Experiential Empowerment

The bamboo trees filtered the sunrays to perfection – morning light accentuated by fog and dew. I occasionally moved my shoulders to find the spot where my backpack would not seem too heavy. I used my right hand to carry the black plastic bag with two coconuts – “pabaon” of my host Mangyan community. It was the last day of my immersion and I was bound to face my own “reality” from living with the “reality of others.” I lived with the Mangyans for a week and the experience brought me realizations on how the empowered youth can become agents of progress. I left the community dreaming not how I could give back tomorrow but how I can think of proactive ways now.

(c) Pam Yson
The author is the girl to the right of the board. The board showing the welcome message in Mangyan language. 

Why Youth? Because youth is not wasted on the young. Youth is an opportune moment to create avenues to change the status quo. As a law student, my empowered way of reaching out is by writing and by engaging myself in the activities of the Ateneo Human Rights Center. With youth, a person is equipped with adept discretion to distinguish right from wrong. Given the fact that most persons comprising the youth do not have their own families to raise yet, the empowered youth has more time to fight for the things worth fighting for.

Why Youth? Because the youth acts. In the Philippines where I am from, the power of the youth is easily observed. The Filipino youth is active in nation-building projects like Gawad Kalinga. I have friends actively pursuing social causes like the No to APECO Movement. The youth participates in the political arena forming party-list groups. The government has an organized youth arm called the Sangguniang Kabataan which gives the youth the chance to execute special projects to address their needs. The youth acts, everywhere. The youth has the power to manipulate how ideas are portrayed from the lens of their work – whether it be corporate, press, or the academe.

Why Youth? Because the youth inspires. Perhaps the best dichotomy in this life is “action-reaction.” When the youth acts positively, the youth population (even the entire nation) is inspired. The youth of today is a bunch of fortunate youth for we are given different arenas to pursue advocacy. I have been personally inspired by my idols like Atty. Johaira Wahab who is active in the peace negotiating process in the country. With the help of modern technology, it is easy to call the attention of an inspired youth. With a post on Facebook and retweets on Twitter, an assembly for an advocacy can be gathered as if everyone is merely lining up for a concert by The Script or by Taylor Swift. It is important to keep the youth burning with passion and with faith that the status quo, if unpleasant, can be changed.

It is important that the process of empowerment should be something experiential. For the past years, I have immersed myself to the lives of others. To me, experiencing the “reality of others” is vital to have a clear grasp of the comprehensive reality we are all in. My experience with the Mangyans made me realize how the society can still work for the alleviation of conditions in the sub-societies and I, as part of the youth, can be part of the task force.