5 Student-Led Non-Profit Organizations That Made Us Proud This Year

If there’s one word that shaped the year 2019, it’s Y-O-U-T-H. 

Young people all over the world are taking strides to advocate for social causes like education, women empowerment, and mental health literacy—and they’re doing a great job. A bunch of them are Filipino students, too. And to say the least, they never fail to make us all proud. #PinoyPride

Juggling school work and running an organization at the same time is not an easy thing to do. But these student-led organizations are proof that it’s possible. As long as you stay focused and patient with your goals, you’ll come a long way.

Get to know these organizations that are making waves with their advocacies. Have your daily dose of inspiration! Who knows you might run your own organization in the near future, yes?

 

Likha Liwanag

Likha, Liwanag is a non-profit organization that aims to spread mental health literacy. They initiate activities like fundraiser gigs to support mental health movements.  They also find ways to help you get discounts when you buy mental health prescription meds! Scroll through their Facebook page to pick up some inspiration and gems of wisdom. We’ve got our own favorite quote: “recovery takes time, patience, and hard work. You’ve got this!”

 

Talang Dalisay

Pure, shining star. That’s what Talang Dalisay means. It’s amazing how they live up to their name. Talang Dalisay is a non-profit organization that caters to the mental health of Filipino youth. They also raise awareness on different mental health issues. Their mission? To support persons with mental disabilities and illnesses, and extend help to their families. An environment that values respect, great tolerance, understanding and unity, that is what Talang Dalisay envisions for.

 

Streets To Schools

It all started when a group of UST Junior High School students joined the Young Bridging Leaders, a program that aims to empower young leaders to create projects that embodies the Sustainable Development Goals. They started a project that helped street children around UST to receive quality education. This project grew into a youth-led initiative for education: Streets to Schools.

Today, they are actively bringing back out-of-school youth to schools. For this purposeful work, it’s no surprise that they keep on reaping awards like People Defender of the Year from the Global Institute for Youth Development NYLC and the winner of the Jesse M. Robredo Foundation Be Like Jesse Youth Grant Competition. Well-deserved!

 

Girl Up Philippines

Thanks to Girl Up Philippines, young girls can access more opportunities to reach their full potential. This organization under the United Nations Foundation Campaign promotes women empowerment. Girl Up Philippines tackles issues like gender-based violence and intersectionality where they empower young girls to take action. FTW!

They also aim to connect girls around the country to extend a helping hand to girls that experience struggles in their community. What’s more, they’ve been holding numerous fundraisers and events to pursue their advocacy.  This one’s for the girls!

 

WiTech

WiTech promotes and celebrates the role of  women in technology. It is a community organization that aims to close the gender gap in the field of technology.  It was founded by Audrey Pe when she was a sophomore (read: yup, you read that right)  in high school. 

According to PWC, only 18% of Philippine startup founders are female, but the WiTech team is gradually changing this scene. They’ve been continuously engaging  more young girls and boys to break gender barriers by pursuing careers in STEM. Their core values say it all: they want to  inspire, to make a difference, and to empower. And of course, to code!

 

To the awesome person reading this: You can also make a difference in your own ways. You can sign up as a volunteer or intern for these organizations. Or why not build an organization of your own? As always, we’re rooting for you!

Want to read more articles like this? Check out our Commune blog section for more tips and advice on your student life. You can also find more inspiring stories on Edukasyon.ph now!