115 professionals from all over the Philippines attended a 3-day leadership forum on Dec 8-10, 2017, at the Goducate Training Center in Iloilo. This event was part of Goducate’s Asia Forum for Leaders program. The program, launched in Sept 2016, has been conducting training for leaders from different fields —for example village leaders, church leaders, mayors (see blog Oct 7, 2016).
With the Speaker2
Asia Forum for Leaders brought together leaders from different professions to help them envision and reach their dreams for their workplaces. The participants came from fields of education, medicine, mass media, entertainment, non-governmental organization, sales and marketing, administration, and business.
Small Group Discussion2
Speakers from Singapore shared their expertise on topics such as Leadership in the 21st Century, Transforming Your Workplace Environment, Disruptions in the 21st Century, and Influence in the Workplace.
Professionals who were not able to attend the forum in person joined the sessions and question & answer portions virtually, through FaceBook Live.
During Question and Answer Portion
*Our guest writer is Joanna De Leon, a community development worker
Goducate is adopting basketball as an approach to transforming lives through education in all 42,036 barangays (villages) in the Philippines. The reason is, as Philippine Basketball Association Coach Felimon Casuga put it, “Basketball is really the passion of this country. [Filipinos] love to play…so we come into their lives by playing the game of basketball”. He was speaking during the first GoBasket Philippines Sports Coaching Training held for Goducate on Oct 11-13 at Camp Goducate Training Center in Iloilo.
Echoing his sentiment was Coach Paul Advincula of FIBA International, who added that the heart of the movement is to train basketball coaches who will reach “rural areas, the less-privileged…those in the grassroots”
“We want to reach out to…the fatherless, the motherless…the leftover kids,” backed up Coach David “Boycie” Zamar, also of FIBA International. “The impact starts with poverty. If you saw what Fox Sports has been showing after Yolanda, it was only basketball that has been de-stressing coming from typhoon-struck areas. Doing basketball for kids, and basketball for father-and son relationships,” he continued.
These three of the country’s top coaches came to Camp Goducate Training Center to train 43 participants from different backgrounds, including school teachers, church leaders, community leaders, and students.
Coach Casuga made two other points. First, “Sports coaches have the biggest impact on the lives of kids, because when a coach says something, a kid is supposed to follow without question”. Second, a 2011 study from Concordia University confirms that “Coaches have a unique relationship with their athletes. [They] are mentors, parent figures, career enablers, and judges — all at the same time”. That same study stressed the importance of building relationships, more than teaching the technical skill of basketball.
Coach Casuga explaining a point
Goducate aims, through GoBasket Philippines, to capitalize on coaches’ influence to transform the lives of Filipino youth, especially those who are vulnerable to drug addiction and other vices.
Agape Abarte, one of Goducate’s Community Development Trainers (CDTs), highlighted the potential of basketball as a tool for transforming Filipino lives. “Every neighborhood has its basketball court and that brings together everyone in the community when there is a basketball game……….We have around half million basketball courts in the country, including those that are open courts, gyms, under the coconut tree, side of the mountain, anywhere you mention. And there will always be a kid out there who needs…the fundamentals of basketball and life.”
Listening attentively
One of the trainees was Junnel Palma, a BS Criminology graduate. He shared that he had originally dreamt of becoming to a professional basketball player, but felt he was too old for a basketball career. Instead, he now wants “to teach the kids what I know.”
To keep the ball rolling, after the training session in Iloilo, GoBasket Philippines went on to conduct the same program in Goducate Laguna, on Oct 31-Nov 2 for 49 individuals, and in Pulupandan, Negros, on Nov 8-10 for 35 participants.
Numerous basketball clinics designed for youths are now on going in different barangays, thanks to these newly certified coaches.
Doing push-ups
*Our guest writer is Queenie Guibao, Batch 10 Trainee
The Municipality of San Miguel Local Government Unit partnered Goducate Training Center in conducting a Seminar Workshop on Reproductive Health and Youth Development on October 27. The event was held at Goducate Training Center, San Miguel, Iloilo.
Entitled “Kwentong Kabataan” (Stories of the Youth), the program was an initiative of the Rural Health Unit led by Dr. Mary Jane Jimeno to increase the awareness of youth about reproductive health and to enhance their leadership skills. All the 24 barangays (villages) of the municipality were well represented by the 58 young participants. The aim of the program was to make the participants Youth Health Advocates.
An interactive session
Goducate facilitated the entire event, using an enjoyable approach. The program was packed with interactive lectures on Good and Effective leadership, Premarital Sex & Its Consequences, HIV Aids & Sexually Transmitted Diseases, and Drug Addiction & Substances Abuse. After every lecture, the participants were divided into small groups for discussions and counselling.
Small-group Counseling
Participants were challenged to be proactive and to share what they learned with other young people in their area. They were taught how to do strategic planning in order to effectively conduct advocacy programs in their own barangays. All the participants were excited and determined to be Youth Health Advocate. Together with Goducate and the municipality, they believe that they can save lives through education.
Small-group Counseling
*Our guest writer is Joanna De Leon, a community development trainer
