The YP Design Challenge is comprised of three design challenges, working around themes of sustainable community development. Each category has its own set of competition guidelines, judging criteria and prizes. Participants may choose to join in any or all of the following design challenge categories: Sustainable Shelter, Trash Transformation, and Portable Playground.

Registration is now open and closes on August 29, 2008. The competition guidelines and registration forms may be downloaded from the YP Design Challenge Website or request for copies can be made by calling Mai Ilagan at (63-2) 441-0998.

To see the results of the June 2008 Environmental Planner Licensure Exam, please click here

To everyone who has helped us, thank you very much for your continued support.

The YP Design Challenge is comprised of three design challenges, working around themes of sustainable community development. Each category has its own set of competition guidelines, judging criteria and prizes. Participants may choose to join in any or all of the following design challenge categories:

Design Challenge 1: Sustainable Shelter
Design Challenge 2: Trash Transformation
Design Challenge 3: Portable Playground

For our partners in the academe, we’re encouraging architecture/id, planning and engineering schools in Metro Manila to consider the design challenges in this competition as student design plate/project requirements for a semester. We see this competition as a vehicle for the students to directly deal with sustainability issues in their academic design assignments and offers design educators an opportunity to orient and guide the students on important ideas on sustainability in their design studios.

We’d like to invite you to the YP Design Challenge Launch on June 06, 2008 (Friday) at ISO-Ateneo (1:30pm). During the launch we shall be introducing the competition rules and guidelines as well as its website, www.ypdesignchallenge.tao-pilipinas.org. (This website can already be accessed for more information about the competition.)

We hope to see you at the project launch. Thank you very much for your continued support.

The ceremony held in Taipei capped the end of the International Training Workshop on Typhoon and Flood Disaster Reduction 2008 attended by representatives from 9 countries: El Salvador, Guatemala, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, Thailand, The Philippines, the United States of America and Vietnam.

College of Architecture Architect Arlene Christy D. Lusterio, Executive Director of TAO-Pilipinas, Inc., Dr. Daphne Loke, Director of Center for Continuing Education of SEGi College Main Campus and Dr. Romeo B. Santos, Associate Professor of University of the Philippines College of Architecture signed the Memorandum. Dr. Chen Liang-Chun, Director of the National Science and Technology Center for Disaster Reduction (NCDR) of Taiwan served as advisor.

In accepting the role as Advisor to the initiative, he called upon universities of other countries to join in the Community of Practices as he likened natural disasters to the globalization of business thus requiring the need for knowledge on disaster reduction to be shared across time and distance in order for mankind to manage our resources for the creation of a safer environment.

To view the actual memorandum, please click here.

For more information about the job requirements and how to apply, please click here

This program is sponsored by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) and covers full accommodation and meals, training fees, training materials, and insurance. The aim of the Shelter Design and Development Programme is to give professionals deeper knowledge and a wider frame of reference to help them create long-term conditions to combat poverty through effective capacity and institutional development.

The internship will focus on community-based technical assistance, fieldwork activities, and housing-related research works. We are looking for YP interns who have strong commitment to social housing and community development issues and a desire to develop their skills and experience. For more information, please click here.

Application requirements include submission of completed application form, resume with 2×2 ID picture and referee report (or referral letter). Interested graduates/ students may download and print the application forms and send to TAO-Pilipinas, 23A Mapagbigay Street, Barangay Pinyahan, Diliman, Quezon City 1100 or email completed forms to yp@tao-pilipinas.org.

Workshop participants included graduates and students from Bicol University Department of Architecture and Aquinas University Polytechnic Institute. They were joined by representatives from Bicol Urban Poor Coordinating Council (BUPCC) and community associations in the COPE-sponsored housing areas in Anislag Phase 2 and Taysan resettlement sites.

Workshop Program

Like in previous YP workshops, the program was divided into two levels (theoretical and practicum) which allowed the participants to learn from academic and technical experts and gain practical knowledge from community people. Lecture topics were grouped into four sessions: (1) the role of YPs in human settlements development; (2) disasters and sustainable development; (3) resettlement sites in Albay province; and (4) planning for sustainable communities. A field visit to PHIVOLCS’ Mayon Volcano Observatory in Lignon Hill was also made.

Professor Ernesto Serote of UP-School of Urban and Regional Planning, Tanya Guarano of Institute on Church and Social Issues (ICSI), and Eddie Balunso of Bicol University were lecturers during the training sessions held at the DENR Regional Center. Presentations were also made by local officials in Albay like Cedric Daep of the Public Safety and Emergency Management Office, Ed Laguerta of PHIVOLCS, Albert Perfecto of NHA Region 5, and Yolanda Guanzon of PSWDO.

Community Immersion

COPE and the community associations in Anislag Phase 2 Resettlement Site in Daraga and Taysan Resettlement Site in Legaspi facilitated the participants’ 2-day immersion in the resettlement areas. Together with community leaders and residents, the workshop participants conducted resource and hazards mapping activities, focus group discussions and action planning for community improvement. After the community consultations, the YP groups prepared technical recommendations on community space planning and home design improvements. These immersion outputs were also presented before a plenary at the last day of the workshop.

Plenary Presentations

The issues raised in the community consultations underscored the struggles that relocated families have to contend with living in resettlement sites — the lack of site development, basic utilities and community facilities and limited livelihood opportunities for economic sustainability. These physical and economic needs were tackled by the participants during the workshop’s plenary presentations as they proposed actions that would address some of the immediate problems in the community. Mac Pavia of Albay Provincial Planning and Development Office and Dean Virgilio Perdigon of Aquinas served as panel reactors.

Individual reflection sharing by the workshop participants summed up their learnings and impacts of the 5-day activity. Each of the immersion groups also completed a mural painting to illustrate their workshop experience. The YP workshop ended with suggestions for echoing the activities with more young professional-participants and in communities not only in Albay but in other Bicol provinces as well. It was also resolved that the outputs of the workshop serve as an initial technical needs assessment for the Bicol Young Professionals group to formulate its follow-up activities

(This year’s YP Workshop was conducted with funding support from SELAVIP, Misereor, PHILSSA, Christian Aid and partly sponsored by Holcim Philippines, Compucare, Contrade and Tradelifters. The YP Workshop in Bicol documentation will be made available in www.ypws.tao-pilipinas.org.)