About Us
Behind the Scenes
Surigao Youth Convergence, Inc. (SYG) is a nonprofit non-governmental organization founded, led, and composed by young people from Surigao del Norte, Philippines. Here at SYG we see the value in everyone. We want to be a catalyst for positive change, and since our beginnings 2016, we’ve been driven by the same ideas we initially founded our NGO upon: support, empowerment, and progress.
WHAT ARE WE FIGHTING FOR?
(1) a future where young people can live in peace and harmony
(2) a better world for our generation and beyond
(3) a government that recognizes young people as a relevant factor for development
SYG wants to spread a message of hope and compassion. We believe that a single action can make a difference in the community, and that collective action can greatly impact the world. Through advocacy and outreach activities, our team works tirelessly each day to contribute their part to the greater good.
We are driven by a single goal; to do our part in making the world a better place for all. Our decision making process is informed by comprehensive empirical studies and high quality data evaluation. We strive to build productive relationships and make a positive impact with all of our pursuits.
Registered under Securities and Exchange Commission and is a partner to quite a number of organizations in the province and beyond. The organization seeks to incorporate these seven focused issues taken from the United Nations’ sustainable development goals – health, education and youth participation, poverty alleviation, environment, employment, human rights, and peace and development – to the province of Surigao del Norte with young people as the crucial players in their integration. SYG organized a project for each of these goals to attain more efficiently its objectives.
For the climate action, for instance, SYG has established the Cellophane and Plastic Free Surigao Campaign to free the city from the destructive effects of plastic usage. SYG penned down objectives to achieve in the realization of the project. The campaign’s objectives include media engagements to promote the campaign, school-to-school caravan, research on the availability of the ordinance, and policy advocacy on the total ban of cellophane and plastic.
The organization have organized 7 peace caravans throughout the province of Surigao del Norte bringing the idealism that peace should be understood of this generation so they can bring peace in the future. We also have organized a Debate competition that aims to develop young people’s critical thinking skills and to also be able to knowledgeable of the societal issues nowadays. The organization also partnered with other local organizations to conduct programs and advocacies for young people’s development.
SYG continues to strive to accomplish these objectives while working simultaneously but carefully on the other projects on the other focused issues. The financial incapacity of the organization is impeding the full progress of its projects, however, SYG partners with different organizations and donors that willingly back the financial facet of the projects. The organization also constantly looks for other ways to support its projects through tapping partnerships and exposing the organization to the local government and on social media through small-scale activities like tree planting activities, clean-up drives, and public speaking training sessions. SYG has succeeded in the attainment of its objectives due to untiring commitment of the people who compose the team.
The donors and the partners of the organization have also been very generous in providing scaffold. Despite the setbacks caused primarily by financial incapacity, SYG eagerly strives to look for people and partners to move forward with. With everybody’s commitment to volunteerism and community work, the SYG is optimistic about what the future has in store.