When Youth Lead: Stories of Courage, Compassion, and Community Action

In a society where youth voices are often not heard and their needs are swept to the sidelines, today’s youth are stepping up and making a difference in their communities. Joed Ilustrisimo, Venus Chua, and their youth organizations are living proof of this transformation.

Guiding His Peers Toward Safer Choices and Brighter Futures

As a leader of a youth organization in Barangay Bagong Silang, Caloocan City, Joed Quervy Ilustrisimo has witnessed how teenage pregnancy has complicated the lives of his peers. Many of them have to drop out of school to give birth and pause their dreams to find work that will sustain this early and heavy responsibility.

Joed Quervy Ilustrisimo is the president of the Samahan ng Kabataan para sa Komunidad at Isyung Panlipunan (SKKIP), a youth organization composed of beneficiaries of the Educational Research and Development Assistance (ERDA) Foundation. 

From an early age, he has seen and experienced what it is like to be poor and disadvantaged. To support his college education, an ERDA Foundation sponsor funds him while he works part-time as a student assistant at the University of the Philippines-Diliman, where he studies. ERDA, a member of the Alternative Law Groups, is a nonprofit organization that supports children through holistic education.

Joed knows that not every young person will have the opportunity to receive a college scholarship or study at UP. He has witnessed firsthand how many of his peers struggle with limited resources, especially those navigating the added challenges of teenage pregnancy.

These moved him to campaign for the prevention of adolescent pregnancy through SKKIP. They launched an advocacy project called SHIELD, or the Sexual Health Initiative for Education, Liberation, and Development.

While this advocacy may be seen as controversial by some sectors of society, SKKIP uses it to promote responsible choices among the youth: encouraging them to prioritize their education, steer clear of risky sexual behavior, and, importantly, show compassion rather than discrimination, especially toward young girls who have experienced pregnancy.

They began by conducting capacity-building sessions within their organization and eventually went on to facilitate reproductive and sexual health training for their fellow youth. SKKIP organized training on reproductive sexual health by Likhaan and an orientation on the Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Bill. Atty. Nicolene Arcaina, the Executive Director of the Ateneo Human Rights Center (AHRC), served as a resource speaker.

Atty. Arcaina’s discussions revealed that children and youth have the right to adequate and correct information on comprehensive sexual education. Given age-appropriate sexual education, child sexual abuse can be prevented, and parents can learn how to protect their children from online and offline sexual abuse, exploitation, and violence.

They also learned that comprehensive sexual education does not oppose the reasonable beliefs of one’s religion. With an open mind, they can still practice their religion, protect themselves from decisions with irreversible consequences, and make their dreams come true.

During the ERDA Kuwentuhan, an online live session of the organization, Joed said, “Kailangan nating i-break ang pag-iisip na kapag na-expose ang mga bata sa holistic sexual education ay mag-eengage agad sila sa risky sexual behavior.”

He stressed that when the youth have access to accurate and accessible information about sexual and reproductive health, they are more likely to make informed choices and avoid risky sexual behavior.

“Iyun ang kahalagahan kung bakit natin itinuturo ito sa ating communities para magkaroon sila ng awareness at ma-prevent ang hindi natin gustong mangyari para sa ating mga anak, ating mga kapatid at kapwa natin kabataan,” Joed said.

After the Storm: A Young Woman’s Mission to Keep Her Community Safe

Barangay Bagong Silangan lies in a high-risk flood zone. When both Bona Creek, located within the barangay, and the Marikina River overflow, flooding inevitably threatens the communities along their banks.

Venus Chua was only 15 when Typhoon Ondoy hit Bagong Silangan in 2009. Rain flowed through the holes in their roof until strong winds finally tore it off. Floodwaters rushed into their home, forcing the family to evacuate. After bringing Venus and her siblings to the evacuation center, her parents and older siblings had to leave them there so they could go back and salvage some of their things.

Typhoon Ondoy had 31 fatalities in Bagong Silangan alone. 

This experience left a huge mark on her. She knows the feeling of not being safe during a disaster. 

In the years that followed, Venus continued to witness how the low-lying areas of her barangay remained vulnerable, submerged in water every time heavy rains and floods came. She watched as her neighbors, unable to relocate because their livelihoods depended on staying in the city, were repeatedly evacuated to makeshift shelters in basketball courts.

When the opportunity arose to launch a digital communication campaign, Venus mobilized the Katipunan ng mga Kumikilos na Kabataan (KKK) ng Bagong Silangan, the youth organization she leads. Together, they launched KASALI KA (Kabataang Alisto sa Sakuna ay Ligtas sa Kapahamakan), a campaign advocating for disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM) in their community.

They created a music video, a popular medium among the youth, to advise on what to do during strong typhoons and floods. Among their tips were to (1) plan and prepare before a typhoon hits the ground, (2) know the safest route to the evacuation center, (3) ensure that the gadgets are fully charged, and (4) put important documents in a safe container, among others.

Knowing their right to live in a safe environment, the youth organization partnered with the Barangay Health Emergency Response Team (BHERT), whose mandate is to implement DRRM in their community, for their training on basic life support and first aid.

While KKK hopes for continuous support from the adult members of their community, Venus urged her fellow youth to step up.

“Kaya sa mga kabataan tulad namin, alamin natin kung anong mga social issue sa ating komunidad. Tayo ay makialam. Tayo ay makiisa sa pag-solve ng mga issue na ito. Sama-sama tayong magkaisa, mangampanya at magbigay pa ng mga kamalayan at kaalaman sa mga kapwa natin kabataan at sa lahat.”

Venus and Joed also served as speakers in the Annual ERDA College Activity in April 2025, where they shared their respective advocacies on DRRM and reproductive sexual health with almost 200 youth participants.

Driven by purpose and grounded in community, today’s youth are not just the future—they are the force shaping the present. And there is no stopping them.