by Noelle Contessa Paz, Public Relations Officer, National Youth for Servant Leadership (NYSL)

After the Bayanihan Trade Exhibit which was held last Nov. 14-15, 2008 at the U.P. College of Social Development and Community Work, four Bayanihan Centers (BC) were formed. These are the Carmelite B.C., J-Gen B.C., Mt. Zion B.C. and UCC B.C. After 6 months of continous saving by the members of these 4 BCs,  the On Eagle’s Wings Foundation (OEWF) decided to sponsor Bayanihan Youth Camp with the theme “Building Shared Vision towards Solidarity Economy”. The said youth camp, held at the Lord’s Garden in Calamba Laguna on May 10-13, 2009 and facilitated by the staff of CSRSME Asia, was attended by around 20 participants from different Bayanihan Centers including those organized by the Pinoy Family Foundation Inc.

The camp taught us many things.  Honestly, before I joined NYSL,I really didn’t care about the Philippines. I didn’t even bother to watch the news whenever it’s about the Philippines. Because it really pisses me off everytime I hear the problems in our country. In plain words, I didn’t care at all.

But the time came when the Lord led me to a group of Christian believers who share the goodness of God as well as a victorious vision for our beloved country. This is the group called National Youth for Servant Leadership (NYSL) with which I have eventually become a member. I’ve attended many of their workshops and seminars on how to help the Philippines rise up again as a nation. It really opened not only my eyes but also my heart. Since then, I became active in serving our country. And today, I can say that I’m now a true and loyal citizen of the Philippines. And I believe that time will come when all the people here in the Philippines especially the youth will be united and will be sharing the same vision in serving our country.

I FAILED, I STOOD UP, I LEARNED, AND I CAME TO BE COUNTED…

THANK YOU LORD FOR GIVING ME A CHANCE TO BE A PART OF NYSL AND THIS BSV CAMP…

by Ma. Karen V. Gomez, University of Caloocan City

I have learned so many things from the Bayanihan Youth Camp, with its theme “Building Shared Vision” (BSV).  I learned to praise and worship God with all my heart.  Every morning before we start the activities of our workshop, we sing praise songs to Father God,  we worship Him,  and we put Him above all the work and activities for the day.

This camp taught me a lot – how to be a participative member of a team, become benevolent, cooperate with other team members, and how to share my feelings.

On the business side, this camp taught me how to set up a business even though I may not have huge amount of money. All that I need to do is just save. This is the best thing that every man should do… save, save,save…….. and continue saving!!!

The camp facilitators opened my mind.   They taught me that people perish for lack of “VISION”.  Everyone who exists in this world for a purpose has a vision.

I now have a vision not only for my own self but also for the benefit of others and the nation as a whole!!!