Training the Trainer in Educating the Electorate

Halalan 2022 is coming right up and as voters, our voices have a right to be heard. It’s important that we vote and act based on facts over opinions so that we can accurately vote and make a decision that will benefit us and our country in the long run. In every election, it is necessary to ensure that all constituents—men and women alike—understand their rights, their political system, the contests they are being asked to decide, and how and where to vote. 

Voter education is a vital step in voting because when we vote, we are ultimately deciding the future of not only ourselves, but our country and those around us. For an election to be successful and democratic, voters must understand their rights and responsibilities, and must be sufficiently knowledgeable and well informed to cast ballots and to participate meaningfully in the voting process. 

Recently, a group of inspiring individuals—calling themselves the Global Shapers Iloilo Hub took on an initiative entitled: YouVote: A Voters’ Registration and Education Campaign.

The Global Shapers Iloilo Hub is one of the 378 city-based hubs in the Global Shapers Community. They are a network of dynamic and diverse young Ilonggos who excel in their own fields, united by their love for Iloilo, and for the Philippines, working together to address local, regional, and global challenges. The group believes in a world where young people are central to solution building, policy-making and lasting change. 

The YouVote initiative commits to producing educated voters who will make informed choices in the 2022 National and Local Election to elect competent public officials. Global Shapers Iloilo Hub took this abstract and made it real.

The mission to produce educated voters is something we are passionate about in Goozam. Thus, in a partnership, we at GooZam Grow extend our technology in amplifying the cause of YouVote. We aim:

1. To form partnerships with at least 15 organizations whose mission includes producing educated Filipino voters; 
2. To equip at least 75 members of the 15 partner organizations with skills and training on how to reach the masses and educate them effectively in choosing the right leaders;
3. To create a scalable training program for trainers and advocates through the GooZam Grow eLearning Platform; 
4. To identify and fund 1 organization who has active participation during the training and have proposed a viable Voters’ Education campaign plan to a chosen community and/or target market.

Voters’ Education Training, the highlight of this partnership, will educate the voters of their right to suffrage and role in nation-building and reforms. Sessions will discuss technical information on the election process, governance, and other election-related activities that will surely immerse and inspire our participants. This electoral education is further broken down into sessions.

• Session 1: Human Rights and Democracy aims to describe human rights, compare and contrast democracy to other forms of government, and discuss the need for human Rights and democracy in the Philippines

• Session 2: Philippine Government aims to describe the three branches of government, explain the role of checks and balances in the government, and summarize the characteristics of good governance

• Session 3: Youth in Nation Building aims to describe the current situation of the country, especially those affecting the youth sector, discuss the role of youth in the 2022 election, and develop a Youth Agenda for the 2022 election

• Session 4: Poverty and Development aims to discuss poverty and development, explain various theories of development, and create a Philippine Development agenda for the 2022 election.

While all the traditional voter education programs are important, we have to look ahead and create a vision for the next generation of voters and citizens. Many more people would register to vote and show up on Election Day if they knew exactly what to do and what was at stake. Luckily, GooZam Grow and YouVote of Global Shapers Iloilo  are on the case, tirelessly fighting to ensure voters have the information they need by integrating digital civic education, civic values, and democratic attitudes and behavior through voter’s education training, in a way that changes the way we understand progress and democracy— anytime, anywhere!

We are one in producing a society and citizenry where good leadership is the norm and not the exception—even centuries after the polling places have closed.

Will you join us? Pre-register here!