The Youth Gather in Solidarity to Develop Healthier Communities and Celebrate International Youth Day
On August 10 – 12, 2019, the UNILAB Foundation in partnership with UNICEF and the SK Federation of Davao City; and supported by the National Youth Commission (NYC) and ABOITIZ Foundation conducted the first two days of the Ideas Positive Youth Forum on Public Health 2019 at Mapúa Malayan Colleges Mindanao, where around 800 participants gathered to discuss the importance of youth engagement, building healthier communities and formulating sustainable projects and campaigns that can help in forwarding change for the better of our country.
Around 100 participants from Mapúa Malayan Colleges Mindanao attended the event and spent it learning about different advocacies pertaining to public health and being inspired by the various organizers and keynote speakers who shared their desire for the youth to take on a bigger role as the aspiring leaders of tomorrow. The first keynote speaker of the event, Dr. Ryan Guinaran – TOYM (The Outstanding Young Men) Awardee, and DTTB Doctor – exclaimed:
“The best time to give the best to your country is when you are young. We need the ingenuity and the passion of the youth.” – Dr. Ryan Guinaran
Our very own Executive Vice President of Mapúa Malayan Colleges Mindanao, Engr. Dodjie S. Maestrecampo, offers in his welcoming speech:
“Know what you want in life. Unleash your power and make a difference.” – Engr. Dodjie S. Maestrecampo
Then the Executive Director of the Unilab Foundation – Lilibeth C. Aristorenas – states in her opening remarks:
“Millenials and Gen Z are taking over the world to build a better future for the next generation.” – Lilibeth C. Aristorenas
The youth is, indeed, the highlight of this entire conference as Ideas Positive pushes forth their agenda of empowering the youth to develop a better and healthier community.
With that thought in mind, the Ideas Positive itinerary centered itself on creating venues for the participants to express their ideas, learn more about different advocacies and issues in public health and further develop their skills in leadership and critical thinking. The 2nd day, in particular, focused on 45-minute Health Classes and the participants would be able to choose from 4 out of the 16 classes available. Each class focused on a particular issue or advocacy and was conducted by a chosen expert in that field. All of these classes were held in the classrooms of the 4th floor at the Mapúa Malayan Colleges Mindanao School Building. Then, in the evening, the participants enjoyed an idyllic Networking Dinner situated at the MapúaMCM Garden.
The 3rd day of the event was spent celebrating International Youth Day with the participants at the SMX Convention Center, where talks and forums were also conducted and the awarding for the Ideas Positive Run 9 was held.
