By Chito Chavez
The Quezon City government will soon establish a Sangguniang Kabataan Desk at the city hall after Mayor Herbert M. Bautista recently approved the ordinance ordering its creation.
Introduced by Councilor Noel Lorenzo B. Dela Fuente III, city ordinance 2824-2019 mandates the consolidation of all youth-related programs and projects of the city government through the SK Youth Desk.
The new measure sets as imperative the need to address the accessibility of youth-targeted projects and programs for all those seeking social, economic, medical and educational assistance, especially those in the marginalized sector.
“There is a necessity to establish a mechanism, system or help desk intended directly to cater to the needs of the youth of the city,” the ordinance read.
The desk will also provide necessary information relative to services such as scholarship grants, livelihood, job opportunity, medical and legal services, counseling referrals, and rehabilitation programs.
It will also serve as the primary engagement and contact point of the youth seeking direct assistance from the city government.
The youth’s engagement in governance and nation-building had been among the centerpiece programs of the outgoing mayor, a former Kabataang Barangay national chairperson and former National Youth commissioner.