Dakila partners with MTV Exit in bringing campaign against human trafficking to Davao City.

DAVAO – Following the success of the Freedom Ride, a pioneering event that brought together 6,000 cyclists in a nationwide campaign against human trafficking early this year, Dakila partnered with MTV EXIT for a youth-driven initiative against human trafficking and exploitation in the Philippines. Dakila renewed its partnership with MTV EXIT’s human trafficking campaign following the efforts of the Department of Justice Inter Agency Council Against Trafficking (DOJ – IACAT) to revitalize its information and awareness campaign in Davao City and adjacent areas.

The MTV Exit Youth Jam featured 3-day youth training, forums in various schools in Davao, free film screenings at the Davao Cinematheque in partnership with the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP), and a free concert held last September 21 at the Matina Town Square in partnership with Davao Music Nation (DMN). The concert featured local artists such as Maan Chua, lucas, Lost Tribe, Anne Mendoza, South Breed and Umbro. Dakila brought in the rock band, Franco, a staunch advocate in the fight against human trafficking.

The MTV Exit roadshow aimed to empower youth advocates in Davao to sustain the campaign against human trafficking. Dakila’s artist-members singer-songwriter Nityalila Saulo, photographer Ralph Rovie Eya, and seasoned thespian Erolle Linus Miranda mentored 25 youth ambassadors from all over Davao in using their creative medium of choice to forward their advocacy against human trafficking at the Youth Jam Training held last September 13-15 at the Ateneo de Davao University. Saulo breathed new life into words as she taught songwriting while Eya laid down the essentials of photography, as Miranda encouraged truth in acting.

Making it a point to inspire change and social transformation, Dakila Spokesperson Ayeen Karunungan gave a comprehensive crash-course on advocacy communications followed by a talk on project management by Communications Manager Ayrie Ching, capped off by Executive Director Leni Velasco’s discussion on the finer points of effective and creative project planning and communication strategy.

Dakila president and multi-awarded journalist, musician, and pop culture icon Lourd de Veyra mentioned during the launch of Dakila’s anti-trafficking campaign last March, “Not only are we a country with 10 million of our countrymen working abroad and where disasters, armed conflict and poverty force most of us to find better opportunities and safer living space elsewhere, but also a society where the luster of city life and promise of fast cash continue to attract people from the rural communities. As a result, more people are becoming vulnerable to human trafficking.”

“In the face of the growing number of victims of human trafficking in the country, the MTV Exit Youth Jam is a welcome contribution to the prevention efforts,” said Dakila Spokesperson Ayeen Karunungan. “We admire the passionate drive of Davao’s youth ambassadors in engaging their fellow youth to embrace the campaign. We are very positive that with these 25 new youth leaders as ambassadors and with the participation of Davao’s artists, we will be seeing more initiatives on line and on ground to help curb human trafficking in Davao.”

The MTV EXIT Davao Roadshow is made possible by MTV EXIT, in partnership with DAKILA, through the sponsorship of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID).

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