A youth center with a livelihood and processing center will soon rise in Irisan when the Irisan Youth Center, a two-story building project, will open accommodating the needs of the youth and community for a space to undertake academic and entrepreneurship ventures for the barangay’s constituents.
This effort of constructing the Irisan Youth Center is pioneered by the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) Council allotting more than PhP 1.5 million for its construction.
It will be remembered that the infrastructure plan started during the term of SK Chair Mary Grace Binay-an in 2007-2010 and was continued by the succeeding SK Councils. However, the construction was halted in 2013 due to the abolishment of SK in the barangay level of councils. Finally, in 2020 with the recent SK Council Members with Carla Cacho, SK chairman, the initiative was revived.
“During the first years of the construction, there was no definite purpose for the building aside from being a multipurpose hall,” clarified Cacho.
However, with the recent social and economic needs intensified by the COVID-19 pandemic, the SK defined the structural purpose of the soon-to-rise Irisan Youth Center.
The SK Council emphasized that understanding the academic needs of students even before the pandemic pushed them to finish the construction of the project having observed the challenges encountered by most of the youth in the barangay, such as noisy environment, limited resources for academic requirements, mental health awareness amplified by the health pandemic.
At present, the Irisan Youth Center is intended to house the Baguio Arabica Coffee Processing Center at the first floor of the building to be managed by the coffee farmers in the city in partnership with the City Veterinary and Agriculture Office.
The upper floor will be utilized as the SK Council office and a teen hub that offers a counseling section, e-library, peer tutorial space, and study area which is conducive for learning and reflecting.
According to Neonick Kindipan, one of the youth volunteers, the facility will help them in processing administrative and academic papers since there will be an office for the SK Council, hence, the communication will be much easier.
Further for Ezekiel Labon stated that the facility will be a good avenue for him to be destressed since the location is away from noise.
“The place is not so close to the highway which is a good place for the youth to focus if they are studying, reading, writing, or even reflecting,” said Labon.
As of press time, the City Building and Architecture Office has turned over the final program of work and design for the compliance of the contractor.
By Clarissa-Mae Ebba