A few people recently asked me a few questions, I decided the questions are good ways for me to summarise my whole LEAD experience. so, here you go :-)
What are your
realizations from this summit?
As Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala said, "there
is no right or wrong in leadership", the 3-day summit was aimed
to bring out the inner leaders in each of the delegates through topical
discussions and personal interaction with few of the most remarkable leaders
and activists. It is what the
summit is all about, as derived from the name itself, its objective is to LEAD
= Link, Engage, Activate, Develop.
During the summit, we had chances to listen to other
people's experience in the past that helped shape who they are today and what
they have achieved. The biggest realisation I had from this was that you have
to be ready and willing to give up anything, in terms of time, wisdom or
materials, for something to work out. You have to be ready and willing to
sacrifice, and you have to believe in what you are doing, believe in yourself
too. Other than that, it is important to correctly engage and communicate with
others.
Moreover, we were given opportunities in shaping our
advocacies in trying to build a better future for ASEAN, it was nice to be able
to get a proper idea of how policy shaping and action planning works. Finally,
the summit have provided us with the opportunity to stay actively involved in
learning, applying our freshly learnt knowledge, and receive the ongoing
support from the ASEAN youth network created through this summit.
And speak of advocacy, I'd like to bring up something
I picked up from Mr. Carden, the US Ambassador of ASEAN, he said "Someone
asked me, 'why are you so optimistic?'. I told him, 'because ideas win'".
Ideas encourage change. The fact that the youths of ASEAN were given the
opportunity and responsibility to contribute ideas – the seeds of change; it is
trust and optimism at its very best form.
What do you think is the
next step for ASEAN youth?
As one of our hosts, JQ, said during our last day “Do not go back to reality. Go back to
change the reality.” And that is exactly the next step for the ASEAN youth.
First, the youth of ASEAN as a whole should engage in more volunteerism, and
develop a stronger sense of community spirit and selflessness. Then it is our task
to do our best to bring out the awareness on the ASEAN 2015 vision as much as
possible, towards a better and a brighter ASEAN.
What was your favourite
part of the summit and why?
The summit welcomed us with an energetic mood, presenting
some of the most unique Filipino traditional dances. It amazes me how the
organisers and facilitators have the ability to continuously keep the delegates
energetic and engaged with the various activities. I enjoyed the energy in the
summit the most. Everyone was so energetic and so eager to learn.
On the first day, we were introduced to the phrase ‘borderless barkada’ (barkada means 'friendship'), and I believe that
the summit as a whole truly live up to the theme. Aside from the dialogue
during the think labs, we had talked with one another in between breaks. It was
indeed a great feeling to, exchanging different stories with delegates from other
countries and different backgrounds. Everyone has a unique story to tell. We conversed
about the culture, politics, environment and economy among other subjects. Despite
the differences in culture, we all shared a common interest in wanting change
in our communities.
Furthermore, all the speakers were amazingly
inspirational. All the talks I've been to, moved me. Perhaps it's the way they
engage with their audience. Hearing their stories and the things they stand for
and how they are willing to dedicate and sacrifice such a big part of their
lives has made me grow as a person and inspired me to do more for my community
and its future.
