Being Part of A Change

Last Tuesday and Wednesday, I was tasked to attend the Asian Institute of Management Leadership Development Conference for Social Change. It was my first foray into the world of leadership development. It was awkward at first, but I really enjoyed the whole experience. It showcased the dialog between the different sectors of Philippine society (NGO, corporate, government, youth) on what leadership is and what type the country needs.

Here is a brief rundown of what happened to me during the conference!


Day 1 aka The "I-don't-know-why-I'm-here" Day

• I went to AIM not knowing what to expect (but I read our primer and our programs so I hope I explained it correctly to anyone who asked)
• The Opening speech of Sec. Robredo was really good. It was a good way to start the conference as a whole
• I met a few people even before the program began: An NGO worker in Cagayan I think, and a representative of the AFP.
• AFP people are apparently very talkative
• The first activity was a world cafe. I was bunched up with a handful of people which names I forget
• We took turns talking about the leadership programs that we do and our most fulfilling moment during our work (cheesy)
• Among them were a particular group called Lubid (i think) which excels in outdoor leadership training seminars
• On second round of world cafe, the table I ended up in was more serious (due to the fact that most of them were old people..joke)
• They had a discussion (or should I say debate) on what leadership actually is
• After the world cafe, we had lunch

Day 1: afternoon aka youth sector talks

• It was a 3-person forum on leadership
• Oberta (i think) is the program head of AYLC
• A person who does a leadership/legislation academic practicum for muslims in Mindanao
• A commissioner of the NYC (National Youth Congress)
• During this time, I met with people in OUR sector that cater to OUR market
• Representatives of Ateneo Office of Student Affairs
• A company called asia21, which excels in providing mentorship of various fields
• Team Energy of AIM who seem interested in collaborating a more solid leadership program
• Jo-ar, A representative of the PMA
• Pam Banawa, a representative of the Comission on Youth of the Archdiocese of Novaliches also might be in need of a leadership program that caters to the spirituality of the youth
• She was my blockmate in College
• End of Day 1

Day 2: Just like meeting friends Day

• Had small group discussions on the major issues of leadership development of the country
• Youth group had three major areas of concern
• Identity - What is a FILIPINO kind of leadership?
• Organization - Frameworks and Marketability
• Sustainability - Continuous development after programs
• I was chosen to be one of the representatives of the youth sector at the overall plenary discussion of the different sectors
• I was nervous
• But they laughed at my jokes
• People said good job daw after our presentation
• I'm Happy

I really enjoyed the conversations, debates, and discussions on leadership development. since being an agent of change is what I aim for, this offered me a good avenue to share my mind with like-minded individuals. If anyone of you is interested in following this project please feel free to go to their facebook page for more information: (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Leadership-Development-for-Social-Change/137306196296846)

P.S - That's me in the middle! :) Be agents of change everyone!