ARC youth camp breeds future Filipino leaders

MANILA, Philippines - Some say leaders are made, while others believe that they are born. Perhaps the truth lies somewhere in between.

In 2011, ARC Refreshments Corporation, the licensed Philippine bottler and manufacturer of RC Cola products, created the ARC Young Leaders Camp, a youth leadership program that aims “to be a breeding ground for future Filipino leaders.”

“There are other similar programs,” says Gerry Garcia, ARC executive vice president and chief operating officer, “but what makes our program different is that it caters to underprivileged students who show potential.”  

The participants are students from government-funded educational institutions as well as those on scholarship from private schools.

Garcia relates how he was inspired by his own personal experience back when he was in his fourth year of high school. He was one of the students from public schools handpicked to participate in a similar program sponsored by the YMCA.  The program no longer exists, but he never forgot the three-day leadership seminar he attended in Baguio. Through the years, he would see a number of his fellow participants doing outstanding work in their field, he relates.

Similarly, he envisions the ARC program providing opportunities and planting seeds of change among the youth who would otherwise not have access to developing their leadership skills and values.

Franco Sena was the student council president in high school at the University of Santo Tomas. Now in his fourth year in college, pursuing a degree in BS Architecture at the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila, Franco belongs to the first batch of delegates to the ARC Young Leaders Camp.  He says it served as a steppingstone for him to hone his leadership skills.

“I learned social responsibility,” he says. “It is not enough to just study in school but one must also give value to one’s country and environment.”

He joined organizations such as the student arm of the United Architects of the Philippines.

Jane Pang, also from the first batch of delegates to the ARC Young Leaders Camp, shares a similar experience. She was a conscientious high school student at St. Paul’s in Parañaque who focused all of her energy on academics.

“The ARC Young Leaders Camp built my awareness of society, of the environment,” she shares. “I learned what it means to be a leader, which is to serve.”  

She is currently vice president of the Junior Marketing Association at the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila, where she is on scholarship, pursuing a BSBA degree, majoring in marketing management.

Jasmine Ledesma, who graduated high school from St. Scholastica’s College in Manila, belongs to the second batch of participants in the ARC Young Leaders Camp. Now taking up Political Science at the University of the

Philippines Manila, she says that she learned leadership strategies and the importance of being socially responsible from the ARC Young Leaders Camp.

“We need good leaders,” she says. “We need good leadership in government, especially now that we have many accountability issues.”

Jasmine says she learned how important it is to inspire the youth, to give them guidance and the right attitude.  The ARC leadership program is structured well, she adds, and she’d like to see it continuing and strengthening even more.

Franco, Jane and Jasmine participated in the third ARC Young Leaders Camp, which was held last February at the Punta de Fabian Resort in Baras, Rizal, this time not as delegates but as group marshals and facilitators.

The three-day training was divided into three main parts, Garcia explained: “Since most of the 40 delegates come from underserved populations, the approach is to first assist the youths in finding and embracing their own strengths. The next phase is to help them move forward and outward by developing their socialization skills. The third important step is to encourage the students out of their comfort zone into the wider community to get them ready to serve a positive cause and lead the change.”

The guest speakers included industry and sector leaders “who can inspire the students with real stories of success despite setbacks,” Garcia shares.

Activities included group games, journal writing, skills exercises, and group presentations in order to draw participation from the young delegates and encourage them to explore their leadership qualities.

“Besides providing Filipinos with a refreshing beverage product, ARC’s continuing commitment to youth leadership hopes to narrow the gap within a key priority sector,” Garcia remarks. “We hope to contribute to a better world by nurturing our young leaders.”