Barkada power

FRIENDSHIPS are integral part of our lives. They don't just happen, we build and develop them. We choose our friends based on many reasons, justifications and motivations. As a relationship, we nurture friendships because they are important to us, they make us happy or they give us fulfillment. Friends also help us discover and define ourselves.

To belong is a fundamental human aspiration. This is especially true for the young who seek the support and acceptance of peers. They are the companions in the complex and complicated passage to adulthood. Peers serve as the refuge and support system when the home and family seem not to be sufficient and fully understand what they are going through. Peers are a source of strength, joy, hope and fulfillment. For whatever it’s worth, they also provide direction, guidance and counsel.

This is why, at this stage, peers seem to have greater influence on them than parents, elders and teachers. Also at this stage, their peers are often viewed negatively by parents and elders. The Filipino term barkada which simply means a group of friends or clique has negative connotations. It is often equated to gangs and considered bad influence.

Barkada traces its origins to the Spanish word barcada meaning boatload. The boat is an important symbol in our culture because it represents community and unity. Ultimately, a barkada is a group of people bound by the same interests, passions and aspirations. The National Youth Commission aims to harness and tap into the inherent and profound power of this bond among young people.

What good deeds has your barkada done lately?

This question was posed by the organizers of the Search for the Ten Accomplished Youth Organizations (TAYO) a few years back. That question was premised on the interesting assumption that a barkada is capable of doing good, that they can perform positive and constructive actions. The assumption is based on the experience of TAYO for many years that yielded amazing stories of barkadas, groups of young people, working for the common good.

So, what good deeds has your barkada done lately? This year, we ask the question again as we open the Fifteenth Search for the Ten Accomplished Youth Organizations (TAYO15). TAYO15 is all about finding, recognizing, and rewarding efforts of barkadas and youth groups in the country who have implemented programs and projects through collaboration and bayanihan with the aim of building engaged and inclusive communities.

This year's Search is organized by the TAYO Awards Foundation, Office of Senator Bam Aquino, Office of Senator Kiko Pangilinan and the National Youth Commission. It is presented by Coca-Cola Foundation Philippines and San Miguel Corporation, sponsored by Ayala Corporation, Aboitiz Equity Ventures, Jollibee, Smart, our official I.T. partner, Lenovo Philippines, and Cebu Pacific, the official airline partner.

If your answer to the question above is yes, visit www.tayoawards.net for more information.

Discover and harness the power of your barkada. Realize its full potential and inspire your generation. Join TAYO15.