YOUTHS SHOW THE WAY
IN this day and age when teens obsess over the Kardashians and similar products of “Generation Me,” groups of youth tackling social issues, such as the destruction of the environment and the resulting climate change and natural disasters, are quite rare.
But that’s exactly what scholars of the Young Minds Academy, a program of the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. – Eduardo Aboitiz Development Studies Center (RAFI–EADSC), did. They took on today’s pressing issue on climate change and developed solutions for communities facing problems on disaster risk reduction and management.
These youths are what the country needs—a next generation of engaged and civic-minded citizens serving the public and paving the way for a better collective future that YMA is helping shape.
“The youth in history will always be the beneficiaries of the change that we as adults create. We’re going one step further and actually saying that rather than being beneficiaries, we want to make the youth a component of that change,” said RAFI President Roberto Aboitiz.
Instead of being followers, the youth, through the YMA program, are educated to become leaders.
The YMA program is built on the 3Cs framework of strengthening Character, enhancing Competence, and promoting active Citizenship of its scholars. This is achieved through a series of character and leadership building, creative thinking and social development awareness sessions; research; critical analysis of issues; community immersions; and project development and implementation.
The training that YMA provides equips scholars with the tools and experiences needed to tackle real community-based problems.
For YMA Season 9 scholars who graduated from the eight-month program only last December, their training centered on urban development with emphasis on disaster preparedness and humanitarian response.
This is very appropriate and timely after disasters that took thousands of lives happened in our country not so long ago. With the help of YMA mentors, 12 youth teams developed community-based projects implemented it in different parts of Cebu.
One group was the YMA Generation B Team 8 from the Dr. Caridad C. Labe Education Centrex (CCL Centrex) Inc., which developed a board game called “Master of Disasters.” YMA scholars Rupert Raphael Amodia, Hilary E. Quinain, Persis Faith B. Pame, Seth Lucas Farre and Kyle Gregory Devaras created a game that asks players disaster preparedness and humanitarian response questions. The pilot beneficiaries of the project were students of Basak Night High School in Lapu-Lapu City.
Another project was the B-READY CAMP (Buagsong–Responding to Emergencies and Disasters with Youth CAMP) of Generation
A Team 2. Cebu Institute of Technology-University students Jhon Miguel G. Cabanit, John Nicko M. Coyoca, Destiny N. Lumano, Karl Anthony R. Rodil, and Mark Angel D. San Nicolas collaborated with Barangay Buagsong, Cordova to equip its youth with the skills they need to stabilize injuries during emergencies or disasters until professional help arrives. A total of 20 youth were trained and were inspired to be active volunteers in the barangay.
Up north, in Purok Tatsu, Barangay Suba, Danao City, University of San Carlos students Honey Babe A. Tagalog, Deodatus Paulo Y. Burgos, Mary Therese T. Maurin, Michelle May D. Rama, Alreza Jan Icalina, all of YMA Season 9 Generation A Team 9, implemented their Project T.A.S.K. (Tatsu Andam Sa Katalagman) with the help of the Danao City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office and Barangay Suba Council.
The project promoted purok-based disaster preparedness through a purok DRRM plan. The YMA team then helped the purok form its own core team that would respond during disasters. Because of the project, the barangay came up with a resolution endorsing the creation of a disaster plan for each purok.
But more than just effecting change in their chosen communities, the YMA scholars went home as changed individuals due to their personal development and transformation.
“You learn about reality,” said YMA Season 8 alumna Carmel Amigable in attesting to the long-term influence the program has had on her worldview.
Cheska Dale G. Pepito, a YMA Season 9 scholar from St. Theresa’s College agreed, saying “the values I learned here molded me into a better person and it’s something I will use in the future.”
After a long and challenging journey, the YMA Season 9 scholars graduated from the program last Dec. 12.
They are now their respective communities’ advocates of disaster preparedness and humanitarian response, and are better equipped as our future community development workers, teachers, IT professionals, engineers and public leaders.
There is hope for the Philippines. (Contributed photos)