IT WAS the late US President Franklin D Roosevelt who said that “We cannot always build the future for our youth, but we can always build our youth for the future”. He must have been in the presence of a group of young, energetic and realistic individuals, such as the audience before me today, when he uttered those words, because I believe that, it is only under such circumstances, that he could have drawn such vision and inspiration.
To the more than 100 delegates to this youth congress, I open this activity with a message of empowerment for today’s youth. Now is your time to grab the opportunity and take the responsibility to help not only yourselves and your family, but more importantly our country, as we chart a course for our future.
Through this congress, we hope to be able to unleash your potential to become the future leaders of our country. Leaders who will not only inspire and motivate our people, but who will also uplift their living conditions and bring progress to our country.
Leaders are not born, they are made. A person becomes a leader not because he is told to be one, but because he chooses to be one and develops himself to become one.
Right now, all of you are leaders because you have chosen to be leaders, and you have accepted the responsibilities that come with being the youth leaders in your respective communities. This activity primarily highlights such role, and will assist and guide you in planning and sustaining programs that seek to promote peace and development in our country.
You can therefore expect that the succeeding days will be full of learning. You will have team building activities, interactive discussions, lectures and exercises that will enhance your knowledge and understanding of the many issues confronting our youth and of how to come up with strategies to resolve the same. Being the future leaders of our country that you are, you are expected to come up with concrete action plans and programs that you will bring and present to your respective LGUs as proof of your completion and as your contribution to nation building.
To our delegates, I enjoin you to start our congress with a sense of purpose and commitment to find a cause greater than yourself. As much as we earnestly want to build you for the future, we can only do so if you commit yourself and actively participate. Help us therefore build you, to build a stable and progressive future for our nation.
Nalipay ako, na kita tanan, nagkatapok karon para pagasugdan ug ipahigayon kining atong Eastern Mindanao YFP Congress.
Mabuhay ang YFP, mabuhay tayong lahat.
Source: Public Information Office, Eastern Mindanao Command, AFP
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