Encouraging youth leadership

The Magnolia Youth Achievement Awards (MYAA) were launched in the Philippines in 1987 as a call for Filipino youth to organize for self-help, self-initiated community and social development work. The awards salute Filipino youth in acknowledgement of their role in society and their need to manifest and hone their capabilities through community projects that they themselves envision, initiate and accomplish. The MYAA have become a yearly activity that has catalyzed young people's energy, idealism and intrinsic talents to generate projects on basic community services, infrastructure, livelihood programmes, leadership and skills training and outreach programmes for the underprivileged and cultural minorities.