This TPA Now paper, the 5th in the series, answers what “youth-led” means based on existing literature and insights from G-Watch youth organizing work. It examines whether the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) response to the COVID-19 pandemic have been truly youth-led and indicative of reform gains from the SK Reform Law.
After reviewing 43 SK initiatives and referring to other related secondary materials, the paper concludes that “despite being branded as a ‘breeding ground for traditional politicians,’ various SK Councils have continuously shown signs of reform to being truly youth-led, as illustrated not just in their COVID-19 response, but also in their participation in advocating for good governance and nation-building.” G-Watch’s proposition on its work on SK is premised on the idea that the SKs’ capacity to scale and sustain accountability in the country depends on it becoming truly transformative and youth-led.
TPA Now! A Paper Series on Transparency, Participation and Accountability is a platform for practitioners, researchers and action strategists to present evidence and reflect on the practice and research on strategic TPA and to broaden awareness on the importance of accountability in governance. It is an initiative of Government Watch (G-Watch), in partnership with Accountability Research Center (ARC) to advance the discourse and practice of ‘strategic TPA.’