The Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) successfully implemented the Youth Leaders in the Diaspora-Philippine Schools Overseas (YouLeaD-PSO) 2019 batch 2 from 10-14 December 2019 with the theme “Creating Connections and Building Bridges Together”.
Fourteen Filipino youth from the following PSOs in five (5) countries participated in the program:
- Al Dura International School, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia;
- Far Eastern Private School Al Azra Branch, United Arab Emirates;
- International Philippine School in Al Khobar, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
- International Migrants School, Italy
- International Philippine School in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
- Philippine School Oman; and
- Philippine International’s English School, Kuwait.
The five-day module was comprised of lectures and workshops on leadership, personal and cultural identity, zero waste management, and indigenous people in the Philippines. It also included an immersion with the Aeta Ambala Tribe, hiking and trekking, beach clean-up drive, and a tour in the Gawad Kalinga (GK) Enchanted Farm.
This is the second implementation of the program with the students from the Philippine schools overseas this year.
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The program officially started on 10 December 2019 with talks from Ms. Erin Sinogba of Third Culture Kids (TCK) Philippines and Mr. Harvey Ganotisi from Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) of Brgy. Santiago, Solsona, Ilocos Norte. Undersecretary Astravel Pimentel-Naik of CFO also met with the participants and encouraged them to share their experiences and stories in this journey.
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The next day, the group proceeded to Gawad Kalinga Enchanted Farm in Angat, Bulacan to discover some of the social enterprises inside and meet with the social entrepreneurs behind them. The students were able to witness how the products were made in the Bamboo Blends, First Harvest, Plush and Play, Ambension Silk and Keso Beso Enterprises.
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The next day, the participants went to Subic City and had discussions on various matters with the Making A Difference (MAD) Travel’s co-founder, Mr. Rafael Dionisio. Their topics included leadership, climate change, solid waste crisis, zero waste management, deforestation and the perception about the Aetas Tribe.
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Day 4 of the program focused on hiking, trekking and immersion of the participants with the Aeta Ambala community in El Kabayo, Bataan. The students walked through a bamboo forest and learned its practical uses for the Aetas. A community member demonstrated to the group how they make kitchen utensils out of bamboo and how to start a fire without using a match or lighter. The group reached the watershed and enjoyed swimming in the freshwater river.
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After going back to the start off point and having lunch prepared by the Aeta community, the participants were grouped into three to interact and interview the women of the tribe. As part of the objectives of the YouLeaD program, this interaction with the tribe encouraged and empowered the delegates to continue to preserve the unique native culture of the Philippines.
One part of their itinerary also included the watering of 263 growing fruit plants of the Aeta Ambala Tribe. This activity lessened the workload of some of the tribe members as the delegates helped them on their duties for the day.
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In the evening, TEDx Talk speaker Mr. Thomas Graham conducted a workshop for the delegates about changing the world through storytelling. Before leaving Subic the next day, MAD Travel awarded certificates to the participants signed by the co-founders, Mr. Dioniso and Mr. Graham.
The closing ceremonies of the program started in the afternoon at the CFO. Three former participants of the YouLeaD-PSO, namely Joseph Dane Cuenca, John Maverick Alviar and Phoebe Ysabelle De Leon gave inspirational talks, shared how the program impacted their lives and presented their advocacies, projects and programs that they were able to conceptualize and implement in their new schools in the Philippines.
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Every participant was also given the chance to present some of the photos that they took during the program, recite their own pledge of commitments and share their plans after the YouLeaD program.
Ms. Mayumi Peralta then awarded the certificates to the participants, signed by Secretary Francisco Acosta and Undersecretary Astravel Naik.