of May from 9:00 am to 12:00 noon and was participated in by youth heritage advocates and enthusiasts all over the country.
In his Welcome Remarks, UPV Chancellor Clement C. Camposano stressed the importance of youth participation in heritage conversation, and conferences like YouthCCAH served as fitting venues to start this conversation.
The first panel was conducted on May 5, 2021, with the theme, “Youth as Stewards of Heritage”, and was moderated by Normon Laurista of Ateneo de Iloilo. Speakers were Arvie Joy Manejar on “Anecdotes on Confluence of Community, Culture, and the Environment”, Stephen Pamorada on “Community Battles in Saving Heritage Structures in Manila”, and Josef Alec Geradilla on “Identifying Heritage, Localizing Understandings: The 2021 Quincentennial Commemorations and the Local History Approach”.
The second panel was conducted on May 12, 2021, with the theme, “Conservation of Tangible (Built and Movable) Heritage,” and was moderated by Dr. Randy Madrid, Director of CWVS. Speakers were Axel Catapang on “Sustaining Cultural Identity and Sense of Place”, Clark Mendoza on “Designing the Social: Returning to Communities, Reconfiguring Furniture Design”, Teepee Gile on “Museum Closed: Interactive and Dynamic Virtual Possibilities in Museum Curatorship and Design”.
The third panel was conducted on May 19, 2021, with the theme “Safeguarding Intangible Heritage” and was moderated by Sashah Dioso of CWVS. Speakers were Joriz Lanz Cometa on “Project Dunang Manggad in Safeguarding Intangible Heritage”, Glory Rose Dy-Metilla on “Digital Story-telling as Process in Participatory Indigenous Heritage Documentation”, and Jerrey David Aguilar on “The Importance of Community Theater in the Promotion of Heritage in Bohol”.
The fourth and last panel was conducted on May 26, 2021, with the theme, “Pandemic Disruptions, Climate Crises, Disasters and Heritage,” and was moderated by Darlene Joy Calzado of CWVS. Speakers were Nicholas Sy on “How to Research when Trapped @ Home: Online Repositories for Philippine Local History”, Adrian Camposagrado on “Saving the Oceans, Saving the Heritage: the Journey of the Estrawngheroes”, and Jay Nathan Jore on “Project Kisame: Saving the Heritage Churches of Cebu and Bohol in the Aftermath of 2013 Earthquake”.
In her Closing Remarks, CAS Dean Alice Joan G. Ferrer highlighted the role of the youth as trailblazers in heritage conservation and safeguarding and challenged participants to take a proactive role in this advocacy.
The event was made possible in partnership with the National Youth Forum on Heritage (NYFH) and DYUP 102.7 FM and in line with the National Heritage Month Celebration and Quincentennial Celebration in UP Visayas.
