Event Geek

Following the launching of the sixth season of Young Minds Academy (YMA) last Jan. 21, the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI) is now accepting applications for the program. YMA is a youth leadership and citizenship development program of the Eduardo Aboitiz Development Studies Center (EADSC) of RAFI aimed at developing young people to become responsible and accountable leaders and proactive citizens ready to serve the public and its interests.

This is done through awareness raising, experiential education, immersion, and open discourse, among others. It is open to young people aged 12 to 20 years old. YMA was launched in October 2006 and already ran for five seasons, including a special summer edition held in 2009 for Region 8.

“Through this program, I have discovered what kind of leader I want to be. The change has started in me already. Now it’s my time to be a role model to others,” said 15-year old Jessica Therese Vestil, a scholar of last season’s YMA.

 For Sean Timothy Salvador, 18, another YMA season 5 scholar, he said that YMA taught him to use his life as a daily opportunity to become a blessing to every person he meets and help change their lives for the better.

 To join the sixth season of YMA, interested applicants must form a team of five members under one of the following categories: Generation A (17-20 years old) and Generation B (12-16 years old).

List of team and individual requirements and application forms may be obtained from the Eduardo Aboitiz Development Studies Center, or downloaded at www.rafi.org.ph.

Deadline for the submission of applications is on February 20, 2012.

YMA is sponsored by UnionBank of the Philippines. It is one of the programs under RAFI’s Leadership & Citizenship focus area, which gathers and nurtures future leaders and influencers ready to effect change. Its other focus areas are Integrated Development, Micro-finance & Entrepreneurship, Culture & Heritage, and Education. For more information about YMA, please call 418-7234 loc 110 and look for Mel Yan, or email mel.yan@rafi.org.ph, or visit www.rafi.org.ph or www.facebook.com/rafi.org.ph.