Caritas Manila's Youth Servant Leadership and Education Program (YSLEP), celebrated the graduation of 1,178 Youth Servant Leaders for the school year 2023-2024.
These graduate scholars are 866 from college, 47 from tech-vocational courses, and 265 from senior high school.
This year's batch produced three Summa Cum Laude, 30 Magna Cum Laude, 54 Cum Laude, 48 Academic Excellence awardees, 42 Dean's and President's Listers, and 48 special awardees. There are 632 graduates from the Archdiocese of Manila (Metro Manila), 239 from Luzon, 245 from Visayas, and 62 from Mindanao.
Additionally, 64 graduates completed the YSLEP-Gen129 program, Caritas Manila's special initiative for Agri-related courses, with 36 from Luzon, 27 from Visayas, and one from Mindanao.
Last school year, Caritas Manila's graduates numbered 1,586, with nearly 70 percent graduating with honors. Since 1953, Caritas Manila has assisted 13,716 individuals in completing their education.
"We believe that education is the best social equalizer. To overcome poverty, we must educate as many youths as possible with the knowledge, skills, and servant leadership modeled in Christian values," said Rev. Fr. Anton C.T. Pascual, executive director of Caritas Manila.
Each scholar undergoes leadership formation to become a community leader. Caritas Manila is committed to ensuring that future leaders come from the ranks of the poor. Through YSLEP, deserving youths are given the opportunity to complete college or tech-vocational degrees, helping to uplift their families from poverty.
YSLEP has proven to be a resounding success, with an 82 percent employment rate among graduates. Approximately 78 percent of graduates are able to support their families. The program prioritizes disadvantaged youths from the poorest provinces, indigenous groups, victims of calamities, and those affected by war and conflict.
YSLEP graduates automatically become members of the Caritas Manila Scholars Association (CAMASA). The alumni organization has a Balik-Handog program that encourages successful members to give back and help existing YSLEP scholars. In 2023, CAMASA members raised P1,571,584.23 through personal donations and fundraising activities. There are 93 CAMASA chapters nationwide with 1,072 active Balik-Handog givers.
For the school year 2024-2025, Caritas Manila aims to provide scholarships to 4,500 deserving youths nationwide.
Supporting one Caritas Manila scholar costs only P30,000 per year. For more information on how to donate, call 8562-0020 to 25, 0917-595-5083, 0906-240-0864.