A camp for future leaders

MANILA, Philippines - Even the smallest seed of positive ideas starts to grow when planted among like-minded individuals, and with such belief, a group of dynamic, young Filipino student leaders were brought together in the hope of shaping their future society and nation.

Handpicked from hundreds of aspirants enrolled in state universities and government-funded colleges, 40 youths met for the first time at an orientation session for the 2013 Asiawide Refreshments Corporation’s Young Leaders Camp (ARCYLC).

Established just last year, this youth-oriented camp, under the tutelage of Asiawide Refreshments Corporation (ARC), was a resounding success. It has validated ARC’s vision for the camp to be the company’s flagship corporate social responsibility (CSR) program for youth leadership. 

ARC is the Philippine bottler of the popular and well-loved international soft drinks brand RC Cola.

“We believe that leaders can come from all levels of society. But there are many young people who have great leadership potential but do not have access to seminars and skills trainings that other students can afford to attend,” says Gerry Garcia, ARC executive vice president and chief operating officer.

During the pre-camp session held at the Discovery Suites in Ortigas Center, the delegates, camp organizers, and the ARC management team were given an opportunity to interact, as well as to synthesize the objectives of the training before the camp proper, which will be a three-day, stay-in seminar at the First Pacific Leadership Academy in Antipolo City.

 â€œLeadership is something innate; leadership is practiced in order to help and serve,” stated 17-year-old Janine Joyce Ledesma, a first-year Political Science major at the University of the Philippines–Manila, during one of the orientation exercises.

Meanwhile, for 16-year-old John William Villaluna of the Technological Institute of the Philippines, leadership means “being firm in your decision, in order to gain respect.”

In a highlight moment of the meet-and-greet, 2012 ARCYLC delegate Roi Christopher Peralta described the camp through a video message as “the extra that is given to ordinary students to help them become extraordinary leaders.”

The training camp is also, and quite importantly, a campaign for ecological responsibility. “This leadership camp is different because it aims to develop in its participants not just the qualities of conventional leadership but also a passion for environmental stewardship,” explains Garcia.