by Shekinah Benitez, Advocacy & Communications Officer

Ateneo de Zamboanga University’s SUGPAT Program was recently recognized as one of the country’s Ten Accomplished Youth Organizations (TAYO).

Among over 300 applicants, SUGPAT, a flagship program of the Ateneo Center for Culture and Arts (ACCA), was given the award for its hard work in harnessing creativity and innovation, particularly in establishing the Alternative School for Peacebuilding and Arts (ALSPA).

AdZU-SUGPAT was represented by ACCA Program Officer Rogin Eribal during the awarding ceremony held on February 13, 2020 at the GSIS Theater in Pasay City.

AdZU-SUGPAT is the second program of AdZU to be given this recognition, and the fifth in Zamboanga City. Last year, AdZU’s EcoWATCH, a student organization under the Social Awareness and Community Service Involvement (SACSI) Office that advocate environmental awareness and conservation, was among the Top 20 national finalists. Applicants undergo field validation and a regional round, before qualifying for the grand finals.

“SUGPAT has come a long way through the support of every volunteer and partner who believed that every dream matters,” ACCA Director Kiko Miranda said, citing the motto of the program.

SUGPAT was launched in AdZU in 2015 as an Arts for Development Project to address the need of youth and adolescents displaced by the 2013 Zamboanga Siege. AdZU President Fr Karel San Juan, SJ, commended the team behind the program, stating how it has since evolved into a program employing innovative strategies, covering areas in policy, research, and barangay and youth leadership, while still continuing the alternative education program.

SUGPAT also won third place in the Video Sprint Challenge, with its 90-second video on the organization and the project. TAYO is the only award-giving body in the Philippines that recognizes, rewards, and supports the outstanding contributions of youth organizations to the country with programs and projects that help communities.