CBMPC Reps Attend Seminar/ Workshop on Mainstreaming of Gender, Youth and Social Inclusion in Coops

The CBMPC Board authorized the attendance of Ms. Sonia Cruz and Ms. Julieta Santos, members of the Gender and Development (GAD) Committee in the Seminar/Workshop on the Mainstreaming of Gender, Youth and Social Inclusion (GYSI) in Cooperatives held in Sarrosa Hotel and Residential Suites, Cebu City.

This activity held on February 27-29, 2024 was sponsored by AgriCOOPh Federation of which CBMPC is a member, in cooperation with the following: TRIAS; United States Agency for International Development; Agricultural Cooperative Development International/ Volunteers on Overseas Cooperative and Cooperative Development Program Philippines. The participants came from member cooperatives of the federation from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.

Objectives of the seminar/workshop:

1. To deepen understanding on the importance of Gender and Development, Gender Equality, Women Empowerment, and Social Inclusion as part of the Cooperatives’ mission to reach the most vulnerable cooperative members, namely: men, women, LGBTQ+, youth, Persons with Disability, their families and their communities.
2. To increase awareness on the concepts of Social Inclusion and identify members/groups of people who are vulnerable to exclusion in the Cooperatives’ Agribusiness operation.
3. To identify strategic action to enhance GAD programs and activities and integrate the principles of Social Inclusion, Do No Harm, and Youth Engagement Strategies throughout the cooperative’s operation.
4. To appreciate and learn tools on how to conduct a GYSI analysis.
5. To reflect on how to monitor and assess GAD’s plan plus Social Inclusion, Do No Harm and Youth Engagement by capturing progress, success stories, learnings, and challenges.

The major topics discussed consisted of: Gender and Development Concept, The Social Construction of Gender, Gender and Inclusivity and GYSI Analysis Tools.