Bangsamoro Youth Commission (BYC) Chairperson Marjanie Macasalong awards the three (3) teams with a P200k each grant funded under the “Ideation Impact Challenge (IIC)” program for innovative policy research projects focusing on Gender and Development (GAD) on May 23, 2024. (Photo courtesy of BYC)
COTABATO CITY—The Bangsamoro Government’s Youth Commission (BYC) has awarded a total grant of P600,000 to fund three innovative policy research projects focusing on Gender and Development (GAD) on Thursday, May 23, in this city.
Under the BYC program “Ideation Impact Challenge (IIC) 2024,” this research initiative aims to address pressing gender and development (GAD) issues affecting the youth in the Bangsamoro region.
BYC Chairperson Marjanie Macasalong highlighted the significance of the grant as a crucial investment in the region’s youth.
“Each proposal represents a beacon of hope, a step towards addressing the unique challenges faced by our youth, and a testament to the incredible potential that lies within our community,” he said.
He also emphasized that the initiative reflects the Commission’s commitment to fostering an environment where young people can thrive and contribute meaningfully to societal progress.
The grant will allocate P200,000 to each of the three selected policy research proposals:
- “Exploring Bangsamoro Students’ Experience and Perspective on Early and Arranged Marriage: A Phenomenological Inquiry”
- “Gender and Development (GAD) in Islam: Perspectives of Young Bangsamoro Women and Men in Maguindanao del Norte and Cotabato City”
- “Does Accessibility to Community-Based Mental and Psychological Support Programs and Adverse Childhood Experiences Predict Positive Youth Development? A Policy Research on Bangsamoro Adolescents Exposed to Community-Based Violence in Maguindanao del Norte.”
Under the guidance of BYC-appointed consultants, the researchers will conduct their studies over two months, starting in the last quarter of May and concluding at the end of July.
The findings from these research projects are expected to provide evidence-based insights and recommendations that will inform the development of gender-responsive policies and programs in the region.
An independent review committee, consisting of technical experts, rigorously vetted the submitted proposals on May 13 in Cotabato City, leading to the selection of the three outstanding proposals.
Meanwhile, BYC’s Ideation Impact Challenge was launched in 2021 and began as a call for community-based project proposals from youth organizations.
Moreover, this initiative evolved in 2023 and this year to focus on policy research aimed at addressing gender and development issues affecting the youth. (Kasan Usop, Jr./BIO with reports from BYC)
