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Why We Walk: Youth as Inspiration in the Philippines

During the awarding ceremony we were hailed as the 1st Runner-Up of the Most Outstanding Youth Programs of the World. This brought honor to my country (the Philippines), my city (Cebu), my town (Argao), my school (the Cebu Technological University), my organization (Alliance of Argawanon Young Leaders) and my family (Play For Peace). - Joe Sardido Aperdo, PFP Mentor

The International Youth Leaders Convergence was a four-day World Youth Leaders’ Meet of Asian countries. An annual event, it took place between June 25th - 28th of this year in Vietnam. Joe Aperdo, one of our beloved young mentors in the Philippines, attended the conference and happily shared his experience with us... The conference included both local and international NGO youth leaders, education and community youth leaders, and young professionals. It’s primary focus was to provide youth leaders with up-to-date community and youth development concepts and strategies. The program, provided by 1st Dux Gregis, included eight World Issue Discussions, five International Competitions, and five Program Development Sessions. Throughout the conference, a variety of diverse issues were addressed. Discussions touched upon the respect for human dignity, and advocacy for the English language, whose international status makes it a medium of respect, reconciliation and understanding. Gender sensitivity was also addressed, and rooted in the notion that all should be treated equally. This was complimented by the youth leaders’ attention to the cultural preservation of every country. Youth leaders also discussed respect for faith and religion as a way of removing barriers, and, finally, the need to use social media in a just manner, elaborated on by advocates for change in the advancement of technology. In these kinds of focused group discussions, youth leaders are given the chance to interact with other delegates to share practices of governance, project management and other areas of leadership. During the first day, the international competition was held, which was very much enjoyed. There were many exciting competitions: the Global Extemporaneous Face-Off, the Best Youth Programs of the World, the World Marketing Challenge, and more. The Project LeaP, which stands for the Project Leaders Power of the Alliance of Argawanon Young Leaders, was our entry to the Best World Youth Programs. Project LeaP is a series of trainings, implemented in the last year, which involved the Supreme Student Government of the 10 Secondary Schools of Argao. It involves a number of organizations that address the needs of these student governments: one of the frontline partners of the organization is, of course, Play for Peace. The PFP spirit served as a bridge in bringing our services to the student leaders.
These events empower student leaders to continue serving their student body with the utmost positive impactful service, and they are driven by the core values of PFP.
During the awarding ceremony we were hailed as the 1st Runner-Up of the Most Outstanding Youth Programs of the World.  The conference is organized by the Tuxedo Institute of Asia, together with various worldwide partners who made the event productive and fruitful.   joe2 joe3 joe5