Baguio City continues towards its 2043 Vision as 18 local government officials and 13 Safe and Sound Cities (S²Cities) programme youth innovators collaborated in a recent capacity development workshop aimed at strengthening the city’s youth engagement capacities and supporting the youth’s bold ideas for a safer and sounder Baguio.
Held at the S2Cities-borne SIGLAT – Baguio Youth Innovation Hub on 10 June 2026, the workshop was co-organized by ICLEI Southeast Asia, the Cordilleran Youth Center, and the City Government of Baguio through the City Planning, Development, and Sustainability Office.
Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong
Delivering a short message during the program, Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong encouraged the youth in their critical role in urban development. The Mayor said in a mix of English and Filipino: “Here in Baguio, we give so much importance to our young people. If you want to make a change in the future, someone has to start. And who is going to start? It’s the youth. So believe in yourself, aim high, and don’t underestimate your capabilities.”
The workshop started with an introduction to the S2Cities programme and its Baguio implementation thus far, a summary of SIGLAT’s accomplishments, and a presentation and application activity on ICLEI’s Youth Engagement Strategy and Unlocking the Power of Youth Checklist.
It culminated in a dynamic marketplace session, where youth innovators pitched six projects to city officials. These were Happy Paws Pet Park; Pagsasabatan: Indigenous Peoples Center Hub Renewal; Pop-up Theater Initiative; Community Wellness Hub; Verdant Spires Community Greenhouse; and Salintanglaw: Redesigning a Community Park at Engineer’s Hill.
By the end, the projects had identified concrete actions, partnerships, and institutional pathways to support implementation and scale-up, including: the potential access to available local government support and resources, opportunities to repurpose existing spaces, the introduction of a volunteer network; and continued technical and logistical guidance throughout the projects.
Baguio is currently building towards its Vision 2043: A Creative, Inclusive, and Livable City. Part of the vision’s seven-point agenda is on youth empowerment.
Baguio is the first city in the Philippines and the second city in Southeast Asia to officially be part of S²Cities, a global initiative by the Global Infrastructure Basel Foundation to improve youth safety and well-being in urban areas. The program is supported by Fondation Botnar and hosted by the Swiss Philanthropy Foundation.
ICLEI Southeast Asia serves as the government engagement partner for the Philippine S²Cities of Baguio and Naga.
