A gathering of promising young minds
MANILA, Philippines – First Pacific Leadership Academy achieves another first through the MVP Future Thought Leaders Summit. The academy recently opened its doors to 118 promising student leaders from Luzon to Mindanao, who have displayed potential to become future leaders.
The summit was attended by 10 students from Batangas, 25 from Bicol, eight from Cagayan de Oro, 20 from Camarin, four from Iloilo, 14 from Leyte, 24 from Quezon Province and 13 from Tarlac.
The MVP Future Thought Leaders Summit is the brainchild of chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan, who believes that the development of youth leaders is critical in nation-building. The summit aims to inspire the youth to become instruments of positive change through “Passion, Pangarap and Puso.”
The summit featured talks by inspiring leaders in their respective fields, including Ramon Magsaysay awardee for Education Randy Halasan; Chikka founder Chito Bustamante; environmentalist Anne-Marie Bakker; Juilliard-trained concert pianist Rudolf Golez; top Philippine athletes Johan Aguilar and Marcus Valda; Filipina specialist in infectious diseases Fatima Gimenez, MD; and nationalist and Harvard Law graduate Alex Lacson.
The guest speakers shared proven leadership practices, which are based on Kouzes and Posner’s “The Student Leadership Challenge.” The five foundational tenets: 1. Model the way; 2. Inspire shared vision; 3. Challenge the process; 4. Enable others to act; and 5. Encourage the heart — are proven to help transform simple ideas into real solutions, opening up a whole world of possibilities.
A major highlight of the summit was the Student Citizenship Challenge. Student leaders were encouraged to pursue innovative ideas and solutions to address challenges that their immediate community is facing. After the event, the Executive Education, Innovation and Creative Programs Team of FPLA promised to track and guide the progress of these projects.
While the MVP Future Thought Leaders Summit is the Academy’s first youth summit, it has shown great promise. The enthusiasm and the excitement shared by all the students, speakers and coordinators have powered up a whole new level of positivity, which one day will hopefully change the country.
