Five hundred Josenian students finished a year-long youth development program dubbed as the Young Minds Academy (YMA) program, which was integrated in the Civic Welfare Training Service (CWTS).
Ten school and community-based projects were already implemented this semester while 40 more project proposals are to be implemented.
| Project Location | Section | Project Name | Specific Location | Beneficiaries | Project Goal |
| USJR – Main Campus | St. Joseph | Anti Radiation Plant | Offices: Accounting, PAO, Clinic, Library, CPA, SAO, SDPC, SSD, Registrar, CMO | USJR Main Campus | The fundamental reason of this research proposal is to help curtail the radiation consumption on all the offices that uses computer and other devices that emits radiation. |
| St. Ezekiel Moreno | Promoting Proper Sanitation in Female Comfort Rooms through Informative Signages | USJR Main | Female students | The primary goal of this project is to improve the sanitation of the female comfort rooms in the school by bringing awareness to its users through informative signages. | |
| USJR – Basak Campus | St. Thomas of Villanova
|
BOX OF HOPE | Josenians specifically the students under the Secondary and Tertiary level of education | University of San Jose- Recoletos Basak Campus, Basak, Pardo, Cebu City | To inspire individuals, to develop a Christian community-oriented education as Josenians and to cater the needs of an individual who is emotionally bothered, or anyone who needs to uplift their overall well-being through the use of God’s wisdom of words. |
| Brgy. Quiot | St. Monica | Eco Bricks | Brgy Quiot | 30 household representatives | To reduce the wastes produced by the residents hence recycling it in the form of eco bricks providing livelihood opportunities |
| St. Magdalene of Nagasaki | I KNOW: FIRE PREVENTION SYMPOSIUM | Sitio Ucba, Brgy Quiot | 30 household representatives | To spread awareness on fire prevention information and fire safety consciousness in Sitio Ucba, Barangay Quiot. | |
| Brgy. Tisa | St. Rita of Cascia | OPLAN: Lambo Mr. Bin | Sito Mangga and Sito Mansanitas, Tisa | Sitio residents | To let the people in Sitios Mangga and Mansanitas know the designated trash bin for them to drop off their garbage for the accessibility of the garbage collectors upon collection. |
| St. Boniface
|
Project LiTa (Limpyo Tahna) | Sitio Tahna, Barangay Tisa | The 50 residents of Sitio Tahna, Barangay Tisa | To address the flooding in Sitio Tahna through a clean-up drive. | |
| Shoot that Kalat To MRF | Sitio Tahna, Barangay Tisa, Cebu City | 50 local residents of Sitio Tahna, Barangay Tisa | To establish a proper waste disposal system for Sitio Tahna by providing a properly-labelled trash bin in order to utilize the MRF. | ||
| Brgy. Kalubihan | St. Augustine | Join the Green Side | Brgy. Kalubihan | Youth / students | To integrate into the society the habit and routine of proper waste disposal |
| St. John of Sahagun | Children’s book EDUCATIONAL SEMINAR USING CREATIVE STRATEGY |
Daycare center | Barangay Kalubihan | To reduce the number of children in the barangay who still does not know how to read and write due to poverty and to give social belongingness to them. It also aims to balance the educational system by giving place to emotions, senses and creative side of the brain more than the left hemispheres of the brain that controls the more academic and logical side of the brain. |
YMA is a youth development initiative started by the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI). It aims to develop the 3 Cs of the youth namely character, competence, and citizenship. Aside from discussing relevant issues in the country, the students also underwent a training on making project proposals and how to implement it.The project implementation is their YMA output. Moreover, it was a display of the students’ community extension initiatives.
The University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R) is the first school in the country to integrate the YMA program in the regular school curricula for freshmen college students. The university was chosen by RAFI as the venue of the program’s pilot implementation.
During her speech, RAFI Vice President for Governance & Linkages Evelyn Nacario-Castro expressed that USJ-R was chosen as it has always been an active partner in their programs including during the implementation of the original YMA program which ran for ten years.
Before YMA was mainstreamed in the university, it started a as youth development program for a select number of youth. Annually, an average of 100 student and out-of-school youth leaders were chosen to be part of a 9-month program. Now, the number has grown at least five times and is eyed to be implemented to a bigger population.
“We are happy to turnover YMA, a program we cherish and believe in, to USJR. We are confident that the program can be upscaled and improved in the hands of the university. The first run of YMA CWTS will be evaluated so more improvements can be incorporated next school year,” said Jenny Lea Tan-Menchavez of RAFI.
After a year-long of implementation, the 500 YMA participants were also recognized especially those who have shown remarkable excellence in their projects. The team behind Join the Green Side was recognized as the Creative Young Minds for the community-based category. Meanwhile, the group who had a project by placing ornamental plants inside USJ-R premises was recognized as the Creative Young Minds for the school-based category.
“I would really recommend to continue this program since it teaches us how to be accountable and responsible for ourselves and for the community,” said Carmel Amigable, one of the program facilitators.
Here’s a list of the other awardees during their graduation ceremony held on March 23 at the Recoletos Coliseum, USJ-R Basak Campus.
|
Section |
Influential Young Minds |
Responsive Young Minds |
| St. Augustine | Moira Tañola | Katherine Marie Cuyos |
| St. John of Sahagun | Lucy Marie Tundag | Kyla Mariel Yap |
| St. Joseph | Roxy Miranda Jr. | Guani Saranillo |
| St. Ezekiel Moreno | Kesshamine Seno | Jasmine Jhayne Osorio |
| St. Nicholas of Tolentine | Rothe Hanna Michaelah Baoc | Teovy Erdel Bongcales |
| St. Thomas of Villanova | Elaine Marie Cantillas | Jhinelyn Famulagan |
| St. Monica | Kristine Jean Lara | Kristine Jean Lara |
| St. Magdalene of Nagasaki | Joriel Lhyne Villacarlos | Tresha Mae Pizon |
| St. Rita of Cascia | Anjanet Abejo | Michelle Ann Maravello |
| St. Boniface | Lorraine Ross Unabia | Beryl Ann Nungoy |
Written by Lorraine Mitzi A. Ambrad
