Manila Downtown YMCA – Youth Club Summer Camp 2022

Last Updated (Wednesday, 29 June 2022 14:35)

The Manila Downtown YMCA Youth Club Summer Camp (YCSC) is an annual leadership camp for incoming Grade 10 to 12 Freshman College students from various Chinese-Filipino Schools to develop skills to kickstart their leadership journey.

In its 15th year, the camp finally reached its culmination last June 4, 2022. This year’s month-long camp was held in four Saturday afternoons and was conducted entirely online through platforms such as Zoom, Discord, and Facebook. Before the four camp days, the YCSC participants attended an orientation day held on May 3, 2022, where they learned the camp's basics and got acquainted with fellow participants and organizers through various activities.

The first official camp day was held on May 14 and had sessions and activities focused on the self. The participants met the first speaker, Mr. Bernz Caasi, who gave an interactive and lively talk about “Self Knowledge and Self Mastery”. Another speaker that gave a talk that day was Mr. John-Michael Hilton. He gave insightful advice and commentary about how important it is to push yourself to be better every day and build confidence. The two talks were also respectively followed by reflection and synthesis sessions.

On May 21, two more inspiring speakers talked about leadership, namely, Mr. Josemaria Lorenzo Valdez and Mr. Mars Florete III, who gave a talk on Leader and Initiative and Servant Leadership, respectively. Here, it was evident that the participants were starting to loosen up and gain confidence, as many were eager to share their ideas and answers to the different questions presented by the speaker.

The third camp day was held on May 28; each group participated in the ever-exciting Amazing Race. Here, the wits, intelligence, speed, and, most importantly, the teamwork of each group were tested as campers went through different challenges and riddles to complete the activity. After being asked how they felt after the activity, many participants could only laugh at how tiring yet fun it was.

On June 4, Mr. Justin Tan and Mr. Hero Go talked about “Volunteerism” and “The YMCA Movement", respectively. Mr. Justin Tembresa then offered the participants a glimpse of the MDYMCA Youth Club’s identity. He shared his leadership journey and the platform it offers to budding youth leaders. The month-long camp ended with the awarding of special awards, which noted individuals and groups who have shown exemplary qualities and effort throughout the camp. On this day, campers also wrote heartfelt messages to each other, which was followed by the closing remarks given by Dr. Honorio T. Tan, President of Manila Downtown YMCA

Kickstarting the leadership journeys of the new batch of YCSC participants, this year’s YCSC consisted of different engaging and insightful talks, challenging activities, and bonding sessions for the participants to familiarize themselves with each other and with the values of the YMCA. Moreover, between the camp days, each group had their respective Small Group Discussions (SGD), where they would discuss what happened on the previous camp day and give their insights
On the topic with their facilitators.

Although this year’s YCSC was once again held entirely online, it is evident that each camper was able to carry with them a lot of learning and knowledge through the camp, which will surely be of great help as each one of them starts their unique leadership journey.

The Manila Downtown YMCA would also like to extend its sincere congratulations to Mr. Emmanuel Rentoy for winning the International Champion of Character Award from Character.Org, an award given to an institution or individual “that has demonstrated a sustained commitment to character development beyond the United States.” We are proud to have you on board in our mission to develop the youth in body, mind, and spirit.

Lastly, the Manila Downtown YMCA Board of Directors would like to express its deepest gratitude to its Executive Director, the student organizers of YCSC 15, distinguished speakers, as well as the Center for the 4th and 5th Rs Asia, an international affiliate of Dr. Thomas Lickona's Center for the 4th & 5th Rs based in the State University of New York (SUNY).

By -Sophia King & Vanessa Julio
Danica Chua & Jehmianne Co
Venus May Alinsod
Manila Downtown YMCA Philippines