Ideas & Opportunities

There is a saying that goes that the youth are the enablers of change. PLDT KaAsenso, PLDT-Smart Foundation, The Outstanding Students of the Philippines Alumni Community (TOSP-AC), and RFM Foundation officially launched Project Pagsulong, the P1 million nationwide youth challenge for aspiring or budding young Filipino entrepreneurs with brilliant business ideas that could help alleviate poverty in the country.

“Project Pagsulong is part of PLDT KaAsenso’s thrust of contributing to nation-building by advocating entrepreneurship,” said Patrick Tang, Head of HOME Marketing for Voice and Micro-business. “We want to promote youth-preneurship and take it a notch further by providing an opportunity for them to make their entrepreneurial ideas a reality, and at the same time become social movers.”

Project Pagsulong will also be partnering with IdeaSpace, DRAFTFCB and GoNegosyo. The youth challenge is open to a team of 3 to 5 people, aged 18 to 30 years old, from all socio-economic status, regardless of educational attainment. Participating teams are expected to submit a business idea that can potentially solve a societal issue or need. Organizers are drum-beating this competition as an avenue for the youth to take a more significant civic role and be the changemakers that will benefit successor generations. "This is a way for them to pitch ideas on how they can change the world," says Jonathan de Quiroz of PLDT KaAsenso.

“This affirms our commitment in the social enterprise approach to help reduce poverty in the country,” said Esther Santos, PLDT-Smart Foundation President. “We believe in investing in our youth and their ability to take part in finding novel solutions to our [social] problems, some of which, in fact, were the same problems encountered and remain unsolved by generations before.” Santos added during the launch that the contest, "is an invitation to everyone to participate in poverty alleviation."    

According to Pamela Asis-Layugan, Chairperson of TOSP Alumni Community, “We are surrounded today by young social movers who dream big not just for themselves, but for their communities and nation at large.  That’s why we firmly support this campaign which hopefully can help surface latent nationalism among the young Filipinos. This will be a vehicle for them to share their talents, to learn and deepen their involvement to nation-building.”

“Our youth today are more inclined in being part of a growing culture of national concern by proactively contributing their skills to nation-building,” said Marie Young, President of RFM Foundation. “Project Pagsulong is a very timely nationwide challenge where they can show the world the greatness of the young Filipino spirit.”

To promote awareness, Project Pagsulong enlisted the help of 12 dynamic social movers who represent today’s bold and unique youth in entrepreneurship, sports, governance, technology, the arts and other fields. “Sharing our entrepreneurial experience to young people, and helping motivate them to dream bigger, is truly a privilege,” said Bam Aquino, co-founder of social enterprise Hapinoy. “We hope to spread the strong message that young people can be enablers of change and contributors of poverty-alleviating solutions.”

A manifesto of support to the ideals of today’s youth, featuring the brand ambassadors, was also unveiled during the launch – which the organizers hope will inspire young Filipinos to do their share in nation-building.

A different challenge

Interested participants have until the end of August 2012 to submit their entries. After the initial screening, short-listed teams will go to the next round where they will be asked to submit an expanded version of the proposal for another round of evaluation. Ten teams will be selected for the final round where mentors and coaches will guide them in concretizing and executing their business plans.

Ultimately, four winners will be selected – the top three teams winning cash grants of P500,000, P300,000, and P200,000 plus, a special People’s Choice winner of P100,000. For the plans to be sustainable and impact-oriented, grants will be awarded in tranches depending on project milestones achieved.

For more details about the youth challenge and to download the official form, click here or visit www.projectpagsulong.ph