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.

11 Political Science Students Act as Lawmakers in 2013 Philippine Model Congress

Nestor Jeremy Moreno, Katherine Rose Kapunan, Ma. Henna Glyssa Diaz, Andrew Mari Malilay, Edmund Maestrecampo, Sherwin Latosa, Christine Joy Gallego, Ma. Fomy Malfetria, Junna Rose Pasco, Jonald Dorado and Lara Banzuelo were part of the 500 students from across the country who occupied the Senate halls last Saturday and Sunday, July 27 - 28, 2013, for a two-day simulation of the affairs of the legislative branch of government.

The Philippine Model Congress (PMC) is an annual student-run and student-participated conference patterned after similar initiatives in topnotch universities abroad.

The delegates simulated the Philippine Congress' congressional debates, engaged in workshops and learn from invited guest speakers. Like a real Congress, bills are drafted and undergo committee hearings — an opportunity for young people to experience being in the shoes of the country’s legislators.

The conference is on its second year with 1,400 students applied, but only a third got accepted. It hopes to give students the opportunity to tell congress what matters to them.

Bills passed will be presented to the Philippine Senate and House of Representatives.

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.

Villareal, one of the Philippines' top political science students for 2013

Mark Arvill Villareal,the lone nominee from West Visayas State University to the 2013 Ten Outstanding Political Science Students (TOPSS) of the Philippines, placed 5th in the awarding ceremony held last February 9 at Vigan City Convention Center during the Annual National Convention of the Political Science Students Association of the Philippines (PSSAP, Inc.).

Supported by the Commission on Higher Education as an active partner of the program, the TOPSS-Philippines award is given to honor the graduating political science students who had exhibited an outstanding performance in both academic and co-curricular activities.

The 2013 PSSAP Annual Convention was hosted by the University of Northern Philippines and the Politically-Inclined Students (POLIS)with the theme “Heritage and Politics: Advancing Synergistic Actions towards Cultural Heritage Preservation, through Political Mobilization”, from 07 to 10 February 2013.

The summit aimed to mobilize and galvanize Political Science students, by giving them an avenue to discuss strategic ways for sustainable preservation of cultural heritage, for a more effective, efficient and accountable governance.

Through the exposition of long-term and new political and governmental perspectives, this endeavor was also envisioned to expand the roles of the students as active and responsible citizens of the political society.