QCU and City College of Angeles Forge Partnership to Empower Out-of-School Youth
Quezon City University (QCU) and City College of Angeles (CCA) have formalized their collaboration through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on July 18, 2024, at the Office of the City Mayor, Angeles City Hall. The initiative aims to empower out-of-school youth (OSY) through QCU’s Executive Course for Barangay Leaders on Systems Delivery Support for Out-of-School Youth (BLeSDS for OSY).
Present during the signing were QCU President, Dr. Theresita V. Atienza, and Angeles City Mayor Carmelo “Pogi” Lazatin Jr. Also in attendance were City College of Angeles Designated Chairman of the Board, Dr. Frankie Villanueva, OIC/Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dr. Caroline Sarmiento, Ms. Reynalyne Fungo and Ms. Dianne Villarey, representatives of the USAID-Education Development Center, Dr. Grace Fabros-Tyle, CCA’s Assistant Vice President, and Mr. Angelito Bautista Jr., Director of QCU Research Management and Project Manager for the BLeSDS Program.
This BLeSDS for OSY executive course aims to equip community leaders and educators with effective strategies to support OSY under the Opportunity 2.0 Program of the United States International Agency for Development (USAID) – Education Development Center (EDC). The training program is poised to develop a skilled cadre of trainers who will implement the executive course in Angeles City.
Mayor Lazatin emphasized the program’s importance: “This is a very good project that will really help our communities, especially the out-of-school youth. We hope we can include our Sanggunian Kabataan, especially those teaching, as part of the training of trainers.”
Meanwhile, Dr. Atienza highlighted the transformative impact of the program, stating, “Through this initiative, we are not just addressing the immediate educational gaps but are nurturing a foundation for lifelong resilience and success among our youth. This collaboration stands as a testament to our commitment to community engagement and empowerment at every level.”
In her short message, Ms. Fungo applauded the joint effort, expressing gratitude and optimism for the project’s future.
“We are very thankful to QCU for forging this partnership with CCA, and we look forward to the completion of the project and the positive impact that this will bring. Such initiatives are crucial for leveraging community strengths and driving sustainable development.”
The QCU-CCA partnership will focus on training selected faculty members and employees of CCA through a five-day extensive training and workshop. This training will cover topics on how to plan, manage, and implement the BLeSDS program for OSY and how to deliver the executive course. After the training, CCA will implement the 1.5-month BLeSDS for OSY executive course in Angeles City with the support of QCU.
Funded through the Opportunity 2.0 GAIN Grant of the USAID-Education Development Center, the course draws on the Bridging Leadership Framework and the Positive Youth Development Approach by USAID to address the gaps and issues affecting OSYs in Angeles City.
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