The Youth Committee convened its National Meeting, CTRL + YOUth. The title emerged from early consultations with YVFC and the CAG, who wanted a national meeting that truly felt Gen Z/Gen Alpha that is fresh, digital, and participatory. CTRL + YOUth capture the idea of young people taking control of their own narratives and shaping the decisions that affect their lives.

This spirit carried through the entire design of the meeting, which was interactive, creative, and grounded in youth-led approaches. A major highlight was the intergenerational dialogue between young people and representatives from government, civil society, and development partners, including the Embassy of the Netherlands in the Philippines, Ateneo Law School, the Council for the
Welfare of Children, DOJ–NCC-CSAEM Secretariat, World Vision, the Department of Education, and the Philippine National Police.

Through a powerful creative manifesto, youth clearly called on different stakeholders to work together and meaningfully invest in the realization of children’s rights particularly in addressing SEC. A notable outcome of the engagement was the strong openness of government partners, particularly the CWC, the DepEd, and the PNP to work directly with children in addressing Online Sexual Abuse and Exploitation of Children SEC. Equally significant was the commitment of Ateneo Law School to engage youth as speakers in its Child Rights classes, providing a platform for young advocates to help mainstream children’s rights and deepen understanding of SEC among future legal practitioners.

Following the intergenerational dialogue, a concrete example of meaningful youth participation emerged through the engagement led by SMART/PLDT, which
brought young people into its materiality assessment to understand what truly matters to youth. This demonstrated how the private sector can translate dialogue into action by listening to young voices and reflecting the perspectives of YVFC and the CAG in its programming.