POYMS: INTERNATIONAL YOUTH SUMMIT 2014

August 12, 2014 was the International Youth Day, every youth organization globally celebrated Youth Day in different ways. As for Asian Development Bank (ADB) in partnership with AIESEC Philippines they hold the first International Youth Day Summit with the Theme “Empowering the Youth to achieve Great Expectations” at ADB Headquarters, Mandaluyong City, Philippines. The summit aims to gather youths in avenue to promote critical thinking, boost discourse, and encourage action. Among the thousands of applicants globally the organizing team of AISEC Philippines assess and choose 300 applicants only for the First International Youth Day Summit (IYDS) and I was blessed to be chosen as one of the delegates and I am honored to represent my organization Philex and Outlying Youth Movers Society (POYMS) as well as my home Philex Mines, Padcal, Tuba, Benguet.

The Registration started 6:30-8:30am of August 12, 2014, the delegates started arriving. Entering the hall, we were distributed to specific facilitators. I am assigned in table 16th, my facilitator is Christiane Billones from the University of the Philippines an AISEC member and my group mates were Gail Mejis (University of Pangasinan), Miguel Perez (San Beda College) and Jastyn Alain Limon (University of Sto.Tomas.

Christiane Billones from the University of the Philippines an AISEC member, our facilitator

My group mates! Gail (University of Pangasinan), Jastyn (University of Sto. Tomas) and Migz (San Beda College) At exactly 9:00am the program started with a warm-up dance followed by a Welcoming Remarks by Mr. Bindu Lohani the Vice President (Knowledge Management and Sustainable Development) of Asian Development Bank leaving us a question “How do you want to be empowered?” after which, Mr. Satinder Bindra the Principal Director of Department of External Relations, ADB Manila and the Senior International Correspondent of CNN based in New Delhi introduces Chris Morris (ADB Youth Initiative Founder), Efren Peñaflorida (CNN 2009 Hero of the Year) and Kesz Valdez (International Children’s Peace Prize 2012)on stage.

The first talk was with Efren Peñaflorida, he featured his journey on his project “Kariton Klasrum”/ “Push cart Classroom”. In the age of sixteen he started an organization called the Dynamic Teen Company advocating education with his friends and classmates in high school. The “Kariton Klasrum” that enables alternative education that underscores the value of community services, youth awareness and self-development for the street gangs and less fortunate children.Efren leave us with the acronym B.E.S.T.! B- Believe that you can! E- Excel in everything that you do! S- Stand firm to what is true and noble! T- Think of ways to improve yourself!

The next speaker was Kesz Valdez a 12 year old that advocates health and education, he as well showed video of his journey. He was a battered kid and he found home outside their house for him outside the house was the safest. As early as 8 years old he founded an organization called Championing Community Children (3C) for the street kids: It started on his Birthday, Kesz wrapped found items on the trash and gave it to the street children and begun teaching them Personal Hygiene. I was carried with his words “The fire that burned my skin was the fire that started the flame inside me. It is the fire that opened my eyes and pushed me to help my co-street kids”. He was indeed one of the youngest advocators for the betterment of the youth and I was challenged and inspired by him and I began asking myself why could have less fortunate help the less fortunate?. The screening of “Great Expectation” video was presented next. The video was about one project of the Asian Development Bank to the ASEAN countries, in the video was Kids sharing their own dreams and their dreams for their own community. The dreams of the kids for themselves and for their community was very simple. After presentation the panel of judges shared insights about the video presented.

After the coffee break was the speech of Mr. Anthony Abad, the President and CEO of the Philippine International Trading Corporation and Managing Director of T/A Trade Advisory Services. He is an expert at international trade and economic law and held various positions in the government such as Harvard University Alumni Association and the Integrated Bar of the Philippines. He’s topic in the summit was about Leadership, “Leadership is Dangerous” he said. Being a Leader is not a FAME, not an IMAGE, and not a PUBLIC RELATION. A real Leader is patient, willing to wait and a real Leadership is situational. It is an event of life rather than a career. He also shared his advocacy and mindset on INTEGRATION + COMPETITION for the country. He said “If you replace the people but you don’t change the system, nothing will happen” and “If you can change your country, then you can change the world”. I am inspired with Anthony Abad’s integrity. Social Skills Workshop on Action Planning for the Sustainable Development and Goals and Post-2015 Development Agenda was done after Lunch. Each group was given a specific topic. Our topic was about Ending Hunger, Achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture. We stated activities such as promotion of local resources and products from rural communities, conducting seminars for the residents to start livelihood projects with the use of their own products and creating youth organization that would help in sustaining the products of the community in the rural.

After the workshop was the speech of Ms. Risa Hontiveros an advocate for Human Rights and award winning broadcast journalist. She continuous her campaigns for anti-corruption, good governance, women and gender equality and health as the Chairman of Akbayan Party. On her speech she said “All we need is dialogue between the generations to create appreciation and cooperation” and “We need youth like you. We have to change the system”. Lisa Hontiveros was also passionate about the Youth, she said “I am against Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) Abolish! We have been fighting for the SK Reform Bill”. I am motivated by her numerous advocacies as I see her burning passion, she is a strong person ready to fight for everyone.

The next speaker was the 20 year old Founder and Country Head of ONE MILLION LIGHTS PHILIPPINES; nationally awarded youth led organization, Mr. Mark Lozano. He is driven by his passion to uplift the lives of the poor, he has helped improved lives over 60,000 Filipinos from over 60 marginalized communities by providing them a solar powered lights. In his speech he said “One doesn’t have to be old to make a difference. Changing a life comes from the heart”. I am inspired with Mark Lozano’s passion of helping the less fortunate and uplifting them. Everyone must need to change, Change that has a positive impact on people. Together we can change the World.

Our last speaker was Arizza Noccum, she is a student, leader and peace advocate. She is one of the youngest nominees to the 100 Most Influential Filipina Women in the World. She is the head of her organization KRIS (Kristiano-Islam Peace) LIBRARY, it provides education to the poor Filipino, and today KRIS Library has 6 local outlets. Her speech was very simple and direct to the point, after showing a video of her achievements she discussed and shared her Failures in life and how she overcome and turned it into a Success. I want to identify what she shared because it stocked and inspired me so much! #1 Failure: Not winning on an international Speech competition in London as she represents the Philippines. She was very upset with herself of not winning the competition as hundreds of people showered her luck for this. She turned this failure by thinking positive. She was able to internalize the good things that happened during her stay in London. She gained friends, they were able to exchange cultures and visit beautiful sites. #2 Failure: “I become boastful, arrogant and self-centered. Every time that KRIS LIBRARY will be featured on social media, newspapers, interviews I wanted to be always a part of it! I want to be the center of attention! I want my name to be in publications”. Until come a time that she noticed that she was left alone doing all the work for Kris Library. What she did led the volunteers go away. The Kris Library became an organization that is all about her not all about the objective of Kris Library. “I changed myself!” she said. Today, KRIS LIBRARY has 6 local outlets and now you can hear the volunteers talking about the Library coming from their own mouths. Everything had change, more volunteers are coming from the Philippines and of ASIA. “Of course with the help of AISEC” she said. Arizza was the last speaker and she has given me the reason to continue of my own advocacy with a positive mindset and turning weakness into a success. It was very helpful. I learned Failure=Opportunity. After the speech of Arriza Nocum. The activity “Because I said, I would” was introduced by Bea Luna, National Director of Project Management of AISEC Philippines. Wherein, delegates were given a piece of paper, tracing hands on it and writing a promise for own self and sharing the promise to the group members. This activity opened the open communication for the group, we were able to recognize and acquire the promises and the advocacy of each of us. Michael Fua, President of AISEC Philippines closes the International Youth Day Summit 2014 leaving us with a saying “Youth must be involved in Nation Building! It has to be a movement, A power from the community” I am so blessed attending this summit! It was a great experience! A great learning! It is empowering me more to continue my advocacy on Personal Leadership Development and youth empowerment. The flame of my passion is burning very big and strong. I am thankful for all the support! I promise to share my knowledge to the youth and to my community.

POYMS: Transformational Leadership Seminar

The Department of Education (DEP.ED) heads and Principals of Tuba, Benguet and the officers of the PHILEX and OUTLYING YOUTH MOVERS SOCIETY (POYMS) attended a three day seminar at Banaue Mountain Resort, Nueva Viscaya on December 27, 28, 29 conducted by Ms. Lorna Halcon. This seminar has been partnered with the Community Relations (COMREL) Department-Philex Mining Corporation.

            The said groups assembled at Magsaysay, Baguio City at 7:00 in the morning. We were able to leave Baguio at about 9:00 in the morning, the beautiful sceneries and the nature when we were travelling was breathe taking. We arrived at the Resort at about 12:30pm, we went to our designated rooms to rest and prepare ourselves for the Opening Program in the afternoon. At about 3:00 pm, all of us were gathered at the Social Hall of the resort. The program begins with an Opening Prayer, singing of Ang Bayan ko and an Opening Remarks by Ma’am Remy, the organizer of the seminar and an ALS teacher. After the Opening Remarks the DEP.Ed Heads shared their updates and concerns to the group.

            After the updates and concerns, Ms. Lorna Halcon already arrived to speak and share about Transformational Leadership. Before starting she shared two reflective sayings “Not anyone of us is called to be a teacher. Few are chosen” and “We choose to be teachers so we should embrace the work.”  As her strategy, she used video presentation, background music and examples that was based on her life experiences, this strategy was very remarkable and striking.  The topics that Ma’am Lorna discussed was about How Educators Transform Life of an Individual, we Learned the value of compliment and supplement to make an institution better and stronger; next was about Interpersonal Effectiveness, we were able to embrace our weaknesses and make it as our strength and that we should not be afraid of the difficulties, impossibilities and loses that is coming to us; and the last was about the 10/90 Principle, it is compared on a traffic light specifically the red light that we cannot control it but we can control the reaction, meaning in life we cannot control the 10% of what is happening and the 90% of it will always depends on us that “It is not how it was done, but, It is about What can still be done” and sometimes everyone started at the same time but sometimes everyone is ending differently from each other. She ended the first day of the seminar with a topic about the difference between a MAN and a WOMEN, after this discussion we were able to understand and reflect the difference and the importance of respect and love from each other. The First day of the seminar ended at 9:00 in the evening followed by a dance and singing program until 11:30 in the evening.

            It was December 28, 2013, the second day of the seminar. Everyone prepared for this day especially the Dep.Ed heads and principals. The whole day activity was on making a  student hand books for their institutions. At about 4:00 in the afternoon, the specific school heads shared their appreciation, gratitude and thankfulness to the Organizer of the seminar, to the Owner of the Banaue Resort, to the guest speaker Ma’am Lorna Halcon and to the Community Relations (COMREL) Department- Philex Mining Corporation for sponsoring the three-day seminar. The second day seminar ended with a speech from the COMREL representative and Supervisor Ma’am Janice Terso, she sealed the starting of the partnership of Philex and the Dep.Ed, the second day seminar ended at about 7:00 in the evening followed by a dance and singing program by the Dep.Ed heads and Principals till 11:30 in the evening.

            December 29, 2013 was our last day and the closing program of the three day seminar, our stay in the resort was very relaxing and full of learning. At about 8:00 in the morning the COMREL head Mr. Feliciano N. Diso Jr. went to the venue to share his insights about Education and about Educating the youth and share how thankful he is seeing the Heads of each institutions learn from each other and got better from the three-day seminar, He mentioned that there will be more seminars and trainings for them to develop their capacities as a leader of their own institutions. The organizers of the seminar handed him a token and certificates as a sign of gratitude for approving all activities that helped develop their students, their schools and their teachers. The third day ended with a speech from Ma’am Janice Terso to Mr. Feliciano N. Diso Jr. followed by group pictures. The three day seminar was all about accepting the Challenge and Complain Never! Because Life is Unpredictable.

            There is always one person who is capable to set his own growth: It is YOU! YOUR own SELF!

POYMS: Lead from where you sit! A Self-Leadership Seminar

            “I am Good!, I am Awesome!, I can do Great things!” was the reflective quote presented to the officers of the PHILEX and OUTLYING YOUTH MOVERS SOCIETY (POYMS) during the Self-Leadership Seminar conducted by Ms. Grace C. Canave of the Inkblots on October 26, 2013 at Mt. Tepeyac Residences, Leonardwood, Baguio City.

POYMS officers at the function hall

            The seminar started with an opening prayer followed by Pambansang Awit and a Getting to Know activity the first to introduce herself was of our guest speaker Ms. Grace “Gratchy” C. Canave the so called “feel-good facilitator” followed by the self-introduction of the POYMS officers. After getting to know each other, Ma’am Gratchy presented the Objectives of the seminar which are the following: (1) Understand at a deeper level ones’ responsibility to oneself. (2) Identify Clues and Myths about Leadership. (3) Understand the elements of Self-Leadership. (4) Asses individual self-leadership tendencies and create a personal transformation plan.

            To attain the Objectives of the day seminar she prepared a power point presentation and handouts as her visual aid to explain and define Leadership in many ways, beside this she also prepared different kinds of activities for us which are the following. All of this is very helpful for our development as youth leaders.

·         KINDERGARDEN ACTIVITY- In this activity we were able to reflect and return to our childhood memories, we were able to go back to the simple things that made us happy during childhood days and we were able to realize that it is where everything starts from where we are today.

·         PAINT ME ACTIVITY- In this activity we were able to learn how to adopt changes in a small span of time, we were also able to value more the Spirit of helping each other to create a masterpiece, and we were able to reflect that everybody in the group is important and that each one can contribute something even each person has its’ own vision, mission, principle and perspective.

·         MY IDOL- In this activity we were able to know and appreciate each ones’ life idol sharing the best qualities and why this idol have been a motivator in their lives. This activity has been knowledgeable and very helpful to us.

Finally, the last activity was Self-Assessment the purpose of this was to help us understand self-leadership concepts and to assess our self-leadership tendencies. There are self-leadership questionnaires that helped us to assess ourselves and calculated it by adding it up through the Self-leadership dimensions (Personal Goal Setting, Mental Practice, Designing Natural Rewards, Self-Monitoring, Self-Reinforcement, and Cueing Strategies). Through this activity we were able to see our strength and make it stronger and our weakness to help us change it for the better. This activity has been shared to our co-leaders making a promise to us “I am with you through the journey of LEADERSHIP”.

The seminar ended with a song “I can” reminding us that if we believe we can, we can! And As long as we believe that we are doing something meaningful, we can go forward and that we can already confidently say that “I am Good!, I am Awesome!, I can do Great things!”

POYMS: Training on FACILITATION TECHNIQUES

The PHILEX and OUTLYING YOUTH MOVERS SOCIETY (POYMS) officers attended a two day training on Facilitation Techniques conducted by Ms.Grace “Gratchy” C. Canave, MSPM of Inkblots at Mt. Tepeyac Residences, Leonardwood, Baguo City on November 22 and 23, 2013.

POYMS Officers at the Social Hall busy for the given task.

Ma'am Grace "Gratchy" Canave of Inkblots. Our super awesome facilitator.

            The Objectives of the training was given to start the day, the Objectives are the following (1) Know and Understand the role and functions of the facilitator in order to help participants learn how to work together by providing  the structure (process), direction and support for an activity. (2) Identify the qualities of a good facilitator. (3) Be introduced in the basic tips and techniques in facilitation. (4) Apply appropriate group dynamics activities and actual activity implementation. And (5) Understand how to handle problem of participants. Ma’am Gratchy supported her Objectives by preparing a power point presentation, handouts and activities.

            In this training, Five Modules have been discussed and presented

·         MODULE 1: Facilitation in a Nutshell

 -with Module 1, we were able to know and understand more who is a facilitator and what facilitation is.

·          MODULE 2: Roles and Functions of the Facilitator

-with Module 2, we were able to see the different functions of a Training program the Preparation, Orientation/Task Direction, Actual training and Integration. We were also able to see the Different Training Styles and Qualities of a Good Facilitator.

·         MODULE 3: Facilitating Tips and Techniques

-with Module 3, we were able to know the different techniques and tips that can be used in facilitating like How to structure a Presentation, How to Develop a presence, Tips in Facilitating a Group, Making of Checklist when Implementing activities, and Kinds of Training Aids.

·         MODULE 4: Managing Behavior and Attitudes

-with Module 4, we were able to know more about behaviors and attitude that we need to understand when handling participants and understand how to EDUCARE which means to draw from within.

·         MODULE 5: Practicum and Clinic-ing

-with Module 5, we were given specific topics to discussed and perform, following all the things that was being discussed in the training. This served as the summary of our training, we were able to perform well than what we do before. In this Practicum we have been evaluated by Ma’am Gratchy with her team and by our group mates, they have identified what went well and what went wrong during the practicum proper.

discussions

warm-up

Practicum/ Clinic-ing

            Overall, the two day training had been very successful! We have seen big changes from ourselves and from our co-leaders. This training had been very effective to all of us and surely we will use all of this through our journey in developing the youth, touching lives and helping other people to bring the leader inside them. The training ended with a poem made by Ma’am Gratchy entitled “The Language of Training”.

The Language of Training

To train is to touch the lives of many

And to help you learn life’s lessons

But to train well is to make a difference

In all the lives you touch.

To train is to be a teacher, a friend, an adviser,

A coach, and a mentor;

To be a supporter, a motivator, and a leader.

But to train well is to be all of these,

Yet not lose sight of who you are.

You share part of yourself

With those whose lives you have touched.

To train is to be loving, strong, giving

And patient to all who rely on you;

To encourage and praise.

But to train well is to believe

That someone else can.

Those who train well recognize that

There will always be

More to learn in life’s journey,

And they never hesitate to strive to learn it.

You become empowered, involved, and engaged.

And you shall speak the language

Any tongue can utter;

You leave more than what they can remember.

You leave behind a legacy

‘Cause you have trained well.