THE speakers at The Manila Times’ Student Empowerment Forum on Friday called on young people to use their skills to “write their own future” and make a difference in a connected world.

Students braved a heavy downpour to hear the speakers talk on the theme “moving up, step up, and level up.”

In her speech, Department of Education (DepEd) Assistant Secretary Cilette Liboro-Co said that Generation Z is growing up in a world where success can be defined by their digital footprint, their startup idea, or their creativity that goes viral overnight.

“Education gives you the skills to write your own future. It teaches you not just how to follow stories but how to shape them. Not just how to wait for good news but how to make it,” Co said.

She related the story of DepEd Heroes Lourdes Rola and Dea Solayao, who went above and beyond their call of duty to teach children in their communities.

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Make a difference, write your own future, youth urged

“Their lives remind us that the most powerful headlines are not written in bold type, but in bold choices. That’s the same spirit we want to see ripple through DepEd and the entire country. Our mission of education is timeless, but the solutions cannot be outdated. We cannot face tomorrow with yesterday’s tools,” Co said.

Senate Basic Education Committee chairman Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian told the audience that upskilling and reskilling opportunities will be “abundant” for them.

“Wag nating palampasin ang mga oportunidad para palalimin natin ang ating kaalaman at kakayahan dahil ito ang magiging daan natin para sa mas maraming tagumpay (Let us not miss these opportunities to strengthen our knowledge and skills, as it would be a way to a more successful life),” Gatchalian said in his video message.

Times Columnist and Carl Balita Review Center chairman Dr. Carl Balita shared the story of the individual who hacked his social media accounts, which he later employed to make his websites hack-proof.

“The competency of the criminal hacker who hacked my account is the competency of the cybersecurity expert,” Balita said.

“If you want to level up, if you want to rise up, don’t forget your values,” he said.

Make a difference, write your own future, youth urged

Content creator Mona Magno-Veluz, also known as “Mighty Magulang,” urged the young students to espouse research and fact-checking amid the rise of misinformation and disinformation.

“We have to think about that really well. This is where the importance of everyday research comes in; the ability to seek, evaluate, and understand evidence is no longer a niche academic skill. It is a vital life skill for every digital citizen,” Veluz said.

She said evidence-based research will help make choices grounded in facts, not on opinion or hearsay.

Veluz added that digital literacy and critical thinking should be the key tools for the “storytellers of today”, but also called on adults to teach a “sense of responsibility” to younger generations on how they can discern reputable sites.

Another content creator, Lyqa Maravilla, told the students to normalize doubt in learning, research, and in responding to information.

“Doubting others, doubting information, is not a bad thing. In fact, that is the basis of critical thinking, because if you do not have doubt, how can critical thinking enter? That’s why we are thinking of different things,” Maravilla said.