On June 14-20, 2023, Mapúa Malayan Colleges Mindanao students competed and bagged the Championship title in the 2023 Leaders Conference Thailand organized by International Youth Fellowship, in partnership with Tomorrow International Institute (TII). The Leaders Conference in Bangkok is a collaborative problem-to-solution project competition with the theme “For the Social Betterment”.
Among the 53 teams and 600+ participants Mapúa MCM’s entered the top ten with their fellow Filipino students from Ateneo de Davao University, University of the Philippines Manila, and Davao de Oro. The participating students collectively known as “LC 33” consisted of members Rex G. Suico (BS Psychology), Nabel D. Campong (BS Accountancy), Angel Therese Arapan (BS Entrepreneurship), Marie Ky M. Takano (BS Tourism Management), Dianne M. Talimongan (BS Entrepreneurship), and Al-Hassan A. Adam (BS Accountancy).
Their project entry is entitled “EduPop: Learning On The Go”. EduPop stands for Education Pop which takes inspiration from pop up caravans or shops. Relating to the contest theme of “For The Social Betterment”, their project proposal aims to address the growing problem in Children’s Illiteracy, and other related underlying social issues that affects an individual’s competence in academics and real life.
“This project will serve as a supplementary avenue for children to develop their reading, writing, and numeracy skills by offering tutoring sessions and self-paced learning modules.” stated Suico. He added that their project seeks to offer education accessibility and opportunity for individuals to hone their functional literacy skills to help them thrive.
The students simultaneously juggled preparing for their trip to Thailand with their school work, with the support from Mapúa MCM, and Ms. Kara Braga, International Programs Associate from the Office of Corporate Partnerships as their coach.
Before the members participated in the competition proper, the team was able to meet with prominent commentators and panelists for the preliminary portion of the event where they received feedback on how to improve their proposal and make it more relevant to the Thailand setting. Suico commented that the input they received was truly helpful in making their project proposal more concrete and helped them win the competition.
The esteemed panel who judged the Top 10 Project Proposals were Mr. Supree Baosigsauy, Committee & Advisor CP for Rural Lives’ Development Foundation, Ms. Niran Nirannoot, Country Project Manager, The Biodiversity Finance Initiative for Thailand, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and Mr. Nam Kyung Hyun, Founder of International Youth Fellowship, Philippines.
“Being able to actively participate in discussions centered around these issues allowed me to contribute my own insights, collaborate on innovative solutions, and ultimately make a positive impact on society,” Campong remarked, adding that the conference’s strong focus on addressing social issues and seeking solutions made their experience more valuable.
Aside from the project proposal competition, the participants also had an opportunity to explore Thailand and immerse in its culture. Adam shared that this was the most enriching aspect of the conference for him. “I had the privilege of delving into diverse cultures, and I was particularly fascinated by the vibrant traditions of Thailand. Exploring their customs and practices opened my eyes to a whole new world of knowledge.”
About the TII Leaders Conference
Since 2011, the TII Leaders Conference has been running in South Korea. It serves as a platform for both domestic and foreign students in Korea to create a project that could address social concerns like education, the environment, health, food, and violence.
Held in Bangkok this year, with participants of students from 34 countries and 3000 Students worldwide, the Leaders Conference is a great avenue for students from all over the world to exchange their ideas with each other. Through practice and presentation, participants will improve their Deep Thinking and methodical problem-solving abilities.