Youth Dream Run Brings Young People Together Through Movement and Play

101 young people and community members came together in Tacloban City on September 19 for the Move for Play: Youth Dream Run, turning an early morning run into a shared space for movement, connection, and aspirations for the future.

Organized by FundLife International in collaboration with the Tacloban City Youth Development Office (CYDO) and the SK Federation of Tacloban City, the free community run offered 6KM and 8KM categories, starting and finishing at the Tacloban City Hall Grounds.

The Youth Dream Run was organized as part of Move for Play, FundLife's initiative that uses movement, play, and active participation as accessible ways for young people to connect, engage with their communities, and support their wellbeing. The event also carried forward the International Youth Day theme, “Different Contexts, Common Aspirations,” recognizing that opportunities for young people to participate and make their aspirations visible should extend beyond a single celebration.

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Beyond completing the run, participants were invited to share their aspirations and commitments for themselves, other young people, and their communities through a Commitment Wall.

Messages reflected different ways participants hoped to contribute to the future:

“For the youth, for the community, for the future. I choose to serve, lead and create positive change.”

Others committed to helping bring young people's dreams to life and helping keep play spaces safe, turning the finish line into an opportunity to reflect on the role young people and their communities can play in creating positive change.

Through the Youth Dream Run, Move for Play created an accessible space where young people could move together, connect across different backgrounds, and express what they want to contribute to their communities.

For FundLife, creating these spaces means ensuring that young people are not only invited to participate, but are also given opportunities to make their aspirations visible and take an active role in shaping the communities they want to be part of.