Leadership Experiences of Youth Council Officials in a Selected Philippine Municipality: Planning, Implementing, and Evaluating Youth Development Programs
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.11594/Keywords:
Leadership, Region XII, Sangguniang kabataan, Youth development programsAbstract
The Youth Council, which the Filipinos call Sangguniang Kabataan (SK), gives young leaders in the Philippines an opportunity to participate in local government while they work to build their communities. The youth themselves provide the best way to understand how SK operates as an official government body. However, research on SK officials who serve in Region XII remains scarce because researchers have yet to study their methods for leading youth programs which include their work in planning and executing activities and their role in program evaluation. Thus, the researcher conducted a descriptive study which focused on one municipality situated in Region XII to fill the existing research gap. The researcher conducted interviews with seven SK officials using semi-structured questions to obtain their personal stories. Then, thematic analysis was used to discover the main patterns and recurring themes. The findings revealed that SK leaders approach program planning in a deliberate, collaborative, and evidence-based way. Their leadership during implementation shows three important qualities which are adaptability, ethical behavior, and systematic operations. The program evaluation process was action-oriented, strategic, and reflective. These insights have important implications for youth governance, program implementation, and policy development. SK officials acquire their leadership skills through training programs which they combine with mentorship programs and direct support to achieve successful program implementation and community service activities. They create permanent leadership skills and effective programs through their operational methods which they implement together with their funding resources and equipment capabilities.
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