Youth Leaders Form Columbio Peace Movement After Three-Day Leadership Summit

COLUMBIO, Sultan Kudarat — Eighty-seven young leaders from different barangays in Columbio concluded a three-day leadership summit with more than new skills and experiences. They also established the Youth for Peace Movement–Columbio Chapter, electing their first set of officers and committing to continue promoting volunteerism, civic engagement, and peacebuilding in their respective communities.

The creation of the youth organization became one of the summit’s most significant outcomes, transforming the activity from a short-term leadership program into a continuing platform for youth participation in community development. Organizers said the chapter will serve as a venue for young leaders to collaborate on initiatives that promote peace, responsible citizenship, and positive community engagement.

Throughout the summit, participants engaged in leadership workshops, team-building activities, values formation sessions, lectures, and practical leadership challenges designed to strengthen self-confidence, enhance teamwork, cultivate discipline, and develop decision-making and problem-solving skills. The activity encouraged participants to see leadership not simply as holding positions, but as serving their communities and becoming positive influences among their peers.

For communities that have experienced the effects of armed conflict, investing in young leaders carries significance beyond personal development. Peacebuilding practitioners increasingly recognize that empowering youth with leadership opportunities, critical thinking skills, and constructive avenues for civic participation helps strengthen community resilience against violence and extremism while encouraging the next generation to become active partners in local development.

One of the summit’s sessions focused on youth infiltration and was facilitated by Billy Berana Jr. (“Borjak”), Regional President of the SOCCSKSARGEN Peace Advocates for Nation-Building and Development (SPAND). Drawing from his experience as a former rebel and peace advocate, Berana discussed how extremist organizations exploit legitimate social concerns to influence and recruit young people, encouraging participants to develop critical thinking and channel their idealism toward lawful community service and nation-building.

Participants also attended sessions facilitated by representatives from various local government agencies and the Philippine National Police, covering leadership, civic responsibility, and community engagement. Throughout the three-day activity, personnel from Charlie Company and Headquarters Company, 39th Infantry Battalion, served as mentors, while volunteers from the Youth for Peace Movement–Davao del Sur Chapter facilitated workshops, team-building activities, and leadership sessions.

The summit was supported by the Local Government Unit of Columbio, led by Mayor Amir M. Musali, together with Sangguniang Kabataan officials from various barangays, reflecting the municipality’s continuing investment in youth leadership as an important component of community development and peacebuilding.

The establishment of the Youth for Peace Movement–Columbio Chapter demonstrates how leadership programs can create lasting impact beyond the duration of a seminar. By organizing themselves into a community-based youth organization, participants committed to sustaining the values and lessons gained during the summit through volunteer work, leadership initiatives, and peace advocacy in their own barangays.

As communities across conflict-affected areas continue to preserve the gains of peace, initiatives such as the Columbio Youth Leadership Summit highlight a broader lesson: preventing future conflict begins by investing in young people who are equipped not only with leadership skills, but also with the values, resilience, and sense of responsibility needed to lead their communities toward a more peaceful and inclusive future.