Nagallo, Mateo Participates in JENESYS 2.0 Batch 9

Fannie M. Nagallo, PSSO, Inc. asst. secretary and Megan Mary F, Mateo (treasurer), both senior AB in Political Science students, were among the Philippine delegates to the Jenesys 2.0 Batch 9 - Traditional Culture/ Heritage/ Art held on May 26 - June 7, 2014 in Tokyo and Okayama, Japan.  

Passing through the screening process conducted by the National Youth Commission and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, they joined the Philippine delegation and had experienced different Japanese Culture like Sado (Japanese Tea Ceremony) and got a chance to visit different Tourist attractions such as Edo -Tokyo Museum (where they had been introduced to Tokyo's history and culture and the city's future), Harajuku (Japan's most extreme teenage cultures and fashion styles), Meiji Shrine, Kurashiki Bikab Historical Quarter, Kurabo Memorial Hall, Okayama Orient Museum, Korakuen and Okayama Castle, Okayama Prefectural Museum and Takata Orimono Manufacturing. They were also exposed to Japanese daily way of living through their respective host families.

This event is part of the many youth exchange programs, under Jenesys 2.0, to Japan from 2013 to 2014 and is sponsored by Japan International Cooperation Center.

Katherine Rose F. Kapunan Attends JENESYS 2.0 Disaster Prevention Course

Katherine Rose F. Kapunan, AB in Political Science Batch 2014, was chosen to be one of the 35 Youth Representatives of the Philippines in the JENESYS 2.0 Disaster Prevention Course on May 27-June 4, 2014 in Tokyo and Miyagi Prefectures.

The Philippine delegation spent most of their days in Miyagi Prefecture particularly in Sendai City where they had site visits of Onagawa, Ishikawa and Kesennuma , areas which are greatly damaged by the Great Tsunami of 2011. They also heard stories from survivors during the disaster and had series of disaster prevention lectures from Sendai City government and Miyagi University of Education. They were also allowed to experience simulated typhoon, earthquake, and fire and other life threatening situations in times of disaster in Honjo Life Center in Tokyo.

The delegates also experienced Japanese traditional and pop culture through visits all over Tokyo and Miyagi prefectures through cultural exchanges with the Japanese. They experienced traditional culture through making rice cakes (mochi), traditional Kokeshi dolls and living in a traditional Japanese house in the laidback town of Minamisanrikuchuo. They also experienced pop culture and advanced technology through visits in Akihabara, Japan Mint and Panasonic Center.

The JENESYS 2.0 Disaster Prevention Course is under the thematic area of Social Community and it focuses on introducing Japan’s advanced methods for social community development and exchange with people involved in the related activities. This project also aims to revitalize the Japanese economy through introduction of Japan’s attractions to foreign tourists and consumers by promoting international understanding on the nation’s potential strengths, allure and values including the "Cool Japan Concept."

Delegates were divided in 8 groups and presented their own Cool Japan Concept to the representative of Ministry of Foreign affairs and Japan Overseas Cooperation Association.

PSSO Chair Sherwin Latosa, Philippine Delagate to Sri Lanka

PSSO, Inc. Chairperson Sherwin Latosa attended the 2014 World Conference on Youth last May 6-10, 2014 at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall in Colombo, Sri Lanka and participated in various anchored discussions and activities relating to mainstreaming youth in the post-2015 development agenda.

This world conference aimed to: create an inclusive youth participation platform that enables young people to review the progress on the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals; share ideas, experiences and innovative approaches for effectively contributing to the post-2015 development agenda and its implementation; facilitate a process that increases awareness on and implementation of the World Programme for Action on Youth (WPAY); facilitate effective partnerships with youth, youth-led organisations and youth movements to further strengthen inclusive youth participation in the decision-making processes and implementation of the post-2015 development agenda; and contribute to the establishment of a permanent youth engagement mechanism that ensures consistent follow- up with young people and further boosts their participation and partnership in the implementation of the post-2015 development agenda at national, regional and global levels.

Latosa, the only Philippine delegate coming from outside of Luzon, joined the rest of the 1500 participating youth - half of them young people, aged 18 to 29, and 350 of them came from marginalized backgrounds. There were also 350 more young people belonging to under-represented groups were selected by the International Youth Task Force and about 100 youth delegates who are Sri Lankan nationals were selected.

The Government of Sri Lanka sponsored all young people attended the conference and was considered as one of the most well represented youth events at the global level.

The conference ended with the realization of the Colombo Declaration on Youth.

Latosa, Tubiano join First IOV Youth-Asia Congress

Sherwin Latosa and Princess Tubiano, junior political science students joined the Philippine Delegation to the First IOV Youth-Asia Congress, at Curtin University in Sarawak, Malaysia, January 20 - 26, 2014.

Latosa and Tubiano are the only delegates from the Visayas area that were included in 77 accepted applicants from all over Asia.

Folk art and culture, intangible heritage, tradition and their applications in the 21st Cen­tury are the subjects of discussions, workshops and lectures during this week-long meeting. IOV Youth are professionals and students seeking new ideas and fresh approaches to their work as teachers, arts administrators, handicraft counsellors and artists. They are also amateur hobbyists and students, whose interests include storytelling, singing, weaving and dancing. IOV Youth are brought together by a shared interest in folk art.

The 2014 Congress focused on the issues and relationships of traditional food and life:

• Intangible Cultural Heritage of Food (Traditional Cultures, Religions, Medicine, etc.)
• UNESCO Mandate on the Intangible Cultural Heritage and Why We Should Protect It
• Shaping a New Narrative for Globalization, Consumption and Mass Production in the Global Economy

IOV is a worldwide organization of individuals and institutions working to document, preserve, and promote all forms of folk art, both tangible and intangible.

IOV sponsors national and international folk art festivals, as well as cultural exchanges of performing artists and visual art. Through scientific and pedagogical symposia and workshops, IOV supports scholarly research, documentation, and publication on a board range of topics relating to folk art and folk culture.

The UNESCO 2003 Convention on the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, with its emphasis on research and documentation, and the 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, provide the foundation for IOV programs and projects.

The delegates to this event were students, researchers, and activists, as well as young professionals and others interested in folk art and folk culture, folk art history, civil society administration and related fields.

Nazareno Represents PH for JENESYS 2.0 Students' Conference

Third year political science student Paolo J. Nazareno was chosen to as one of the participants for the Japan-East Asia Network of Exchange for Students and Youths popularly known as JENESYS 2.0. He was one of the 150 chosen delegates in ASEAN countries, together with 30 Japanese participating youths, for the program Japan-ASEAN Student Conference last December 07-16, 2013.

The 15 representatives of the Philippines coming from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao had a pre-departure briefing last December 6, 2013 conducted by the National Youth Commission.

The 150 ASEAN delegates were divided into 5 five discussion topics: Education, Entrepreneurship, Environment and Corporate Social Contribution (CSC), Social Contribution Activities by Youth based on the Volunteerism, and Traditional Culture. Each group visited different Prefectures such as Shiga, Wakayama, Tottori, Hokkaido and Kagoshima prefectures respectively; and exposed them to Japanese culture.

Through these discussion topics, the delegates were tasked to make an action plan that will solve the existing problems of Asian countries.

Asean-Japan Special Summit Meeting from Dec. 13-15 coincided with the The Japan-Asean Students' Conference, in celebration of the 40th year of Asean-Japan Friendship, with the theme “Thoughts Connected, Future Connected.”

This student conference focused on “the cooperative role of youth in Asean and Japan toward peace, stability, and development, and prosperity in Asia.”

Jenesys 2.0, was an offshoot of the original Jenesys program way back in 2007. It was opened this year by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, with the purpose of offering varied youth exchange opportunities to Japan.

As part of Jenesys 2.0, the Japan-Asean Student Conference served as an instrument for youth involvement in building the Asian community, and building camaraderie among Asian youths.

Forensic League Attends Global Youth Summit

Now on its third year, AIESEC’s Global Youth Summit 2013 held at the SM North EDSA Skydome last September 21, 2013 was attended by Forensic League members Fannie Nagallo (AB3-A), Job Aldin Nabuab (AB4-A), Paolo Nazareno (AB 3-A), Chona Sanoy AB 2A), and John Christian Gonzaga (AB 2A) with the rest of the qualified teams from the Philippines and abroad.

GYS is organized by AIESEC, the world’s largest youth-run network with over 86,000 members in 113 different countries. In the Philippines, AISEC trains its 500+ members by facilitating international exchange programs between 7 schools around the world.

This year’s theme Global Youth Summit 2013: Breaking the Box, focused on driving youth leadership that is fueled by global-mindedness and innovation. Discussions and activities were centered on challenging the status quo and activities that hone the skills of the delegates in creating anticipative solutions that will create impact on both the nation and for humanity.

GYS 2013’s dynamic roster of speakers include Alex Eduque, Habitat Philippines YC Founder & Ambassador; Tony Abad, founder of multi-disciplinary consulting firm Trade Advisory Group; Lourd De Veyra, multi-awarded musician and host; and Migz Villafuerte, Governor of Camarines Sur and the youngest elected Filipino politician. GYS will also fly in Michael Teoh, Malaysian youth speaker and ambassador for Your Big Year, the world’s largest social entrepreneurship and global citizenship competition.

Fully supported and endorsed by the National Youth Commission, AIESEC, and SM Cares, the Global Youth Summit 2013 gathered 1,200 top student leaders from different colleges and universities around the country and the world dubbed as the biggest summit for young people.

Senior WVSU Political Science Student Joins JENESYS 2.0 Batch 2 to Japan

Nestor Jeremy B. Moreno, senior political science student of West Visayas State University, was selected as
one of the Philippine Youth Ambassadors who represented the country in the JENESYS 2.0 (Batch 2) held last 25 May - 02 June 2013 in various cities of Japan.

Moreno together with Lara Jeunesse Villaruel , junior student of the College of Communications were part of the 34 Filipino students from different universities in the country who joined with the other 326 ASEAN Youths in a cultural exchange to create camaraderie among the Southeast Asian youths and Japanese counterparts through intensive interaction, workshops, and structured exchanges of view.

This program aimed to provide practical knowledge on Japan's experiences in addressing development gaps and attaining global excellence through utilizing local resources, creativity and branding strategies, and realizing effective agglomeration of economies among its region/prefectures.

Minister Setsuo Omori of the Embassy of Japan delivered an inspirational message to encourage fellowship among the new delegates during the pre-departure orientation held on May 24, 2013 headed by the National Youth Commission Executive Director Shierwin Taay.

Directors Randy Arquiza and Julius Flores of the Department of Foreign Affairs were also present to give an overview of the Asean Economic Community Network (AEC), as well as the Asean-Japan Relations.

The delegates took a trip Tokyo to experience the actual condition of this capital city, as well as the advanced and safe technology through the Shinkansen Train.

One of the activities of the program is to acquaint the youth-delegates to be familiar with the Japanese governing system, establish the AEC Youth Network through interaction with the Japanese university students and local family homestays.

One of the many programs under the JENESYS 2.0 is promoting consciousness toward ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) among the young generation within the Southeast Asian region to realize the AEC Youth Network.

The JENESYS 2.0 aims to forge a stronger relationship between the ASEAN member countries and Japan, and to let the young generation of Japan have a deeper understanding of ASEAN countries and AEC. The JENESYS 2.0 aims to add another 30,000 youths to the 30,000 young people who previously travelled to Japan under the previous JENESYS program.

With the support from the Government of Japan, JENESYS 2.0 ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) Youth Network is organized by the Japan International Cooperation Center (JICE), in close cooperation with the National Youth Commission (NYC) of the Republic of the Philippines.

Kapunan joins the Philippine Official Delegation to AYERA 2013 in Thailand

Katherine Rose F. Kapunan, senior Political Science student of West Visayas State University was accepted to participate in the ASEAN Youth Exchange Program held in Bangkok, Thailand on May 15-25, 2013.

The ASEAN Youth Exchange Program entitled “The ASEAN Youth and the Evolving Regional Architecture” is organized by ASEAN Studies Centre of Chulalongkorn University. The program provided a platform to 150 student-delegates from ASEAN member countries to learn about ASEAN in areas related to three intertwined pillars – Political-security, Economic and Socio - Cultural pillars through various activities by Chulalongkorn University.

The ASEAN Youth Exchange Program aims to promote greater awareness about the establishment of the ASEAN Community and enhance the participation as well as integration of the ASEAN Youth to achieve the goal of ASEAN as “One Vision, One Identity, One Community” in order to ensure genuine people centered, durable peace and shared prosperity of the region.

The said program included workshops:

• Media Production
• Focus: Video Production & Photography
• Journalism
• Focus: Feature News & Article Writing
• Arts & Acting
• Focus: Play
• Advocacy
• Focus: Volunteer Leadership & Peace Workshop, discussion groups, socio-cultural gatherings, and excursion trips.

Discussion group topics included:

• Education for sustainable development
• Role of media to enhance mutual understanding and a sense of community Sexual and Reproductive Health
• Engagement with the community

The participating youths also shared their culture and talents in the ASEAN night, and learned in excursion trips provided by the program. Kapunan and her partner Jerome Aligora from University of the Philippines received cheers as they danced Binasuan, a challenging Philippine folkdance.

Kapunan went with 17 other representatives from University of the Philippines, De La Salle University, Ateneo de Manila University and Philippine Normal University.