Outward Bound Singapore, RAFI run youth program in Cebu
June 19, 2010, 02:37:40 pm by nrcudis
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The Outward Bound Singapore (OBS) and the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI) carried out the second run of its Global Youth Program (GYP) in Cebu.
From May 31 to June 10, 14 secondary students and three teachers from Junrongville Secondary School attended the program in Cebu.
With two OBS instructors, they participated in land and sea expeditions around the islands and mountains of Cebu, including Olango, Pandanon, and Mactan Islands, Magsaba River, and Mt. Manunggal.
The OBS-GYP aims to impel the Singaporean youths to develop a more adventurous spirit through their participation in Outward Bound programs that provide challenges in unfamiliar terrain and environment.
These programs were also designed to broaden their international perspective through exposure to and appreciation of differences in culture, ethnicity, and socio-economic behavior.
The 11-day OBS-GYP in Cebu also exposed the participants to various social activities like mangrove planting in Olango Island, feeding children in Pandanon Island, painting of classrooms and interacting with students at Cambagocboc Elementary School in Barangay Manunggal, and touring Casa Gorordo Museum, Basilica del Sto. Niño, and other heritage sites in Cebu City.
Like the first run of the OBS-GYP in Cebu, RAFI handled the logistics of the program and provides participants with information about Cebu.
“The direction of the (partnership) is to enable RAFI to handle the whole program in the succeeding runs,” Leomil Urpiana, youth facilitator of the Kool Adventure Camp (KAC) of RAFI, said.
KAC is the youth leadership formation program of RAFI that espouses experiential adventure-based educational activities that offer participants a chance to go beyond their pre-conceived limitations.
Last April 28-30, KAC ran a camp for the youth leaders of the Salesian Youth Movement, a non-profit, non-political organization of the Salesians of Don Bosco dedicated to bringing young people together in situations that will ensure a high quality of educational value and guide them towards a meaningful experience of the life of the Church.
“The participants were catechists who handle children in different areas. The goal of KAC was basically to empower them to become better animators and encourage them to network with other leaders from other centers so they can help each other discover best practices in their line of work as well as support each other in various endeavors,” Urpiana said.
The young participants were exposed to various activities that involve intra-personal and interpersonal interaction, growth of self-esteem, and integration of their adventure learning experiences. They also engaged in ropes course elements, including the 30-foot pamper pole and the 50-foot climbing wall.
“I have learned to trust my teammates,” Mirasol Cabaguing, 15, shared, after climbing the wall with two other teammates.
“KAC helps the youth break out from their fears and conceived limitations, help them to perform better, to socialize, and to work effectively as a team,” Marie Sol Delantar-Gonzalvo, KAC Deputy Director for Youth Programs, said.