Akbayan Youth

Akbayan Youth is a democratic socialist youth & student movement in the Philippines that works for the realization of good governance & transformative politics. Akbayan Youth, through dynamic, critical, vigilant, and solution-oriented brand of activism, aims to contribute in catalyzing social change.

Akbayan Youth is the youth wing of Akbayan Citizens’ Action Party.

More than being a youth wing of our mother party, Akbayan Youth is an independent and autonomous left, democratic socialist and feminist youth movement in the Philippines, working for freedom, equality and solidarity all over the world.

Akbayan Youth adheres to the socialist principles: democracy, humanism, equity, internationalism, socialist feminism and ecological socialism.

Akbayan! Youth believes in Democracy.

DEMOCRACY which builds upon the right of every young Filipino to meaningful participation in political processes; asserts pluralism, equality, democratic culture; and empowers the marginalized majority of the people against elite democracy. (i.e. anti dynasty and SK reform campaign; young women’s participation and leadership within the organization; internal democracy in the organization; youth rights and welfare campaign, among others.)

Akbayan! Youth believes in Equity.

EQUITY which upholds the right of every Filipino to have accessible, quality and relevant education, decent employment and adequate health services; asserts the autonomy of the free association of young people; takes the stand; and relies on the strength of the people to end all forms of capitalist exploitation and achieve full social protection.

Akbayan! Youth believes in Humanism.

HUMANISM which genuinely underscores the fullest dignity due to all human beings across and within generations, families, clans, ethnicity, gender, nations, attendant cultures, spirituality, as well as our relationship to Mother Earth; asserts the autonomy of the free association of social movements in civil society; and works towards the full self-expression and self-realization towards resolving social alienation (i.e. campaign against destructive mining, solidarity work among different sub-sectors of the youth, peace advocacy in Mindanao, anti-discrimination.

Akbayan! Youth believes in Internationalism.

INTERNATIONALISM which painstakingly works to end violent conflicts among nation-states all over the globe; promotes various forms of international cooperation towards peace and development and justice; underscores solidarity among the world’s peoples especially the young people, social movements and toilers’ parties; and actively partakes in broad actions to end all forms of colonial, imperial adventures and unilateralism of the most powerful nation-states (i.e. Akbayan Youth’s membership in the International Union of Socialist Youth and Young Progressives in Southeast Asia, indignation against US unilateralism / war, Free Burma movement).

Akbayan! Youth believes in Socialist Feminism.

SOCIALIST FEMINISM which acknowledges the systematic disadvantages of women and sexual minorities in contexts of institutionalized patriarchy; asserts the centrality of gender issues in analyses of capitalist exploitation and political praxis; works towards the elimination of the sexual division of labor; and moves for the transformation of perspectives on gender relations, sexuality, reproduction, and the family.

Akbayan! Youth believes in Ecological Socialism.

ECOLOGICAL SOCIALISM which sees capitalism, patriarchy, and extractive industrialization as sources of environmental degradation; works towards a national framework for the integration of development and conservation by redefining needs, undertaking asset reforms, and promoting alternatives to the industrial mode of production; rediscovers the feminist principle in nature and view of the earth as sustainer and provider that promotes the nurturing value for Mother Earth; celebrates indigenous knowledge and local participation in development; and enables communities to care for their environment.

OUR POLITICAL OBJECTIVES

YOUTH IN GOVERNANCE. To directly engage in effective and progressive good governance, promote new politics in both the national and local levels through the elected public officials from its ranks and within its spheres of influence.

CAMPAIGN AND POLICY ADVOCACY. To work for the passage of bills in Congress and legislation in local legislative and special bodies that shall benefit the peoples’ welfare particularly on the concerns of education, health, youth employment, human rights, political participation, environment and peace.

SOLIDARITY WORKS. To launch and maintain the closest possible cooperation, launch joint undertakings and engage in solidarity work with the workers’, indigenous peoples’, peasants’ and other toilers’ mass and other social movements including those of overseas Filipinos. Espouse solidarity with various civil society organizations on the local, intermediate and national levels for development, democratization and other purposes for the betterment of the peoples’ welfare.

ORGANIZING AND ALLIANCE-BUILDING. To build Alternative Centers versus traditional centers of Power in schools and communities through capacitatingyoung people’s and student’s organizations. Creation of alternative venues/organizations among the students / youth themselves that are radically departing from traditional ways of organizing and gaining collective power.

Reclaim Politics! Build the Democratic Socialist Future! -Akbayan Youth