YOUTH AWARENESS ON THE ROLE OF SANGGUNIANG KABATAAN

A global trend to directly involve youth in creating policies and initiatives is on the rise. This movement is far behind the Philippines. The Sangguniang Kabataan, a legally-instituted youth governing body, has already been institutionalized. In order to find out how knowledgeable the respondents are of the role of Sanggunian Kabataan in their community, this research uses a quantitative descriptive research methodology, a survey questionnaire, and random sampling. The survey's results showed that, first, most youths have positive beliefs of the effectiveness and competence of Sangguniang Kabataan; second, a sizable portion of the youth population has positive beliefs of the projects undertaken by the organization; and third, the majority of youth believes that the programs offered by the organization improve the economic conditions in their barangay. The research recommends that in order to educate youth about the importance of Sangguniang Kabataan, it should organize several educational seminars and campaigns; work with educational institutions to integrate the organization's initiatives and programs into the curriculum; and develop engaging and creative programs that cater to the interests and needs of young people. Lastly, continue their efforts to engage young people and involve them in local governance and decision-making. In addition to helping their community flourish, the Sangguniang Kabataan can provide youths with a platform to improve their civic engagement, leadership skills, and community involvement.