“The Youth today are leaders of tomorrow”, said Nelson Mandela. As simple line as it may seem, but this quote greatly summarizes one of the most remarkable events in my life.
Held last September 2022 at Baguio City Hall, the SK Federation Youth Parliament organized by Baguio SK Federation and Local Youth Development Office was attended by yours truly who represented the School of International Hospitality and Tourism Management, Brette Hongitan from the School of Natural Sciences, and Elijah Dumling from the School of Law. The chosen representatives of the school won third place for ‘Best Ordinance’. When I was tasked to join the Youth Parliament, at first, I doubted myself knowing that making ordinances, citing resolutions, and debates were not my expertise and were far from my specialization which is international tourism. However, I challenged myself to push beyond my limits and contribute to things that can bring out the best in our team.
With our proposed decree titled, “AN ORDINANCE IMPLEMENTING THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A YOUTH SANCTUARY CORNER PER POLICE STATION FOR THE PURPOSE OF YOUTH MEDIATION, GUIDANCE, AND COUNSELLING THROUGH A CULTURAL ENVIRONMENTAL LIBRARY-ART STUDIO IN THE CITY OF BAGUIO”, I contributed and discussed things from my field written under SECTION 6, Promotion of Tourism through Cultural and Environmental Means – to promote tourism through environmental and cultural awareness by preserving our culture, arts, and history. This can be done by means of designing the youth sanctuary corner as a safe cultural and environmental library-art studio for the youth to visit. As a tourism major student, I believe that establishing a youth corner for the chosen police stations in the city of Baguio like those located in Burnham Park, City Hall, and Aurora Hill, will be of great help to boost and attract tourists since the Youth Corner will feature different arts of Baguio local artist such as stories, paintings and among others. Not only these, but the ordinance also aims to eradicate the wrong thinking about police officers – rude, frightening, and horrifying. Furthermore, this ordinance is to help people understand that police officers and offices can be friendly and even a tourist attraction.
During the parliamentary procedure, when everyone was in the court and everyone was allowed to ask questions about the ordinance that we proposed, I was pressured because, “what if I can’t answer the questions well?” or “what if we fail to please them to like our ordinance?”. But then, I thank our group because even with the constant doubts and uncertainties, we were able to help one another, by motivating and continuously creating a space that encompasses teamwork, perseverance, and camaraderie. When we won third place, it was really unexpected and an honor at the same time. Despite the fact that there were others from different universities and organizations who created better ordinances, we were chosen as part of the top three proposed ordinances. I can say that with this experience, I was able to learn a lot of things such as the proper way of making resolutions and better projects that I can apply as a student leader as well as the right motivation to empower others to lead.
As a champion from the School of International Hospitality and Tourism Management-University of Baguio, I am molded to be disciplined and inspired, as well as pursue excellence and commit myself to international standards. With the guidance and lessons taught, I am beyond grateful because they helped me become more productive and competitive as a student leader.
Well, in life, we are given different chances to prove or create a stand, and through this experience, I am proud that it gave me the chance to reach my full potential not only as a son, friend, and student, but also as a citizen of our country.
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