YOUTH LEADERSHIP SUMMIT BATCH 8

I was out of the platform for 2 days because I attended a 3day-leadership training of Youth Leadership Summit at Barangay Digkilaan, Iligan City. It happened last March 23-25, 2018. It was a live-in training because the everyday program starts at 4 o’clock in the morning and ends at 11 o’clock in the evening. So it would be more convenient for the participants and facilitators to stay at the location. The location is also a hinterland barangay and the participants live far from the area so it is not that advisable for them to go home every day. I was invited by the Head Facilitator himself, Hive account@uwanderer. It is already the 8th batch of the YLS and Hive account@uwanderer and his team had been doing this for a long time already. The very first time that I had encountered their group was during their community service at our barangay together with the BATCH 7 participants of Youth Leadership Summit. Since then, I had been involved in their planning and during their training.

So to give a short background, Youth Leadership Summit started nine years ago from national and it only happens once in a year. But it started to conduct in the other regions for six years already which is a continuous and happens quarterly. It is founded and supported by the Armed Forces of the Philippines. The goal of this training is to mold the youth into a responsible individual. It is to develop their potential and capacity and to make them a better leader in their respective community. The participants of the Youth Leadership Summit Batch 8, were the youth coming from the hinterland barangays of Iligan City which is under the jurisdiction of the army who had initiated this training, the 41st MECHANIZED INFANTRY (KULBAHINAM) COMPANY and 41st MECHANIZED INFANTRY BATTALION, MECH. DIV, PA of Purok Poblacion, Barangay Rogongon, Iligan City.

The first lecture during the training was coming from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.They had discussed the Presidential Decree No. 705, otherwise known as “Revised Forestry Code” of 1975. They had lectured the different republic acts that are under the PD No. 705. They had also educated the participants their responsibility, the dos and don’ts of cutting of trees and the things that they can do in implementing this law. The participants were so attentive and were participative in asking questions right after the lecture.

A Certificate of Appreciation was given to each of the resource person coming from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources was presented by Sir Simbulan.

The second lecturer was from the ILIGAN CITY POLICE OFFICE. They had discussed the Explosive Ordinance Disposal. They had brought different types of Military and Commercial Bombs. The participants were taught what to observe in order to identify Improvised Explosive Devices and its components. They had also shown some examples of videographed and photographed bombings in Iligan City and from other places. The participants and facilitators were very shocked when the resource person and his team exploded one of its bombs during the lectures which made them really shocked. It was indeed educational because all of us learned the things that we should observe to identify bombers and presence of bombs and what to do in order not to be a victim of bomb explosions.

A Certificate of Appreciation was given to each of the resource person coming from the ILIGAN CITY POLICE OFFICE was presented by CPT Jeffrey Gabres (CAV) PA.

After eating lunch and having enough rest, the afternoon lecture then now started. The first lecturer was Mr. Philip Glen A. Malacas II. He works at the provincial office. He had been a resource person of Youth Leadership Summit for a long time in which he tackles about Gender and Cultural Sensitivity.

The resource speaker also asked the participants in their views about men and women and their views on different cultural groups here in our country. A debate between men and women also happened during the lecture, to thoroughly see the perspective of our young leaders.

A Certificate of Appreciation was given to the resource person and was presented by CPT Jeffrey Gabres (CAV) PA.

After the first lecture, the second resource person followed and discussed **Earthquake and Floods. The resource speaker had discussed the things to be observed, the rules to be followed and the things that should be remembered during this catastrophe.

The participants were also asked to act out on what they would do if they will experience an earthquake.

A Certificate of Appreciation was given to the resource person and was presented by Sir Babeda.

The third speaker was *PCI Jovane Ramos Cabusas. He discussed the “ Drug Awareness Lecture”. He enlightened the youth on what will happen to them if they will let themselves be involved in this illegal deeds. He also discussed the different types of drugs and when will you be called a drug addict. He also shared some inspirational stories to inspire our youth leaders on not to engage on drugs and be an inspiration to their friends who are taking up drugs.

A Certificate of Appreciation was given to the resource person and was presented by Sir Babeda.

During the socials, the participants performed their yells, their role plays and had some fun games led by the civilian facilitators.

The “Kalasag Band”, the official band of the 41st Mechanized Infantry Company, also performed and entertained everyone during the socials. The socials ended around eleven o’clock in the evening and the participants were not asked to rest for tomorrow’s another activity.

The participants were asked to wake up around 4 o’clock in the morning for the “Light of Hope”.

They were each given a candle that they will light up during the ceremony and they formed a peace sign.

This is to symbolize that they are for peace and will do their part and responsibility to achieve peace in the society. After the Light of Hope, they did eat their breakfast and prepared themselves for the most awaited part of the training which is the “KABATAAN RACE”.

“KABATAAN RACE” is more likely an Amazing Race. But since is the Kabataan (youth) who will be doing this race, and then it was called KABATAAN RACE. It has 10 activities which are as follows:

Station 1 - Sailing Cone

Station 2 - Paper Ball

Station 3 - Human Centipede

Station 4 - Human Bridge

Station 5 - Human Transporter

Station 6 - Kasya at Kinaya

Station 7 - Push me Harder

Station 8 - Human Tank

Station 9 - Sea of Flour

Station 10 - Water Channel, Obstacles, and Human Pyramid

After the KABATAAN RACE, the participants then did the SHOWER OF LIFE.

They took a bath together with the help of the Bureau of Fire Protection of Barangay Saray, Iligan City. After the SHOWER OF LIFE, they did start to prepare themselves for their graduation.

The guest speaker of the graduation was supposed to be Mayor Celso G. Regencia, but unfortunately, he did not make it so he let City Councilor Ian Uy and City Councilor Sorilie “Ate Sol” Bacsarpa to represent him. Major Roger Comingo was also invited during the graduation.

The program started with an invocation and followed by the singing of the National Anthem. It was formally opened by a message by the Commanding Officer of the 41st MECHANIZED INFANTRY (KULBAHINAM) COMPANY; CPT JEFFREY C. GABRES (CAV) PA.

Then Major Roger Comingo formally announced that the fifty-eight (58) participants are now formally graduates of Youth Leadership Summit.

Then each participant representative of each barangay accepted their certificate of completion. Then the awarding of prizes of the contest during the Socials and Kabataan Race was awarded.

The Certificate of Appreciation was also given to the Civilian Facilitators who helped in making the training possible and it was received by one of the Civilian Facilitator, Ma’am Jennifer A. Booc.

City Councilor Ian Uy expressed his warm congratulations to the graduates of the Youth Leadership Summit.

City Councilor Sorilie “Ate Sol” Bacsarpa also took the opportunity to educate the graduates about their responsibilities and part of the upcoming Barangay and SK Elections as young leaders in the society.

Then the program was closed by a pictorial of all the participants together with the guest speakers, civilian facilitators, and facilitators in uniform. It was indeed a successful event.

After the program, a “boodle fight” was prepared by the army that was shared together by the all of the persons who made the event a successful one. And after the boodle fight, the participants prepared their things and prepared to leave the training area.

The participants and the facilitators were kind of a bit sad because they are now parting their ways. It is time to face the reality. It is now the time for them to echo everything they had learned from the training. It is now their responsibility, as young leaders to educate, to inspire and to lead the youth in their respective barangays. All of us were hopeful that it would never be the last time that we would be seeing each other.

This kind of Leadership Training is very helpful in molding and bringing out the calling of being a leader within ourselves. It is a very big help to a person for him or her to be responsible enough to lead a group of people. This training taught each one of the participants to know a person and to learn how to trust each one of the group in order to build trust and teamwork. The training taught the participants that they may have a small voice in this big world but each of their small voices could be big if they speak as one.

And to me, a first-time facilitator into this kind of training, I have learned so much. I have learned from all of the resource persons. I have learned to respect each of our cultures. I have learned to respect those who are higher than me. But at the end of the day, you'll get to know new and real people. You'll have new friends and soon be your family.