Makati puts student support on display before SEA leaders

Makati’s school-based Teen Center, which provides students with counseling referrals, peer support and other services, was among the city’s programs presented to delegates of the 2nd Regional Forum on Human Rights Cities in ASEAN during a visit to Makati High School recently.

Students welcomed the delegation with special performances at the center in Barangay Poblacion, where they were introduced to a facility designed to give young people a place to study, rest and seek help with personal concerns.

The Teen Center serves students aged 10 to 19. Those who come in with concerns first speak with a Peer Assistance Leader, a fellow student trained to listen and provide initial support.

When a concern requires professional intervention, the school nurse, guidance counselor and school social worker can refer the student, confidentially, to Ospital ng Makati, the Makati Health Department or the Makati Social Welfare Department.

The center also offers tutoring, career talks, arts activities and health sessions. Students must present a consent form signed by a parent or guardian before using its services.

The facility is one of several Teen Centers being established by the city in its public high schools. The program was developed by DepEd Makati, the Makati Health Department, the Makati Social Welfare Department and the Urban Development Department, in coordination with the Commission on Population and Development.

The delegation included Undersecretary Georgina Ann Hernandez Yang, the Philippine representative to the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights and its chair; Pataranard Vibulsukh, director of technical services and foreign affairs at Thailand’s Department of Local Administration under the Ministry of Interior; and Ben B. Secretario, executive director of the UN Global Compact Network Philippines.