March is Women's Month and I felt celebrated when Google hosted a live event on YouTube called  "Digiskarteng Pinay."  It's an online event to demonstrate how women can learn new skills and create livelihood opportunities through YouTube. It highlighted the experiences of successful female YouTube content creators and the stories of inspiring ma-Digiskarteng Pinays who used YouTube to bounce back from the pandemic.

 

“At a time when women’s resources are being hit the hardest, YouTube remains to be a platform that they can use to their advantage. It allows them to upskill and seize the opportunities of the growing digital economy to augment their lives and those around them,” said Bernadette Nacario, Google Philippines’ Country Head.
 
Digiskarteng Pinay is done in partnership with nonprofit organizations, government agencies and YouTube creators who contribute videos on various topics such as Family Nutrition, Financial Literacy, Beauty and Fashion, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), Coding Skills, Technical Skills, Mindset Skills, and Native Arts and Crafts.
 
“Digiskarteng Pinay empowers women to learn and develop skills in their own time and pace so they can take full control of their lives while pursuing growth and entrepreneurial opportunities,” says Google Philippines’ Industry Head Gara Santos-Ontiveros.
 
Striving forward 
 
Madiskarte women Juliette Piquero and working student Dielian Certeza turned to YouTube to start their own businesses when the pandemic hit.
 
After leaving her job as an Accountant, Juliette stayed in the province to take a break but found herself staying far longer than planned due to the lockdowns. Being naturally fond of cooking, she spent her spare time wanting to level-up her skills and learning how to bake. After picking up recipes and tips from local channels like Madiskarteng Nanay, Chef RV Manabat, and Lutong Tinapay, she turned her hobby into an online cake shop called Nenita's CAKES and Pastries.

Digiskarteng Pinay Juliette started baking as a pandemic hobby by watching YouTube tutorials and eventually turned it into a bonafide online business called Nenita's CAKES and Pastries

“YouTube makes it very easy for us to learn new things at our own pace. Because it is accessible anywhere and anytime, I had more opportunities to equip myself with the latest techniques in baking. I used it as my reference for recipes to baking trends, which now translated to sales. It definitely helped me and my family during these challenging times,” Juliette shared.Dielian

After losing her part-time job, Dielian had to immediately look for an alternative source of income to fund her and her siblings’ studies. She thought of putting up an eatery that serves unlimited chicken wings. Dielian turned to channels like The Sauce and Gravy Channel, Gneth’s Life, Kuya Fern’s Cooking, Lian Lim, Friend-Cheap Menu, Fixitsamo, Epoy’s Kitchen, Panlasang Pinoy, and Ninong Ry to diversify her knowledge on sauce recipes. Through the content she found on YouTube, she was able to put up Hot Chicks, which is now able to support their family’s daily needs.

For other Pinays who are having second thoughts about pursuing putting up a business, Deilian advises, "YouTube is like a free school. Small-scale entrepreneurs like me who have no formal background in cooking can instantly feel like a chef. Just trust the process, calm your mind and your heart, and find what you are passionate about."
 
Passion for a purpose
For multi-awarded actress Judy Ann Santos-Agoncillo, her YouTube channel started like any other—an outlet to share what she loves doing. Now with over 1.5 million subscribers, the actress shared that has seen her channel grow into being a destination for women to learn new skills and even create entrepreneurial opportunities.

 
“YouTube is a space for learning and exchanging knowledge. It’s empowering in the sense that doing what I love to do inspires my fellow Filipinas to upskill and that opens up meaningful opportunities for them,” shared Judy Ann.
 
For lifestyle-turned-business vlogger Tinmay Arcenas, the pandemic convinced her to share her knowledge on business handling during a time when people are in need of guidance in finding ways and alternatives to have continuous income. With her new content, she feels that she has found her space in the world of content creation. To date, Tinmay now has 40K+ subscribers and shares videos about their poultry farm and pungko-pungko business, along with tips on how to be more productive and earn money even in the middle of a pandemic.

If you missed the live stream, the “Digiskarteng Pinay” discussion is available on Google Philippines’ YouTube channel and Facebook page. Visit the Digiskarteng Pinay YouTube channel to watch informative videos on family nutrition, financial literacy, beauty, fashion, coding skills, and technical skills.