at 22 :)))

Yes, I'm turning 22 today!

At 22, I must say that I've been through a lot. But after all, I'm still alive and kicking. And I don't think there's something that can make me feel too bad about something. I'm happy and I've learned to be and I will always try to be. I'm young and this world deserves my smile. On the other end, I must say that the greatest accomplishment probably at this age is maturity. I think I've been through the worst and the best and what I just simply wanna do now is live in the middle of everything. But here is a list of the things that I have done (at least those I can remember) since my last year's birthday.

• Try some extreme adventures (upside down ziplining at Maria Christina, Oblation pose at the top of a dangerous baluster in Maribago Resort, climbed the topmost cliff of Dodiongan Falls, swam against the rapids of Tinago,etc.)
• Do/encountered some weird things (wore nursing shoes and played against the waves in Centennial Beach with Ate Shugs. we literally got many bruises after this one, special pizza delivery, confronted a thief in a fastfood chain, writing a pile load of complaint letters, got chased by a psycopath, almost got drowned in Tinago, etc.)
• Being a freelance speaker. (Biodiversity Forum, Blogging Seminar in XU, Mechanized Infantry Brigade, JCI and other environmental and peace forums. )
• Getting lost/left. (I got lost in an EFL country. I was accidentally left in Sec Cup. Me, Karen and two other friends got lost somewhere in a forest/park uptown in CDO in search of a pool. 
• Reunion/Pleasure trip/Travels. (Iloilo with Mel, Mark, Kez and Mik. Sierra Madre/Cordillera/Quezon/Laguna - DYEA. Baguio City / PACSA. Bohol /Itransform. Cebu (3 times) /Internship/Plant tour and Itransform, Indonesia and Singapore) 
• Winning Contests (2 Int'l (Concern and IBC), 3 Nationals and a couple of local). 
• Got hired as social media associate, aside from my web dev't work. 
• Met new friends. (JCI, Rotaract Uptown, Silahis, 350, DYEA, IBS, and many others) I'm very thankful to all of them. 

I also have a lot of rejections, frustrations and heartbreaks and that's very natural. We just don't have to focus on the negative things. I really like the rise from ashes stories. Be optimistic 'cause whether we like it or not, there's always a positive side of everything. At 22, I'm happy and I wanted to continue what I have started. :)))  

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Realizing Developmental Agenda through Empowerment of Youth Potentials

 “Our very survival depends on our ability to stay awake … and to face the challenge of social change.”  - Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

The slopes of social participation have been slowly changing. The bureaucratic barriers of politics have been slimmed. The direction of national development is now more decentralized. And the rights of the once unheard are now in the ladder of mainstream attention.

Each of these things symbolizes the political revolution that the youths of today are experiencing. The facet of empowerment now trails to the grassroots of the community, catalyzing the strength of a social agenda by vibrant participation.

Technology: Benchmark in Harnessing Youth Potentials

The advancement of technology earmarks the new generation of transformational youths. The digital age has been a living combat to the accusation that a commoner will always remain unheard. As we continue to cave the path of social innovations, we give voices to people who have an unbiased view of the socio-political landscapes in status quo. Technology abridges youths to be instruments of national development with their fresh ideas and unique innovations. With social media, we engage more people to become more responsive to national issues because we can prop information in the open. 

Corollary to that, we can utilize a rich multimedia content to facilitate awareness programs through websites and graphic creations. That way, we’re harnessing human potentials and talents to educate people about different advocacies. And a perfect example of which is on how Twitter and Facebook can be used to improve transparency in elections.  Through the use of mobile phones and its applications, youths are empowered with rights to protect their votes through facilitated reporting of electoral violations. With more accountability and transparency in governance, we can inadvertently seal a better promise to development through active civil vigilance.

(taken from http://infworm.com/become-a-young-leader)

Participative Youths in Social Innovations

In development, the best way to move forward is to learn from our history.  And it is the history of having a centralized power that hinders us in becoming involved in the process of carving solutions. With the borderless ideas that we have in a more globalized world, we also have a platform of infinite possible solutions to the diverse problems.

And we have more empowered youths in the micro-scale who are taking their own initial steps to improve their communities. We have community projects about liter of lights, flood barriers, artificial coral reefs, awareness programs to handicapped people, and many more. These projects should be profiled by the state and be tied-up with private corporations who are willing to fund these community programs.  In this manner, we empower genuine solutions to problems in grassroots level.

Investment to Youth for Labor Force and Knowledge Production

Scholarships and subsidies to state universities return a promise of national progress.  The state should continue to offer vocational and non-vocational programs for the youths with varying interests. The state’s role is to offer options for the youths to harness and improve their raw talents to be able to contribute to the state in the future. In a way, youths will be developed individually with their fueling desire and passion.

If we open our eyes in seeing what youths can do, we will realize that we’re keying in an eminent social driver who will rule the change to development. If we re-live the youth of the past, awaken the youth of today, and empower the youth of our future, we will live in a community that is more responsive to the global challenge of making development a social culture.  

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