OMYLC: Oh, my! An experience of a lifetime

It’s has definitely been an ‘Oh, my! 'experience for most. 

Three days of learning, insights, leadership stories, tears and laughter, outdoor activities, and a fun and wet adventure that nobody will forget all too soon and make one go ‘Oh, my!.’ 

For 91 young student leaders of Oriental Mindoro, the 1st Oriental Mindoro Young Leaders Camp (OMYLC) would just be the beginning of the leadership journey that they will venture on. 

OMYLC officially opened last April 9, with 91 student leaders from 10 universities located all over Oriental Mindoro, as part of Ayala Foundation, Inc.’s Leadership Communities (LeadCom) Program in the area. Under the program, partner schools form a “Leadership Community” that will champion youth leadership development in its area. 

LeadCom’s primary goal is to organize and conduct a 3-day leadership congress for student leaders of its partner schools. The leadership congress provides students a venue to interact, learn leadership values, and hone their skills to help become positive agents of change in their respective communities. 

Thus, the OMYLC. 

Partner schools of LeadCom Oriental Mindoro are Ark of the Covenant Montessori Chamber of Learning, City College of Calapan, Divine Word College of Calapan, Luna Goco Colleges, Inc., Mindoro State College of Agriculture and Technology (MinSCAT) – Bongabong Campus, MinSCAT – Calapan City Campus, MinSCAT – Main Campus, Prince of Peace College, St. Anthony College, and St. Augustine Seminary. 

“The vision is to see a country that is lead by servant leaders. And that’s the purpose of LeadCom, to offer a steady supply of these servant leaders,” said Mario A. Deriquito, senior director of Ayala Foundation, Inc. 

Partners of the program are Active Aid Partnerships (AAP), a newly formed non-government organization based in Denmark. After continuously supporting empowerment and development projects for children and young people, AAP has now extended its assistance in running the LeadCom program in Oriental Mindoro. 

“A large part of leadership is not about talking about it, it’s about doing it,” shared Rolf Andersen of AAP during the grand opening of the OMYLC. 

With their firm belief in the youth and their great potential, AAP has likewise offered to provide small grants to fund future projects of some delegates of the 1st OMYLC. 

The delegates were likewise introduced to the servant leadership framework, the underlying leadership framework followed by the LeadCom Program. Servant-leadership’s main concept is that the leader is servant first. Simon Mossessgeld, Congress Director of the Ayala Young Leaders Congress guided the delegates through the journey of becoming a servant leader. 

Though day two was physically taxing, it was an enriching experience to the delegates. 

The morning session was filled with a deep discussion of leadership and our passions through the multi-sectoral youth panel of young leaders of Oriental Mindoro. 

“As a leader, you should have the passion that drives you from within yourself,” noted Maila P. Saab, ordained pastor of the International Strategic Alliance of Apostolic Churches. 

While having found her true calling in the religious sector as a pastor for the past 10 years, Saab likewise finds her passion in training students for oratorical competitions all across the country. 

Likewise joining the panel was Madonna Virola, a freelance journalist for the past six years and correspondent to the Philippine Daily Inquirer. Virola was a thriving student leader and youth volunteer, supporting human rights and community development. 

The trio was also joined by Orlando Tizon of the provincial tourism office, who likewise shared his insights on leadership after having been an active youth leader during his time as well. 

“Do the things you think are right,” he encouraged the delegates. 

Rounding up the panel of four was Jon-jon Sarmiento, a community organizer and strong environment activist. He is the main convener of the Preservation of Naujan Lake National Park. Having been in the development sector for more than 20 years and driving communities towards development, Sarmiento shared his own insights on leadership. 

In the afternoon, the delegates found themselves hurdling a series of team initiative activities, the 91 student leaders found themselves climbing over nuclear fences in the woods, making their way through a maze with no verbal communication, and transporting toxic waste through the woods with no sense of sights and landmines littered all around the forest grounds. 

Things got chaotic and wet as the group took on the Chaos challenge and tried to fill up the punctured drums as a team. 

Topping the day with a boodle fight and a fellowship night, the young leaders showed off their talents in singing and dancing and enjoyed each others company. 

And while day three may have marked the end of the camp, it likewise stood for the beginning of something greater for the young student leaders of Oriental Mindoro. 

Together as one big group, the 91 student leaders came up with their community vision for Oriental Mindoro and the LeadCom Program of Oriental Mindoro. 

As one Leadership Community of Oriental Mindoro these 91 delegates of the first ever OMYLC will positively contribute to the development of province and likewise impact a positive change to their respective communities. And furthermore, it will supply more servant leaders to this country. 

Building Communities: The Catanduanes Story

For 79 student leaders of Catanduanes, this was just one leadership lesson of the many they have learned in the 1^st Catanduanes Student Leaders Congress (CSLC) last October 18 to 20. The CSLC is a product of the Leadership Communities (LeadCom) Program of Ayala Foundation, Inc.

For the 1^st CSLC under the LeadCom program, student leaders from seven universities and colleges in Catanduanes came together for a three-day leadership experience, which included talks, group discussions, reflection activities, and experiential learning challenges.

LeadCom aims to develop, inspire, empower, and nurture the leadership of young Filipinos and promote servant leadership values to student leaders in various parts of the country. The LeadCom program draws inspiration from the annual Ayala Young Leaders Congress (AYLC), and was developed to provide an opportunity for a greater number of young leaders to improve their leadership capacities.

With three days of life enriching activities, student leaders shared their life and leadership stories, and gained a new perspective from their peers. In an unforgettable leadership journey, participants took part in challenges designed to bring about a greater sense of self-awareness and leadership, and established stronger values of trust, teamwork, effective communication, and collaboration.

“I have attended several leadership camps before, but this one isdifferent. Bumaon talaga sa puso ang mga realizations ko. The congress made me realize na marami pa ako dapat matutunan about myself and howto be an effective servant leader,” shared Emlyn Graciela Lanon ofCatanduanes State Colleges.

The congress was highlighted by the presence of Commission onElections Commissioner Rene V. Sarmiento as keynote speaker. A native from Catanduanes, Sarmiento talked about servant leadership and shared his personal leadership story. He likewise challenged the student leaders towork together and tocommit themselves in improving their communities, specifically, their home province of Catanduanes.

Volunteer facilitators from the seven LeadCom partner schoolsand the Ayala Young Leaders Alliance served as mentors tothe participants. The facilitators guided the delegates’ learning and ensured that they were able to get the most out of the experience by challenging them to go beyond their comfort zones and explore other areas of leadership and personal growth.“I readily volunteered to become a facilitator as my way of paying it forward to AYLC and to my fellow Bicolanos. Having witnessed and taken part in this endeavor, I can say that the experience truly touched the hearts of the students and the administrators of our partner schools,where passion of community development and collaboration could now easily flow,” said Franco Allan Jimena, AYLC alumnus.

“Seeing all of them working together is a foresight of how Catanduanes can easily hurdle whatever challenges that may come their way,” he added.

Choosing Catanduanes

Catanduanes is an island province in the Bicol region. Because of its location, which makes it prone to typhoons and travel difficult, leadership development programs in the province are rare.

This caught the attention of Ayala Corporation’s Chairman Emeritus Jaime Zobel de Ayala, who posed a challenge during the 12^th AYLC for Ayala to reach out to a greater number of youth leaders. In response, Ayala Foundation Inc.’s Youth Leadership Development Unit met with Catanduanes’ school and government officials.LeadComm Catanduanes brought together 7 partner schools, namely: Catanduanes State Colleges (Main Campus and Panganiban campus), Catanduanes Computer Learning Center Inc., Hauswirtchaft Training Institute, TESDA-CSHCI-Cabugao, Bato, Catanduanes, Christian Polytechnic Institute of Catanduanes Inc., Catanduanes School of Advance Technology, Catanduanes Institute of Technology Foundation Inc.

In partnership with Ayala Foundation, Inc., the seven partner schools along with the Provincial Government of Catanduanes established a local LeadCom Organizing Committee that oversaw the local mobilization of resources and selection of participants. Gintong Pamana Awards Foundation, Inc. likewise extended their support in the 1^st CSLC.

Ayala’s Belief in the Youth

For the past years, Ayala has been at the forefront in efforts of developing the leadership of the Filipino youth through its flagship program, the Ayala Young Leaders Congress. It annually brings together 80 of the most outstanding student leaders from across the country for a leadership congress.

“Because of AYLC, we have been able to bring a community of passionate young leaders together who are committed to national development. We hope to see the same community of leaders take root in Catanduanes and in other areas of our country…we continue to believe in the leadership of the Filipino youth and in their energies and spirit to make change happen in the country,” said John Philip Orbeta, AYLC Program director.Ayala Foundation’s Senior Director for Education and Leadership Development Mario A. Deriquito added that through the LeadCom program, Ayala continues its commitment in nurturing young leaders.

“Ayala hopes to expand [its] work in the area of youth leadership development and make quality leadership development programs available for more student leaders, especially in areas that have very little access or opportunities for such programs,” he said.

“Our dream is to help form more servant leaders who will dedicate themselves to leading their local communities and eventually, larger sectors of society,” said Simon C. Mossesgeld, AYLC Congress Director. “We are seeing this happen among our AYLC alumni, a number of whom already have leadership roles and responsibilities that impact a broad area of society. Likewise, our wish is for these young leaders from the 1^st CSLC and future LeadCom Programs to become more effective servant leaders themselves and help form other leaders who will also use their leadership to improve the lives of others,”

A Community of Leaders and Believers

Leadership is not just for an elite few; it is a responsi