Tuesday, May 08, 2007 Unpopular choice by popular teens By Janice Sevilla
FOR most teenagers nowadays, to say that you want to be the next pop superstar or the next teen idol is more sensible than saying you want to become a government leader. But for Ashraf Wahabi, an incoming fourth year student of Malabang National High School in Lanao del Sur, not having the traditional blood relations and political clout does not stand in his way. It is simply a matter of fulfilling his desire to become a servant leader.
"I want to make my people see that there is a way to live life out of poverty and rido (clan wars). That is by discovering our strengths and using them to contribute to our community's development," says 16-years old Ash.
Unknown to many, a growing number of young high school achievers are being honed by an alliance of some of the country's major education players to act outside their traditional role as passive idealists to becoming effective servants and young leaders.
Through USAid's Education Quality and Access for Learning and Livelihood Skills (Equalls) Project, the Education and Livelihood Skills Alliance (Elsa) has been implementing the Young Leaders Camp to train student leaders from public high schools in the Autonomous Region for Muslim Mindanao (Armm) and other conflict-affected areas.
The camp features fun-filled workshops, lectures, challenges, and group discussions designed by the Ayala Foundation through the Ayala Young Leaders Program, the Ninoy and Cory Aquino Center for Leadership, and the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation to develop young people in Mindanao as vision-driven leaders and active responsible citizens.
Finding one's voice
For Saima Sansaluna, a recent graduate of Sarilikha National High School in Datu Odin Sinsuat, Shariff Kabunsuan province, life has never been the same after she and two fellow schoolmates attended the camp last summer.
She and classmate Abdulwahab Guiamadil ran for the presidency of their student body organization last school year and the latter won the seat. But for Saima, it was good enough feat that she gathered a considerable number of votes and that fellow students actually listened to her as she shared her vision for their school.
"I thought my insights did not matter because I was just one voice anyway but the lessons in the camp hit me. I know now that my voice is important and my community needs somebody like me to realize and put into action our dream projects," says Saima whose batch managed to leave behind a garbage incinerator as a legacy for their school.
The incinerator was proposed by Saima and her two fellow young leaders when the Elsa Project asked them to draft a project proposal as part of their follow-up training on project management.
"The training they get in the young leaders camp does not stop after four days. Our campers are called on a regular basis for cluster meetings that become an avenue for learning sessions such as on computer and Internet skills, peace-building activities in partnership with other agencies like Unicef, and trainings on project management," explains Lorraine Migalbin, coordinator for Elsa's In-School Youth Engagement Program.
The content and process of training in the camp is designed to promote teamwork and aims to help student leaders gain a greater sense of awareness and appreciation for their gifts to help them obtain a clearer and more concrete perception of their goals, not just for themselves but more so for their communities.
At Armm Regional Science High School, last year's three campers who have since graduated from high school this March were able to obtain 50 new armchairs to replace some of the school's rundown chairs.
Change, act now
In a crowd of 44 vibrant teenagers all eager to be heard and appreciated, there is that one person who quietly joins the activities and finishes them without so much fanfare.
This is 17-years old Carl Wynne Medel, who just earned his 2nd year in high school through the Alternative Learning System offered by the Elsa Project in Cotabato City.
He joined the 3rd Elsa Young Leaders Camp through the encouragement of his Instructional Manager, a term used to refer to teachers serving Community Learning Centers that teaches alternative learning for out-of-school children and youth.
Unlike the rest of the young leaders, Carl considers himself a newcomer to Mindanao. Although he was born in Cotabato City, he was raised in the neighboring island of Bohol in the Visayas.
While there, he has been coming in and out of school for no reason at all. He found fellow campers and their activities strangely challenging and overwhelming although his experience joining gangsters before might be considered more overpowering.
"The lessons in this camp have made me realize what a big mistake it was to keep dropping out of school. I don’t know how to say this to my mother but I now want to finish my studies and become the person I really want to be," admits Carl shyly who wants to become an electrical engineer.
"There is an overpowering energy when we see young people discovering themselves through activities that foster harmony and cooperation among others. In a conflict-ridden country like ours, training the youth to become pro-active citizens is as essential as a formal peace agreement," states Simon Mossesgeld of the Ninoy and Cory Aquino Center for Leadership.
To date, the Elsa Young Leaders Camp has produced around 200 young leaders with fervent hopes to fulfill their destiny as servant leaders someday.
The Elsa Project is just one of USAid's partners in implementing the Equalls 2 Project in Mindanao that helps increase learning opportunities for children and youth, strengthens teacher competence in teaching English, science and math, and provides training and relevant education for the region's out-of-school children and youth.
