UP Visayas College of Arts and Sciences participated in the World Conference on Child And Youth (CCY) 2019 held last 05th – 06th July at Taj Samudra Hotel, Colombo, Sri Lanka. This conference is under the theme “Well-being and Life Chances of Children and Youth in an Interconnected World: A Life Course Approach”.
The CCY conference aimed to capture the varying realities and lived experiences of children and youth through research in order to ascertain how to improve their well-being and life chances not only for their own benefit but also to facilitate the development of public policies and strategies to address issues arising as a result.
Three representatives from UP Visayas College of Arts and Sciences presented three research papers as knowledge products from the implementation of disaster risk reduction projects with the University’s partner communities in Northern Iloilo.
Prof. Josephine T. Firmase of Division of Social Sciences presented the paper on “Promoting Children’s inclusion in disaster preparedness: the experience of TEACH DRR in small island communities” (co-authors: Prof. Jorge S. Ebay, Darlene Joy D. Calsado and Lovella Mae M. Magluyan).
Ms. Darlene Joy D. Calsado (URA II) of Center for West Visayan Studies presented “Bata Kag Baybay”: Addressing Everyday Risk of Drowning Through the Swim and Survive in Calagnaan Island, Carles, Iloilo (co-authors: Prof. Jorge S. Ebay, Josephine T. Firmase, and Lovella Mae M. Magluyan).
Ms. Lovella Mae M. Magluyan (graduate student) of College of Arts and Sciences presented “Organizing Children for Small Island Resilience: The case of SHINe in Gigantes Islands, Philippines” (co-authors: Prof. Josephine T. Firmase, Prof. Jorge S. Ebay, and Darlene Joy D. Calsado).
Each of the sessions and presentations were evaluated by an individual International evaluation committee and based on their marks and the conference chair’s consent, Session’s best presenter, Best Student presenter and Best Overall presenter were selected.
Prof. Josephine T. Firmase became the session’s best presenter for the session “Special Needs, Population, Conditions, Intervention Strategies & Inclusive Education”.
This conference is congruent to the primary objective of one of the implemented project of UP Visayas – the TEACH DRR Project or Disaster Risk Reduction Training, Education and Advocacy for Children’s Protection and Resilience of putting (including) our small islands and children in the map. The Project provided a platform for children’s inclusion that enabled them to gain faces and voices as vulnerable groups and as valuable assets of small island communities. Thus, our project engagement gave life chances and well-being to children and youth by adding the value of inclusive perspectives to understand children’s inherent encumbrances and challenges, and to appreciate their vital contributions in community-wide efforts for safety and resilience.
Our project committed to the documentation and dissemination of child-centered good practices in small islands. The UP Visayas as institution also encourages faculties and researchers to participate in local to international discussions that could contribute to the enhancement of research, publications and creative work.
