Google’s Digiskarteng Pinay webinar to discuss how Filipinas can create livelihood opportunities with YouTube

In celebration of International Women’s Month, Google will be holding an online event as part of its Digiskarteng Pinay program to discuss how YouTube and its content can be used by women to upskill and create livelihood opportunities. This will be streamed live on March 19, 2021, 3:00 PM via Google’s YouTube and Facebook pages which the public can freely access and share. 

“Digiskarteng Pinay is a program that believes that when you uplift women, you uplift the entire household. This is meant to provide a destination for women to learn various skills, at their own time and at their own pace, and enable them to improve and diversify their skill sets,” said Gara Santos-Ontiveros, Industry Head at Google Philippines. “We hope that through Digiskarteng Pinay, more Filipinas will be able to seize the growing opportunities with YouTube that they can use to improve the quality of their lives and those around them.” 

The free webinar will feature YouTube creators who will discuss opportunities in YouTube for women, along with “ma-digiskarteng Pinays” who will share stories on how YouTube helped them broaden their skill sets that aided them in recovering from the pandemic.

Multi-award-winning actress Judy Ann Santos-Agoncillo, who runs the Judy Ann’s Kitchen YouTube channel, will also be joining the virtual event to talk about how YouTube unfolds opportunities for women by doing what they love or learning skills that they can use in their daily lives.

“I started my channel intending to share well-loved recipes and skills I learned when I went to culinary school and I soon realized that my YouTube channel has moved from simply sharing content to teaching people new skills and giving back to the community. YouTube has the ability to open so many doors for women and I think that’s the beauty of this platform,” Judy Ann said. 

“YouTube has become a place to learn and it has been our great pride that through the Digiskarteng Pinay initiative, we are able to reach women and empower them with skills that will not only help themselves but their families, and ultimately their communities,” said Bernadette Nacario, Google Philippines’ Country Director.

Digiskarteng Pinay includes a dedicated YouTube channel featuring various informative videos on family nutrition, financial literacy, beauty, fashion, coding skills, and technical skills in partnership with organizations including the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW). The program aims to help women create livelihood opportunities and generate additional sources of income through easy-to-learn video content.

Catch the Digiskarteng Pinay webinar on March 19, 2021, 3:00 PM via Google’s YouTube and Facebook pages.

Let these Filipinas Inspire you to be Madiskarte in this Digital Age

If there is one unique trait that defines Filipinas, it is being madiskarte. Even amid limitations, these women prove that being resourceful and creative in finding opportunities to learn new skills can help improve their lives.

In celebration of Women’s Month, Google pays tribute to Filipinas who have mastered the art of turning limitations to opportunities. These digiskarteng ladies are inspiring their own communities with stories of how they created their own livelihood, chased their dreams, and showcased their true potential  through the help of YouTube.

Meet the Pinays who discovered how to be digiskarte

Audrey,  food cart owner

Cheerful and optimistic, Audrey is a family-oriented Filipina who has dedicated her time to making sure that she earns enough to provide the best education for her kids. But despite being busy to put her family first, she still a found way to build something for herself when she established her food cart business.

More than being a housewife, Audrey proved to be very entrepreneurial when she put up her small business in the town of Cuenca in Batangas. Her success story is rooted from a simple search of “how to cook fishball sauce” on YouTube. She’s keen on further growing her business and offering more than fishball, so she goes online to YouTube for recipes on hamburgers, tacos, and nachos.

Josephine, creative self-taught DIY extraordinaire

Josephine knows how to keep herself busy and productive. On top of being a mother to four kids, she is active in her duties in their barangay as a marshall, an officer for the women’s health and nutrition division, and a helping hand to malnourished kids and providing rural employment to women. However, 2 years ago, she discovered a new skill that would change her life.

When they were renovating their house, one of her kids introduced her to DIY videos on YouTube and her creative juices started to flow with every home improvement videos she watches. She even learned to make and design special type of plant pots, which now fills her entire garden. Their family living room is decorated with stools she created out of upcycled tires and ropes, which she also learned from YouTube and she hopes to channel her newfound passion to a business.  

Lauren Mae, arts and handicrafts expert

A young mother at age 24, Lauren is already familiar with the hardships that come with starting a  family. To focus on her new life, she made a very tough decision to stop working and take care of her one year-old, but this did not hinder her from continuing to grow. Having access to the internet and discovering YouTube meant learning new skills for Lauren. Online, she was able to come across how-to videos on crochet, as well as good recipes ideal for business.

Her  interest for entrepreneurship grew as she started making what she saw on videos – from crochet cups and bags, miniature shoes, DIY giveaways, and even homemade ice cream. She is looking forward to provide a better life for her family with her new skill set.  

Antoneth, beauty parlor owner

Since she was 16, Antoneth has been interested in cosmetology and anything about beauty. This is why it was a dream come true for her when she was able to open her own beauty parlor business.

Despite lacking the resources and proper training to put up a salon establishment, she persevered and found the help she needed in YouTube.  Watching videos about nail art, hair tutorials, and makeup routines, she was able to keep up with the trends and perfect her skills. She continues to find inspirations and fresh ideas for her businesses through YouTube. Now, her salon in Cuenca is one of the most frequented in their community and even by locals from neighboring towns.

Using YouTube to empower women

Google Philippines Industry Head Gara Santos-Ontiveros shares that there are many Filipinas who carry stories of how they went online to connect themselves to opportunities. “It’s very fulfilling for us to see that we are able to inspire Filipinas through YouTube. It’s very tied to the mission of Google which is to organize content to make it easier for people to access information.”

Making it simpler for Filipinas to find what they need online, Google Philippines introduces Digiskarteng Pinay powered by YouTube to provide curated local content that will help upskill Filipinas. The initiative is brought to life with partners from NGOs, government agencies, brands, and even content creators including TV host Bianca Gonzalez-Intal and online lecturer Lyqa Maravilla. The Digiskarteng Pinay channel will have videos on food recipes, financial literacy, practical life skills, lessons and techniques in mathematics, and even technical education. YouTube is also open to interested partners who want to help Filipinas become madiskarte.

For Pinays who want to learn and upskill themselves, subscribe to Digiskarteng Pinay on YouTube to keep updated on the latest videos that will bring you closer to boundless opportunities.