UA&P congratulates its team of Junior College students of the 6-Year Program (6YP) who won first runner-up in the YouthTalkNation Mental Health Case Competition held last April 18. Jaime Calilung, Jove Calalo, Christian Paculaba, Charles Caluste and Jamie Alabin developed and presented a mental health program entitled “Common Ground” designed to be implemented in a school with a remote learning environment during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The team delivered their presentation for both preliminary and final rounds in front of a panel comprising business executives and mental health advocates, beating multiple teams of Canadian high school students.
Unlike a traditional case competition, YouthTalkNation utilizes the philosophy of “design-thinking” to challenge assumptions and redefine problems in an attempt to identify alternative strategies and solutions. Instead of providing a robust and lengthy case, students are given short prompts which challenge them to be creative and entrepreneurial.
YouthTalkNation provides a platform for youth innovation and a channel for dialogue with high level government officials and industry.