The Youth Upgrade Program of the RAPID Growth Project continues to serve as a flagship initiative in promoting Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) by empowering young individuals through structured capacity-building interventions and entrepreneurship development activities.

The program initially began with the Re-echo Session on UPGRADE (Unlocking Potential for Growth, Resilience, and Agripreneurship Development & Empowerment) for Youth Champions in Leyte, which resulted in the establishment of localized Youth Hubs across selected municipalities. These Youth Hubs now serve as platforms for continuous learning, collaboration, and youth-led enterprise development.

Building on this initiative, the RAPID Growth Project Provincial Coordination Unit (PCU) Leyte partnered with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Leyte in the conduct of the 2026 Provincial Youth Entrepreneurship Program titled "You Can Be Your Own Boss". The activity gathered youth participants form across the province, including ten (10) members from the Youth Hubs of Burauen, Leyte.

The participants underwent an intensive five-day training program designed to strengthen entrepreneurial competencies and mindset. The curriculum guided them through the entrepreneurial journey, beginning with self-discovery and mindset development, progressing through design thinking and customer empathy, and culminating in business operations, financial management, and sustainable enterprise practices.

A key highlight of the training was the Business Model Canvas Workshop, which enabled participants to systematically design, structure, and refine their business ideas into viable and market-ready concepts. This was followed by a business pitching session, where the young entrepreneurs presented their proposals before a panel of experts, including teh OIC-Business Development Division Chief of DTI Leyte, a representative from the Small Business Corporation, and a local entrepreneur who provided valuable insights drawn from real-world experience.