SAGADA, MOUNTAIN PROVINCE — Local youth took to the stage on July 4 to directly influence community development planning through a targeted consultation workshop titled “Our Barangay, Our Voice.”

The event gathered 37 youth participants aged 10–15 from various villages across the municipality. Organized as part of the core services of the Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office (MSWDO) of Sagada, the activity was led by MSWDO Officer Marites Lawagey and assisted by the MSWDO staff and some Sangguniang Kabataan officials. To ensure true community representation, the cohort specifically included out-of-school youth and persons with disabilities (PWDs).

Mapping Safe and Threatening Spaces

During the first workshop, attendees participated in a spatial mapping exercise to identify specific areas in their villages where they feel secure or threatened. The findings revealed complex realities regarding how children interact with their local environment:

• The Sanctuary of Nature: The children highlighted the surrounding mountains and nature as natural safe spaces. 
• Home Ambiguity: While the majority of the participants cited their homes as safe, a troubling number of attendees expressed that they feel unsafe even within their own domestic spaces highlighting a critical need for domestic safety interventions.
• Water and Environmental Threats: Rivers were specifically flagged as hazardous zones, with participants explicitly naming the Bomay-eng and Tikangan rivers as unsafe areas. Dark, unlit pathways were also heavily cited as threats due to fear of physical harm and ghosts, while local roads were identified as common, universal hazards.
• Central Zone and Social Vulnerabilities: Participants living in the central zone marked local bars as highly unsafe environments, citing frequent encounters with public drunkenness, fights, and motor vehicle accidents. Furthermore, popular tourist and teen drinking spots like Kiltepan were highlighted as unsafe due to the risks associated with unsupervised youth drinking.
• The School Paradox: Many participants identified school as both a safe space and a threat. It is valued as a place of learning, but it is also perceived as unsafe due to bullying experiences and perceived favoritism from teachers.
• The Sanctuary of the Dap-ay: Every single participant unanimously agreed that the dap-ay (traditional community center) is a safe place for them. 

Crafting the Local Children’s Plan

The primary objective of the workshop was to gather these grassroots insights directly from the children. The data will populate the four core pillars of the Municipal & Barangay Children’s Plan:

• Survival: Health, nutrition, and basic needs.
• Development: Education, play, and skills training.
• Protection: Safety, abuse prevention, and emergency shelter.
• Participation: Child representation in local decision-making.

On a positive note regarding community support, participants highlighted that two barangays (Ankileng and Bangaan) actively support student development by allowing youth to use village Wi-Fi for school-related work. During these occasions, local officials supervise the students to ensure a secure environment.

Navigating the Digital Landscape

In tandem with policy mapping, participants underwent a training led by local community radio station Radyo Sagada, represented by community broadcasters Gwendolyn Gaongen and Domingo Manalog. The session is part of the station’s broader campaign against climate disinformation and safety on social media.

The interactive discussions focused on vital digital competencies:

• Critical Thinking: Making youth better understand and be critical of online information.
• Responsible Participation: Encouraging children to engage safely and accountably on social media platforms.
• Scam Prevention: Teaching practical skills to avoid online scams.
• Fact-Checking: Identifying false, lied-about, or manipulated information.
• Actionable Steps: Instructing youth on what they should do if they spot scams or false info on the internet.

The media literacy segment concluded with several lively games that effectively gauged the participants’ understanding of the concepts taught.

A Call to Action for Community Leaders and Parents

The workshop underscores an urgent need for adult stakeholders to heed the opinions and fears of the younger generation. Organizers call on village and municipal leaders to appropriate specific budgets for infrastructure plans—such as installing proper street lighting on unlit pathways and road sections—to make communities physically safer for children. Most importantly, parents and community members are urged to listen closely to these youth perspectives, especially given that some children expressed feeling unsafe in their own homes and schools.