New Set of RAFI Scholars Will Face Urban Advancement Challenges

The Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. – Eduardo Aboitiz Development Studies Center (RAFI-EADSC) challenges the new breed of youth leaders through its Young Minds Academy, which is now on its 7th Season, to embrace the theme of “Urban Development” in the hopes of making a better, brighter, and more livable Cebu metropolis.

Young Minds Academy is a program designed by RAFI which aims to mold an emerging luminary to handle positions of stewardship and influence in the community, thus elevating the lives of the people that live within it. With the program’s objectives of making leaders responsible and pro-active, promoting virtues of good to every known culture, and preparing them to serve the public, YMA uses experiential approach in a semi-structured environment for acquisition of knowledge. Scholars will be exposed to modules that will tackle character & leadership building, learning visits, youth exchange, and various conferences. The best among the a heap of talents will be awarded with the Jon Ramon Aboitiz Medal for Personal Excellence and Roberto E. Aboitiz Medal for Team Excellence.

A ceremonial Covenant Signing was held yesterday at 2 PM to formally start the challenges to be faced by the YMA scholars. The affair was held at Eduardo Aboitiz Hall of RAFI-EADSC. Enthusiastic and vibrants visionaries from ages 13 to 20 years old will undergo intensive 8 months of leadership and citizenship training starting this summer. Out of the hundreds that joined the screening process, only 94 of them made it to the cut. Among the challenges that they have to face during the entire period are raising of awareness, immersion, experiential education, and open forums for the benefit of the 13 cities and municipalities of Cebu metropolis. Through team effort, the youth leaders will be generating visions or ideas and will come up with feasible solutions which will later be funded and implemented in cooperation with the LGUs.

The Season 6 scholars were able to come up with ideas regarding the safety and security of the people, juvenile violence, management of transportation and traffic, flood, and reducing disaster risks in Naga, Mandaue, Talisay, and Liloan. Social media also played a role in cooperating with the visions of the Season 6 youth leaders, for they were able to procure 2,000 supporters from the metropolis and initiated dream block exhibits to promote community advancement.

RAFI is very hopeful with the latest batch of innovators. Their minds will be fountains of well-being from which creative ideas will spring forth. Mega Cebu will be benefited with the collaboration with all the sectors in the society that is willing to help.
The Young Minds Academy is a program of RAFI-EADSC which aspires to train upcoming leaders and visionaries filled with ideas to change the community in which they live in. YMA belongs to the Leadership and Citizenship key area. RAFI also engages in Integrated Development, Microfinance & Entrepreneurship, Education, as well as Culture and Heritage.
To know more about YMA or RAFI, please contact Mel Yan (418-7234 local 110), visit the official website of RAFI (www.rafi.org.ph/leadership-citizenship/young-minds-academy/) or the official Facebook page of RAFI (www.facebook.com/rafi.org.ph).  More photos can be seen here as well.