Call for nominations: RVR Siklab Awards
WE live in a rapidly changing world filled with complex social challenges, from poverty and inequality to climate change and sustainability issues. While daunting, these challenges also represent opportunities to build a better future — but only if we empower our youth to lead the way.
The Ramon V. del Rosario Siklab Awards 2024 call for nominations recognizes outstanding young leaders who are creating positive change through starting long-term nation-building initiatives. As the award name honors, the entrepreneurial patriotism embodied by these youth carries forward the legacy of businessman and ambassador Ramon V. del Rosario. His life demonstrated how the private sector can align business goals with public service to uplift communities. The young trailblazers nominated for the Siklab Awards harness that same socially responsible business mindset to build solutions today that benefit societies for generations to come.
Why must we continue to ignite the spark of the youth as a guiding light for national development?
First, the youth offer fresh ideas and idealism to confront old problems with new, innovative approaches. They have a stake in building a future they want to inhabit, bringing native digital fluency, cross-disciplinary perspectives, and an instinct to collaborate for systemic change rather than just quick fixes. Equipped with entrepreneurial spirit, prosocial values, and technology, young leaders can reimagine what is possible.
Second, involving the youth fosters responsible citizenship and civic participation critical for a better society. As young people directly help address issues they care about locally, they better understand policy tradeoffs and governance challenges, gaining practical wisdom in improving society that informs their future roles as citizens and leaders in their respective sectors.
Third, youth leadership today creates a pipeline of experienced talent essential for long-term, intergenerational nation-building. Young professionals mentored as socially responsible entrepreneurs and changemakers build track records of real-world impact. Dealing with complex community needs makes them better prepared to spearhead more ambitious reforms in the future within both business and society.
The RVR Siklab Awards provides a platform for the potential of youth leadership to be unleashed in uplifting communities and making lives better. The question for our society is how can we light more sparks?
Parents must nurture self-efficacy and social responsibility in their children. Schools need to develop critical thinking and problemsolving skills. Government should actively seek input from youth in policymaking and engage young people directly in public service programs. Businesses must provide career pathways for the next generation to grow into leadership roles.
And all of us can nominate deserving young leaders making a difference for the Ramon V. del Rosario Siklab Awards 2024. By recognizing the most outstanding young nation-builders each year, the RVR Siklab Awards shine a light so others can see what is possible and be inspired to action.
Patrick Adriel H. Aure, PhD (Patch) is the assistant dean for quality assurance of the Ramon V. del Rosario College of Business and is an associate professor from the Department of Management and Organization, De La Salle University. patrick.aure@dlsu.edu.ph