Youth-Driven SDGs Planning for the Philippines

by Angel Dy August 12, 2025

Today, August 12, 2025, we honor International Youth Day, with this year’s theme, “Local Youth Actions for the SDGs and Beyond”, celebrating how young people translate global goals into community-driven impact. Filipino youth are doing more than advocating; they’re actively shaping the future through hands-on contributions to early childhood development and mental health.

Youth-Led Initiatives in Early Childhood Development

Active Play & Mental Health
A 2024 study by Dalmacito Cordero Jr., published in Global Pediatric Health, highlights the critical role of recreational and active play in children’s emotional well-being and long-term development. It advocates for investment in playgrounds, parks, and sports facilities, emphasizing collaboration across government, schools, religious groups, and private sectors to make play spaces accessible and safe.

Youth-Driven SDG Planning
Research from a 2024 Asia-Pacific Social Science Review article outlines how youth organizations in Dasmariñas City cocreated SDG-oriented community plans using participatory workshops. These youth-led plans prioritized goals closely tied to early childhood such as quality education, health and well-being, gender equality, and clean sanitation. They are demonstrating how youth can methodically shape inclusive local agendas.

Youth Engagement in Mental Health

School-Based Mental Health Risk Factors
A 2023 Frontiers in Psychiatry study surveyed senior high students in Metro Manila and found alarming mental health trends:

Around 80% were at significant risk for anxiety
60% for depression
25% for stress
Importantly, family and social support emerged as protective factors—underscoring the need for youth-involved school mental health programs to build resilience and ensure peer and parental connection.

Rising Youth Suicide Risk
A presentation summarizing data from the Global School-based Student Health Survey (GSHS) and Young Adult Fertility and Sexuality (YAFS5) surveys underscores rising trends in suicidal behaviors among Filipino youth—highlighting an urgent need for youth-informed, school-based mental health interventions.

Bridging Early Childhood & Youth Mental Health with SDGs

Play as Prevention: Having play infrastructures supports SDG 3 (Good Health and Well‑being) and SDG 4 (Quality Education) by fostering early child mental and social development.
Inclusive Planning: Youth-created SDG plans include early childhood and health priorities—demonstrating their capacity to drive local progress effectively.
Mental Health Advocacy in Schools: Addressing anxiety and depression among youth points to the necessity of engaging them directly in designing supportive environments, thus aligning with SDG 3 and SDG 4, while promoting inclusive, resilient communities.

Call to Action: Support Youth-Led Impact

Empower youth in community design: Encourage participation in planning facilities that prioritize children’s well-being.
Partner with schools: Collaborate on youth-led mental health programs and peer support initiatives tailored to local student needs.
Invest in research and capacity-building: Fund studies and training that equip young leaders to integrate early childhood development and mental health perspectives into SDG planning.

Conclusion

This International Youth Day, let’s recognize Filipino youth not just as future stewards—but as today’s changemakers. Their contributions in nurturing environments for play, shaping development plans, and advocating for mental health are building the foundation for a resilient and inclusive Philippines. Supporting their leadership today strengthens our future together.

References

Cordero Jr., D.A. Let’s Play Kids: Active Play and Mental Health of Children in the Philippines. Global Pediatric Health (2024).
Bastida, E.L., et al. Creating an SDG‑Oriented Youth Engagement Plan: An Action Research. Asia‑Pacific Social Science Review (2024).
Serrano, I.M.A., et al. Sociodemographic characteristics, social support, and family history as factors of depression, anxiety, and stress among young adult Senior High School Students in Metro Manila. Frontiers in Psychiatry (2023).
Presentation: A Call for Action: The Current State of Filipino Youth’s Suicidal Behaviors. (2023).