By Keziah Loucille Mallorca, SIAP Formator
In celebration of International Youth Day, Xavier University, through the Social Involvement and Advocacy Program (SIAP) under the Social Development Cluster, hosted its first brown bag session for AY 2025-2026 last 20 August 2025, at the Audio-Visual Room 2, School of Business and Management (SBM) Building.
The brown bag session aimed to explore role of youth in localizing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by translating global goals into meaningful local actions in their communities through the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) or through student organizations. Eighteen (18) student-leaders participated in this event representing various student organizations in the university. SIAP also invited Ms Victoria Melissa Pulido (SLP Formator) as the lead discussant of the session, with Ms Ghandamra Burungawan (SK Bugo Treasurer) and Ms Jannine Aguillon (SK Bulua Chairperson) as guest reactors.
Ms Pulido’s discussion emphasized the power of the youth in contributing to the SDGs’ by participating in their barangay youth council and/or active volunteerism in their own organizations. She also highlighted the importance of localizing the global goals by translating them into meaningful actions that can address the specific challenges in the community.
Her talk was supported and affirmed by our guest reactors who represented their respective barangay SKs. Ms Aguillon presented the key issues and programs they led in Barangay Bulua which tackled the following goals: Health and Well-Being (SDG 3); Sustainable Cities and Communities (SDG 11); Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions (SDG 16); and Partnerships for the Goals (SDG 17). Ms Burungawan also shared SK Bugo’s programs such as “Liga Kontra Droga”, Adopt a Zone, Project Tanum, SKash for Success, among others.
Several participants shared their insights and actively asked questions during the open forum. One participant encouraged other fellow students to engage in their respective communities, whether it be in their local barangays or even in their student organizations. A participant also expressed their gratitude for being made aware that there is such a thing like the sustainable development goals.
To close the brown bag session, Mr Nestor M Banuag, Jr, SIAP Director, acknowledged the contributions of the speakers in addressing community needs through their youth programs. He highlighted the consistent themes common among the speakers’ respective community programs which is on environment, health, and partnerships with the government, non-government, and community-based institutions. He also re-echoed the call for youth leaders to integrate fresh ideas, engage fellow youth, collaborate, and sustain their work so that they can transform the communities they are currently serving.
SIAP’s brown bag sessions are monthly, informal sessions that focuses on thematic discussions not limited to social issues and concerns, and university policies. These sessions serve as an interactive, relaxed forum that fosters dialogue, critical thinking, and the development of potential advocacy initiatives.