CEBU, Philippines - Young people today are gifted, talented and smart. Many are achievers in school and participate in extracurricular activities. Yet most youngsters remain painfully shy, grow up awkward and fail to connect socially. Research has shown that academic excellence alone is not enough to succeed in contemporary times, but one with a great personality, communication skills and positive attitude can have an edge over others.
The best way to overcome shyness is for young people to go through personal discovery, gain new knowledge, develop skills and public exposure. Sadly, tablets, computer games, cartoons and even sports may hinder, as they do not refine their personalities yet kids devote plenty of time to these and parents are unaware. This is the reason why many believe that personality development is only limited to the rich because it’s what educated families can pass on to their children. Not anymore.
For 23 years, it has been the mission of the Young Image Course to help kids, teens and young adults gain self-confidence through intensive personality development systems proven to help them become a stand out in school and life.
At the helm of this program is Mrs. Mariecor Salas-Ding, a personality development guru and former beauty titleholder. Once the head trainer for the Miss Asia Pacific Quest and official chaperone to competitions abroad, she is one of only 3 Filipinos to finish a special program in the prestigious Le Chatelaine Finishing School in Lausanne, Switzerland, where the science of personality development and confidence-building is taught. She believes that every child has tremendous potential on the inside and can be “switched on†given the proper training.
To date, the Young Image Course has produced over a thousand graduates, some of whom have become TV celebrities, beauty queens, international flight attendants, successful entrepreneurs and leaders. Some of their graduates include Miss Cebu winners Joan Castillo, Marnelli Abatayo, Loise Angelique Tan, Sian Elizabeth Maynard and Miss Philippines Kirstie Joan Babor, among others.
Four courses are being offered this year: Intensive Personality Development Programs for Kids (ages 6-12) and teens (ages 13-19). Participants will be trained confidence-boosting curriculum on manners, social graces, modern etiquette, clothing sense, grooming strategies, visual poise & posture and excellent communication skills. Another course, Professional Make-up Training for Beginners (ages 15-50), aims to train ladies how to apply make up properly to enhance their features. Beauty expert Hannah Go of Kryolan will spearhead this interactive training. And for the first time in Cebu, Beauty Pageant Training Workshop for aspiring beauty queens (ages 15 and up) will cover trade secrets that will give these hopefuls a better chance at winning a crown. What makes these courses different is the proven content and methodologies used over the years including research and patented materials not shared in most workshops.
Enrollment is now ongoing and classes begin on May 6 daily at the Castle Peak Hotel in Mabolo. (FREEMAN)