Aflatoun International, a CSO partner of ICA-AP organized its Asia Regional Meeting (ARM) 2024 from 24 to 28 June, hosted by the National Confederation of Cooperatives (NATCCO), in Cebu, Philippines.
Ms. Monalisa Kashyap, Program Coordinator and Advocacy Officer represented ICA-AP and made a presentation on "Youth in Cooperative Development" during the Partners Best Practices Plenary Session.
The five-day program featured a series of meetings, workshops, and interactive sessions aimed at sharing best practices, developing innovative strategies, and enhancing collective impact. This year’s event brought together Aflatoun’s Board members, international delegates from its member countries, and cooperators from the Philippines.
On the first day, participants were welcomed by Ms. Kirsten Thenus, Program Director at Aflatoun International, and the keynote speaker, Mr. Junel H. Echavez, Administrative Assistant II from the Office of the Acting Mayor. Following this, there was an interactive session with government stakeholders centered on the national integration of Social and Financial Education and discussion on cross-learning and knowledge sharing about national integration with delegates from other countries. Ms. Sylviya O. Paraguya, CEO of NATCCO, delivered the welcome address during dinner.
The second day began with a plenary session on Climate Change and Social & Financial Education, featuring Mr. Romell Antonio from the National Climate Change Commission of the Philippines, Mrs. Shanti Jagannathan, ADB Climate Change and Skills Specialist, and Mrs. Lasalette Gumban, Head of Advocacy at NATCCO. The first breakout session focused on curriculum development, resource mobilization, capacity building, and partnership development. The second breakout session focused on Aflatoun's four core programs: Aflatot, Aflatoun, Aflateen+, and Aflayouth, with country representatives from India, Sri Lanka, Mongolia, Indonesia, the Philippines, China, and Myanmar sharing their experiences. The third breakout consisted of four parallel sessions: Youth Entrepreneurship with speakers from Andra Pradesh, India and Be Better China; Youth Committee with speakers from ICA-AP, NATCCO, Lekdis Indonesia, and NECY Sri Lanka; Curriculum Contextualisation & Integration with speakers from Samunat Nepal, EMI Lao, and FRC Myanmar; and Block Chain/Crypto Currency/ Digital Learning with speakers from CED Vietnam, and CUFA PNG.
On the third day, the group discussion focused on the strategic planning of Aflatoun in the Asian context and was followed by breakout sessions on fundraising and communication, digital learning, and curriculum revision.
On the fourth day, participants visited LAMAC Multi-purpose Cooperative. This visit provided an opportunity to learn about LAMAC's rich 50-year history and its diverse range of services, including savings, loans, insurance, agri-businesses, the Hidden Valley Resort, integrated farm schools, travel and tours, Bugsay Restogrill, Coop Youth Planet, and more.
The Asia Regional Meeting concluded with a discussion on country-level strategies to enhance partner coverage in the Asia-Pacific region.
