HAPI Bacolod: Empowered to Lead

By Glemir Sordilla
HAPI-Bacolod Member | HAPI Scholar

“We cannot always build the future for our youth, but we can build the youth for the future.”
– Eleanor Roosevelt

Humanist Alliance Philippines, International (HAPI) was proudly represented in the recently commenced three-day training Youth Leadership for Democracy (YouthLed) last November 11-13 at the elegant Zuri Hotel in Iloilo City. YouthLed is a five-year civic program that aims to increase engagement and strengthen youth participation in democratic governance.

HAPI Bacolod members were present for the program’s entirety, actively communicating with participants from other organizations that represent different sectors and advocacies. They took part in engaging activities prepared for the participants such as policy lobbying, project pitching, and strategizing for future partnerships. Inspiring and experienced speakers were also invited to talk about relevant topics on democracy.

First speaker Gabriel Umadhay insisted listeners to simply “allow life to unfold.” Experiences, he said, need to be witnessed and cherished whether they work in your favor or not.

The participants were motivated to think of a project to pitch and present with their respective advocacies. With this, Salanap focused on Culture and Arts and gave focused on sustainability in tourism to further the progress of, not only the economy but of the environment as well.

The YouthLed’s Cultural Night was one of the last activities during the event. Participants were able to tell more stories about their respective journeys, how they adjust to struggles, and how they will continue to fight in the future. This showcased the participants’ willingness to commit to a worthy advocacy.

“I will use these learnings moving forward for my desire to actually do it into actual action and implement these as projects,” said Raven Salanap, HAPI-Bacolod’s latest member, after the event. “We were taught how to do policy lobbying, and networking which is helpful so we know what steps and the actual way of doing projects.”

She also emphasized that advocacies should be our power for the people and how outgrowing our advocacies are perfectly fine.

Events like YouthLed are essential in getting the youth involved and educating them on what they are truly capable of doing in a democratic country.  It gives the youth the encouragement and support that urges them to continue the fight for their future.