14 teams compete in Run 5 of Ideas Positive
Ideas Positive is a nationwide competition for innovative ideas from those belonging to the 15-25 age bracket of the population which when implemented can solve an identified health problem of a community.
The program was launched to empower the youth to be active partners in the promotion of a healthier Philippines.
Fourteen teams are vying to bag the top three places in the 5th run of Ideas Positive which will wind up this month.
Run 5 of Ideas Positive recorded 178 entries from 16 of the country’s 17 regions. After going through rigid screening, only 14 teams qualified as finalists. These teams are Blueprint, Catalysts, Huhu, Island Rescuers, Kalagwa, Kubo, Mamasitters, Nutri-Five, Para sa Bayan, PLA, TB or Not TB, Transformer V2.0, Uswag Culajao, and YCARE. The chosen communities of the teams where their projects are being implemented are barangays located nationwide. Health concerns and issues being addressed include hygiene and sanitation, iron deficiency, respiratory infection, emergency response, schistosomiasis, dengue, maternal health, malnutrition, goiter, tuberculosis and health care delivery system.
The winning teams will receive trophies and cash prizes.
Project manager Ira Cruz said that the program on its first two years was implemented by Unilab. Unilab decided to put up the Unilab Foundation to oversee its corporate social responsibility programs.
Unlike the first two years where teams were judged based on creativity and the innovativeness of their project pitches, the program’s third run focused not only on positive ideas but also on positive and sustainable outcomes.
The competition is open to all students and youth from community groups or organizations. Those interested to join must form a team of five members with one coach. Each team is required to submit a proposal that will be screened by the judges. A live screening follows where teams will be asked to speak about their plans. The live screening determines how many teams qualify to attend the boot camp. The boot camp is essential in the implementation of the teams’ proposals. It is at the boot camp where they are given the opportunity to learn project management, leadership and team building skills; they also meet experts in various fields such as health and community development, among others, who can provide coaching and mentoring. After the boot camp, project implementation starts. Each team will be given seed money for the project. A team from Ideas Positive will visit the community where the project is being carried out. Implementation time is six months after which winners are awarded their prizes.
After four years of the program, 133 sustainable health programs have been implemented. These health programs have greatly affected the communities with 9,615 people helping build a healthier Philippines. Because the youth care, they share their talent and their time; and they dare to make a difference in the lives of the people in the communities where their projects are implemented.