EDITORIAL - Reinventing the SK

So it's now final. Following several postponements, the next Sangguniang Kabataan election will be held together with the barangay polls in October in 2016, the Commission on Elections announced.

President Benigno Aquino III last week signed into law a bill resetting the SK polls to the last Monday of 2016 from April 15 this year. Aside from the barangay election, the national elections are also set for next year.

The main purpose of Republic Act 10656 is to give way for Congress to initiate some reforms for the youth organization, including the need to increase the age ceiling for its members from the current 15 to 17 years old to 18 to 21 years old.

Yes we have to admit that SK is in dire need of help. For decades, it has never been living up to the nation's expectations, turning instead into a liability. Since its inception, we have yet to see the youth organization embark on a meaningful journey toward success.

So in order for it to grow and become a useful branch of the government, honest-to-goodness reforms should be immediately implemented. And these reforms should not only be limited to structural revamps.

The new and revitalized SK should be forward looking. Since the youth are the future leaders of this country, reforms should center on programs that would guide them even after they graduate from the organization.

Holding sports tournaments, benefit shows, among others, are good since they help the members turn away from drugs or from committing criminal acts. However, these programs only offer little improvement to the organization because they do not bring the kind of motivation that would make them become effective community leaders.

Reforms to help the SK exercise its role as an important part in nation building should not only come from within. They should also include programs that should meet the challenges in the future.