Intern YMAers on the Move | Young Minds Academy Experience

"Life on a farm is a school of patience; you can't hurry the crops or make an ox in two days." 

The Two Messages

       One evening when my heart slightly calms down after a downcast conversation, my phone beeps and receive two nice messages, the first one must be kept secret and the second one is the thing I'll be sharing here... The message goes like this: "... will be meeting at Consolacion Agriculture Office tomorrow...". It's been days that I waited to start my intership for I was craving to try new stuff and then Olah!, the day came...

The Internship (First Day)

       Me and my other teammates met the Agricultural staffs at Consolacion agriculture office and SHOCKS!!! my attire was so embarrassing because come to think of it, I was wearing a polo shirt with a high heels, good thing one of the DA staff kept a slipper which he allow me to borrow. As we arrive at the farm, it amazes me how passionate the farmers are. They didn't mind the very heat of the sun while having a meeting in the middle of the field. Before the meeting started me and my teammates together with the DA staffs decided to tour the farm. The farm was so huge and nice. We even meet the caretaker on the farm and also some farmers who are harvesting and we joined them. We also decided to bring home some vegetables that we harvested. Isn't it ironic that we already harvested vegetables though we haven't planted a single seed yet. The farmers are so friendly and hardworking. Though it saddens me that the actual farming part might be moved on the afternoon or on the next session because they still need to discuss and orient things before they plant crops. And since it was almost noon, the trainer instructed to take their meal first before the discussion starts because it was better listening while your stomach was full as the information will sinked on your brains immediately than listening while your hungry which will just give you a headache.

The Sad Part

       It was then almost 1 o'clock in the afternoon when I decided to leave the farm so that I will not be late for work. My excitement meters falls down for I haven't tried to plant the crops yet I expected it to happen though it was fine because there are always be next time. As I left the area I was so sad and as the motorcycles go I was still looking on the place until I got in the place that looks familiar "Brgy. Pulpogan". Oh!!! how I miss seeing that place, memories run through me again--- I stayed there for three days and conducted some researched.

For more info:
FACEBOOK http://facebook.com/iluvfarmers
TWITTER http://twitter.com/iluvfarmers
BLOG http://iluvfarmers.blogspot.com

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Can You Imagine Life Without Farmers? | Young Minds Academy Experience

Can you imagine life without farmers? A team of scholars from the Young Minds Academy (YMA) Season 5 leadership program can’t. They harnessed the power of marketing strategies mostly through the new media to promote a farmer empowerment project in Consolacion, Cebu. Because of the on-going training that the farmers are undergoing, they will soon yield better and abundant harvests in their respective farms all over Cebu.

The online community has been abuzz with the iluvfarmers farmers

campaign that champions hero farmers in Cebu.

About Kabalikat sa Kabuhayan

Team CPMPC of the YMA program of the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. created a campaign for the “Kabalikat sa Kabuhayan.” The project aims to educate farmers in vegetable and fruit production and innovations as part of the poverty alleviation goals of the Municipality of Consolacion.



Around 120 farmers go to the 5,000 square meter demo farm site in Brgy. Danglag to learn from the trainers from Harbest Agribusiness Corporation and the Department of Agriculture Regional Offices.



The program’s aim is to empower our farmers with knowledge to improve farm practice and increase yield, thereby providing better income opportunities.



The project started last September 11 and is set to end on November 18, 2011. This has been done in 18 other project sites all over the country as well, and as of writing, graduated more than two thousand farmers.

About iluvfarmers

The Team CPMPC scholars of YMA drafted and implemented a massive campaign to help these farmers gain social awareness and support from the public with the parameters set by RAFI which is 1,000 likes on the Facebook page and 10,000 peso donation or signature of commitment within a one month period.



But instead of focusing on achieving the goals, they turned to the notion that the quality of interaction and support they get is more important especially within the deadline.



As part of the marketing strategy, they branded their campaign as “iluvfarmers” to imply the need for people to appreciate our farmers who are considered as unsung heroes. Meticulous planning and execution was done from designing the logo, content creation and development, setting of specific goals, art direction of campaign materials such as online posters, advertisements, teasers, blog posts, endorsements from different personalities and regular updates in the social networking sites. They also went to the farm demo site and worked with the farmers themselves under extreme weather conditions and poor classroom setting.



The scholars themselves underwent input sessions with social marketing experts in the region today.



They created a Facebook page with a custom designed landing page which can be accessed at http://fb.me/iluvfarmers where details of the program and how you can support the campaign and the farmers are placed. They also created a Twitter account http://twitter.com/iluvfarmers where conversations and interactions are done not only with netizens but as well as Agriculture and Farming organizations all over the world. To curate the beautiful life stories of the farmers and to regularly update the supporters with the latest developments of the project, Team CPMPC scholars also had created a blog site http://iluvfarmers.blogspot.com/ for better content and brand establishment.





The iluvfarmers Campaign is being spearheaded by Jaysee John R. Pingkian, Lorbe Catadman, Babykit Marie Nunez, Irish Nunez and John Rhecel Solon members of the Team CPMPC of the YMA Season 5.

Why you should help?

Farming is not as fun as you would experience through games like Farmville. It actually takes a lot of effort and life as we know it and some people have not only considered it as livelihood but life in itself.



The project needs to sustain because they have learned to pursue a reliable source of income with very little capital through the technologies and knowledge imparted to them.



They need not only awareness from people but as well as donations in money or in kind such as farming tools and fertilizers, vegetable and fruit seeds and seedlings because after the training they are expected to apply their knowledge unto their respective farm lands.



Keep in mind that they are also the providers of their families.



They also need social awareness because little attention and support is given to these people whose efforts are barely recognized and compensated for the amount of work they are doing.

How can you help?

4 Steps to Help Them!

1. LIKE and SHARE this page! COMMENT on photos and posts as well!
2. DONATE your Facebook or Twitter Status:

• They work hard to provide us food. We can help them do better. FOLLOW @iluvfarmers and LIKE http://fb.me/iluvfarmers 
• Somewhere in the mountains are heroes who work tirelessly to provide us and their families. FOLLOW @iluvfarmers and LIKE http://fb.me/iluvfarmers
• Facebook is not just for emo stuff. It could also be used to support our hero farmers! FOLLOW @iluvfarmers and LIKE http://fb.me/iluvfarmers
• Or you could CREATE YOUR CREATIVE STATUS and post it on the Facebook page so they could feature you!

1. FOLLOW us on Twitter http://twitter.com/iluvfarmers
2. DONATE or ask people to donate money, farm tools, farm supplies, seedlings or seeds.
• Contact iluvfarmers Campaign Ambassador Lorbe Catadman: 09299613737

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How to be an S-Leader | Young Minds Academy Experience

"Basic Instruction Before Living Earth"

This might be a very late post though I wanted to still share it anyway... ^_^

        The S-leadership enlightens me on ways how God works on each of our life. The S-Leadership contrasts the world’s way versus the Potter’s way of leadership. It can also transform person’s character to be near of God. It also encourages me to be more God-centered and live my life near to God. S-Leadership taught me that in every trials and problems was hiding a very blessed tomorrow and a very wonderful learning experience. It also taught me that there are no such things as coincidence for every thing that happened in our life has a purpose; God planned it to happen for us to learn and develop. S-Leadership allows me to recognize things that I don’t mind at all. It also taught me that in pottery making you can foretell things that God was doing on us, like wedging out pride, centering us in Jesus, raising us to our maximum potential, shaping us with our personality, skills, talents and experience, trimming us of undesirable attitudes and traits, drying us to be holy, persevering and willing to serve, bisque firing us to transform our character, glazing us with spiritual gifts and lastly firing us for strength and eternal beauty.

       To be a good servant leader, you have to first be a good servant follower for I believe that obedience to god automatically results in service to man. It was in S-Leadership that national transformation begins with individual transformation, that is why Ms. Selene Yu taught us that applying everything we learned in S-Leadership could start on reading the Bible, reflecting on prayers, encouraging one another in fellowship, adoring  Jesus in worship and obeying what the Lord commands. She also taught us that a good leader knows themselves and how their behavior affects others. A good leader respect, appreciate and value individual differences as God designed them to be and know how and when to adapt their behavior to meet the needs of other people and 

particular situations.

       For those reading, I want you to know that God wired us and the people around because of a different purpose, so that each one of us thinks that everyone is important for each one of us serves a unique purpose in each life we met. It's nicer to have a positive attitude about ourselves so that we can maximize doing good and we practice how to speaks from the heart then connects with the heart. It's also great that our reactions to others should move from judging to understanding to respecting to appreciating to valuing and use our strengths towards achieving success for God, for our organizations and for ourselves. And lastly, I will always remind everyone that there is God and always have faith on Him... ^_^

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Building Communities to End Poverty | Young Minds Academy Experience

 " We Respect the Dead but we have to give Dignity to the Living. "

        We are having our Young Minds Academy Learning Visit of Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. in the former Lorega Public Cemetery that day when I heard those nice lines up there. My heart bleeds passing and looking on those crashed tombs, broken bones of the dead outside its coffin, those houses built on tombs and people are struggling on their living conditions. It gives me HOPE knowing that Gawad Kalinga(GK) was trying to help them. Gawad Kalinga together with its partners was going to build 8 shelters in the former Lorega Public Cemetery that can house 60 families per shelter, one of which was now under construction and the other 7 was on the process. It will also give a relocation site for those bones and dead bodies retrieved on the cemetery.

         Isn't it great to have foundations like Gawad Kalinga Community Development Foundation that was visioning to build communities empowered by people with faith and patriotism; driven by a culture of caring and sharing, dedicated to eradicate poverty and restore human dignity. And the most important of all, Gawad Kalinga has put God in its center... ^_^

Visit these sites Gawad Kalinga, Gawad Kalinga1, Gawad Kalinga2, Gawad Kalinga3, Gawad Kalinga4, RAFI1  for more Info.

Photos by my YMAers: Genelynn Niadas, Jaymee Libron and Jette Villamor Vestil

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Rhemon’s Graduation | Congratulation Little Brother

         I haven’t post about my graduation with my elder brother, John Rhel, we’d graduated together. And also about my sister, Rhe John’s graduation, I haven’t gone on her graduation day. But now, I will not allow myself to be absent and not post about one of the most marvelous event ever.


           
         “High School Graduation, for others is just a piece of cake, a relief and a finished line of all the projects, assignments and other high school stuffs.”

         For me, High School Graduation is the end and the start of the journey. The end of all the worries, tears, laughter, fun, joys, headaches, stressful days, sleepless nights and paying high school payable. Goodbye to high school crushes, suitors, teachers, faculties, schoolmates, classmates and oh! friends. The start of new beginnings, the start of college life or other things ahead, another payable, new friends, new environment, another set of worries, tears, joys, another bunch of crushes, suitors and new faces.


Highs School Graduation Rites

         Let’s get back to my younger brother’s graduation day. Hhhmmm, I woke up early so that I won’t miss the graduation rites but then I found out that it will start noon :P. Oh Gosh, my dreams are cut. My Dad wants to come but its Thursday and he got a job to do, how sad. Anyways we’d rode a taxi from our house to Cebu International Convention Center(CICC) even though our house is just meters away, oh well, it’s manicurist’s fault she finished my Mom’s manicure late that’s why we run out of time, but it’s okay. As I expected, hundreds of people are present, I aw my former teachers, oh! how I miss them. The mass started and the priests’ message hit me not only that even the message of some higher officials and greater persons stuck me too.


Remarkable Messages


         “Love the Bible”, “Live with your identity as a Christian”, “Be the salt the seasons tastily”, “Don’t be ashamed to do nice even if others will critic you”, “You may be test by time but whatever happens your worth to loved will remains”’ “Always be a blessing to everyone and know your path”.

         As we arrived home I ask my little bro; “Have you listen and remember all those marvelous messages?”. He said; “I wasn’t able to remember for I didn’t listen”. Oh well, same as me on high school graduation day. I didn’t remember even a single message for I was fond on the feeling that I graduated. hehehe….^_^

(Pictures are not that nice quality 'coz I just use a phone... hehehe...)

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Heavy Noshes for your Teeny Twenty

Got a problem with your allowance? Are you left with only twenty pesos in your pocket, like me, for lunch or snacks perhaps? Then here's a solution for you snags. Discover some of these snacks which might help you out with your tight budget.


1. Kwek Kwek

       - Do you know that the quail egg inside the coated "kwek kwek" can be a remedy against digestive tract disorders such as gastritis and stomach ulcer? Aside from its affordable price "kwek kwek" is a good source of Vitamin A. See? It's not just a batter-coated ball after all...

2. Caramel Coated Banana Cues and Stripped Sweet Potatoes
       - Can't decide which to eat between these two snacks? Well, here's a fact to help you out. To those who have high blood pressures, bananas are good treats for you. If you go for sweet potatoes, you can gain almost twice the recommended daily allowance of Vitamin A, 42 percent of the recommendation of Vitamin C, and four times the recommended daily allowance for beta carotene. Now, have you made up your mind on which to eat this day? Whether you eat one of them or both, these snacks will surely bring back your childhood memories.

3. Siomai and Pusu
       - With your hand in a cellophane, you are now ready for a siomai-eating battle. You don't need to spend more than 50 pesos for this, all you need is less than 30 pesos of Siomai  and Pusu and your lovely tummy pets will all be fed. Besides, Siomai can provide 74 calories, 17 percent of which are proteins that are essential to the structure and function of all living cells. Now, isn't it wise to go for Siomai and Pusu rather than gain more fats with those fast foods?

4. Sliced Chilled Watermelon

       - Watermelon or commonly referred to as "Pakwan" is the most popular fruit during summer. It has really juicy and refreshing interior flesh. Aside from the fact that it practically contains 98 percent of water, it also contains a considerable amount of Potassium, Vitamin C, A and B6. It is that quite healthy despite its sweetness; it contains almost zero fat. One really big slice of a watermelon only costs just around ten pesos. Plus, they can be bought everywhere in the city every summer. It is a very good snack for both kids and adults. So, if you crave for sweet refreshment-slash-nosh minus the guilt, watermelon is best for you.


5. Sweet Corn
        - Do you know that those steamed yellow corn sold along the streets are very good source of Lutein? Lutein is physically present in our eyes and it helps protect them from strong light. It is located at the point in our eyes where maximum vision occurs; therefore, deficiency in Lutein will definitely cause eyesight problems. Various research studies have shown that adirect relationship exists between Lutein intake and pigmentation will help decrease the risk for eye diseases. So, if you want to keep that sharp eyesight, you better take as much Lutein as you can. Or better yet, buy some of those Lutein-rich steamed yellow corn which will definitely plump your bellies as well.

6. Peanuts

 

        - Either purely baked, sugar-coated, soaked with salts, or laced with hot spices, these legumes are good sources of fiber and Vitamin E. An ounce(or one small handful of peanuts) of it contains two grams of fiber which is equivalent to nine percent of your daily fiber needs. Studies show that an ounce of peanuts provided sixteen percent of your daily need of Vitamin E which has been proven to act as antioxidant reducing the risk of coronary heart disease. Isn't that fantastic? So if you want to escape from this disease, take a handful of peanuts in your pocket.



Isn't it delightful to spend little for delightful refreshments? ^_^

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