2 Cebu youth leaders explore Europe
CEBU CITY, July 3 -- Twelve youth delegates and three adult leaders from Cebu were sent to an exchange visit in the cities of Haarlemmermeer in the Netherlands and Kortrijk in Belgium through the program Young Minds on Xplore (YMX) Season 3 of the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI) from April 14 to May 6 this year.
In a press statement, RAFI's communication team writer Hanna Aranas said, the program was in partnership with Vereniging Haarlemmermeer Cebu (VHC), the Meerlanden Youth Cebu and the City of Kortrijk.
"This cultural exchange is part of the sister-city relationship between Cebu City and the cities of Haarlemmermeer and Kortrijk," Aranas wrote.
According to Aranas, Young Minds on Xplore (YMX) Season 3 aims to provide an avenue for better understanding and appreciation of Cebuano and European cultures and for cultivating a deeper sense of nationalism among the participants.
For three weeks, the delegates stayed with their Dutch and Belgian host families to better understand their culture and also visited various institutions, organizations and heritage sites.
To better appreciate European culture and understand best practices and systems in Europe, they also visited the Hague, which is the Netherland's seat of government, and the European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium.
In Belgium, Kortrijk Deputy Mayor Alain Cnudde welcomed the delegates and conducted a brief discussion of the sister-city relationship between Cebu City and Kortrijk.
They visited institutions and organizations such as St. Michiels Church, NOC and the Youth Movement, Oxfam Wereldwinkel Fair Trade, Haaberkrats, AZ Groeninge Hospital, Groep Ubuntu and Acht Kanter.
The delegates were able to attend the Sunday Lowland Games organized by the City of Kortrijk in preparation for the 2012 Olympics.
In the Netherlands, a council session in the City of Haarlemmermeer was held, where the mayor welcomed the delegates.
They went to the Meerlanden Sanitary Landfill, NEVISO-Roots for Development, the Cruquiushoeue Stable Center, Spaarne Hospital and various educational institutions.
The delegates toured around the Dutch capital city of Amsterdam and the Jewish Historical Museum and took part in the Dutch national holiday in celebration of Queen Beatrix's birthday.
Throughout the program, the delegates were provided opportunities to meet various groups, institutions and organizations that are in line with social welfare, youth development, culture and heritage, health and education and learned through observation the best practices of these groups.
Upon arriving in Cebu, the delegates started working on projects that support the "I Am A Hero" and Mega Cebu Project of RAFI.
They also held talks and discussions of what they have learned in Europe to SK officials, public school teachers and students and other student organizations. They are also planning to put up a youth center.
For more information about YMA, please contact 418-7234 loc. 110 and look for Mel, or visit www.rafi.org.ph or www.facebook.com/rafi.org.ph. (MBCN/HFG/RAFI-PIA7)
============
Cebu youth leaders, people's organization work for road improvement
CEBU CITY, July 3 (PIA) -- A team of youth leaders from Cebu belonging to the Young Minds Academy (YMA) partnered with a local people’s organization Kadasig Parents Association Inc. (KAPAI) for a road improvement project in Barangay Tisa, Cebu City.
The road improvement is seen to provide better access to vehicles and safety to children.
With the collaborative efforts, the footpaths were manually created by mixing garbage with cement. KAPAI members worked together in placing the footpaths on the road going to the mountainous area of Tisa, particularly KAPAI Phase I where they reside.
As of June 10, the group was able to place around 200 footpaths that covered more than 30 meters of road.
“The project is a big help because rocks can cause children to stumble when they play. This is not a problem anymore because the road is now flat. Also, motorcycles can already now pass by our place,” Tisa resident JR Daclan said in Cebuano.
The project was initiated by Kathleen Guasin, Erika Laurente, Alyanna Mendoza, Johngae Punay and Catherine Sullano as part of their outputs in the YMA Season 5 program that they attended last year. After going through a series of project mentoring sessions in YMA and a proposal defense, the team got RAFI’s approval to fund their project.
The project also supported KAPAI’s cleanliness campaign. Early this year, the YMA team helped the group organize a clean-up drive in the area.
“The project is very important because I saw that our surroundings are now clean, unlike before. Garbage is lessened because of the footpaths,” Connie Abella, a resident and a KAPAI officer, said in Cebuano.
KAPAI said it plans to continue producing the footpaths for additional source of income to the organization while the YMA team will help them find buyers for the product.
YMA is sponsored by the UnionBank of the Philippines and is one of the programs of RAFI-EADSC under the Leadership & Citizenship focus area. It aims to develop the youth to become responsible and accountable leaders and proactive citizens ready to serve the public and its interests.
RAFI’s other focus areas are integrated development, microfinance and entrepreneurship, culture & heritage and education.
For more information about YMA, please contact 418-7234 loc. 110 and look for Mel Yan, or visit www.rafi.org.ph or www.facebook.com/rafi.org.ph. (FCR/AYS/PR-RAFI-PIA7 CEBU)