GeneSoc to spearhead a three-day Community Youth Training Program in Nampicuan, Nueva Ecija

by GENEWS Team



Standing firm on its commitment to promoting health-related advocacies, The UPLB Genetics Society (GeneSoc) is set to lead the engagement of Volunteer Youth Leaders for Health (VYLH) -Philippines with the community youth in a pilot project called K4Health Community Youth Training Program this June 7-9 in Nampicuan, Nueva Ecija.

Rooted to the meaning of K4, "Kabataan Kabalikat ng Komunidad para sa Kalusugan,” the said training program aims to organize and establish a community VYLH core group in the host local government unit under the direct supervision of the Local Government Unit's (LGU) Health Officer.

Further, the training program will feature a joint orientation session of the youth with the Barangay Service Point Officers (BSPOs) of Nampicuan. Recognizing the BSPOs' importance in sustaining the Infant and Child Health Program of the municipality, making them knowledgeable of this health campaign initiative and gaining their consent will facilitate the establishment of an enabling environment for the community youth.

In the spirit of volunteerism, this program was organized in partnership with VYLH-Philippines, Municipality of Nampicuan in Nueva Ecija, Department of Health Central Luzon Regional Office (DOH Region III), Newborn Screening Center-Central Luzon (NSC-CL), and Institute of Human Genetics-National Institutes of Health, University of the Philippines Manila.

In preparing for the said Community Youth Training Program, GeneSoc developed a project proposal that was reviewed by VYLH-Philippines and the Municipal Health Officer of Nampicuan, Nueva Ecija. Separate preparatory training activities in partnership with Ugnayan ng Pahinungod - UP Los Baños and VYLH-Philippines were also held last June 1 and 5. The sessions covered community youth organization and facilitation skills, and advocacy presentation and messaging, respectively. These were done in order to ensure the readiness of GeneSoc members in conducting the three-day activity.

GeneSoc, along with its partners, hopes that the first VYLH – LGU partnership of this kind will be replicated in other locations in the country upon its pilot implementation in Nampicuan.

GeneSoc's History with VYLH-Philippines

After being handpicked by then Institute of Human Genetics-National Institutes of Health, UP Manila Director Dr. Carmencita Padilla in 2008, The UPLB Genetics Society became the pioneer youth organization and convenor of an advocacy-awareness program focusing on promoting folic acid supplementation for the prevention of birth defects. The campaign subsequently led to the formation of Volunteer Youth Leaders for Health-Philippines (VYLH-Philippines) in 2009. Since then, GeneSoc has remained committed to the campaign and in representing the university-based youth network in UP Los Baños.
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For more information regarding K4Health Training Program, please visit http://bit.ly/1tbevEo.

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