Rotaract District Conference 2010

Clubs Celebrate Youth Power in D3810’s Rotaract District Conference

It was an opportunity to meet the country’s movers and shakers, a chance to meet this generation’s young achievers, and a venue to celebrate service, achievement, and friendship.

These words best describe the Rotaract District Conference 2010, the year-end training for the Rotaract Clubs of District 3810, which was hosted by the Rotaract Club of Manila in cooperation with the Rotaract District Committee. With the theme, “Rotaract: Celebrate Youth Power”, the conference aims to celebrate the power of Rotaractors to shape not only Rotary’s future but of the world as well. The Rotaract District Conference was held last March 27 and 28, 2010 at the Grand Villa Resort and Conference Center in Bay, Laguna.

Around 23 Rotaract Clubs from Manila, Pasay, Cavite, and Mindoro participated in the two-day conference, which boasted of learning sessions from well-respected individuals from various disciplines. The Keynote Speaker was none other than the Philippine Advertising industry’s guru, Ms. Emily Abrera, Chairman Emeritus of Mc Cann Asia, and considered as the country’s imaging expert. Her session focused on “Celebrate Youth: Opportunities and Challenges”, where she presented the various developments happening around the world, and how young people can respond to these changes. She also shared her advocacy, which is promoting the love for reading, for she believes this is the best way for the youth to deal with the demands of this fast-paced and dynamic world.

The Rotaractors also had a chance to meet Mr. Rene Cristobal, a trustee of the Bagong Bayani Foundation, and Governor of the Employers Confederation of the Philippines. His topic was on “Celebrate Service: Best Practices of Organizations”, where he emphasized the need to recognize people’s contributions and the importance of practicing honesty and integrity in serving others.

Text Box: Philippine Advertising’s legend, Ms. Emily Abrera, shares her insights on today’s youth in, “Celebrate Youth: Opportunities and Challenges”. Aside from Mr. Cristobal, the Rotaractors were given an opportunity to meet young achievers Pepe Diokno and Nicole Villarojo during the panel discussion on, “Celebrate Power: Stories of Successful Youth.” “Direk” Pepe won in the 66^th Venice Film Festival for his debut film, “Engkwentro”, making him the youngest Filipino to ever participate and win in the said festival. On the other hand, Nicole was recently awarded as one of the Ten Outstanding Students of the Philippines and was also selected as Bayer’s Young Environmental Envoy for her work in promoting the registration of young voters in the upcoming national elections and for her environmental conservation program. They inspired Rotaractors by sharing how they overcame odds to pursue their passion and achieve success at an early age.

Other speakers were Ivan Henares, creator of the popular travel blog, “Ivan About Town”, and an advocate of the preservation of Philippine culture, who discussed “Celebrate Heritage: What the Filipino Youth Can Do”; and D3810’s Rotaract Chairman and Web Master, PP Gabriel Trias, Jr. of RC Cavite Export Processing Zone, who spoke about “Celebrate Leadership: Facilitating Effective Leadership Transition.”

The Rotaractors were also privileged to have the District Governor, Ma. Concepcion “Connie” Beltran, and some of her District Team officers (SDG Ernest Yuyek, SDG Pam Nadura, and SDG Cynthia Evangelista) join the Rotaract District Conference. DG Connie delivered the Governor’s Address and led the ribbon-cutting for the photo exhibit on, “Rotaract’s Impact on Society”.

Aside from participating in the learning sessions, the delegates also joined the worldwide celebration of “Earth Hour”, a global call to action against climate change, which was held during the Fellowship Night. They also engaged in various outdoor activities on the second day of the conference to understand the value of collaboration and communication for the session, “Celebrate Teamwork”.

“It was really fun and much more than what we expected.”, shared a Rotaract delegate during the conference’s evaluation. And indeed, it was, because the D3810 Rotaractors, as Rotary’s partner in service, deserve the best event to celebrate their power to make a difference - The Rotaract District Conference 2010.

DRR Izel Guatno
District Rotaract Representative
RI District 3810, RY 2009-2010

HOSTED BY ROTARACT CLUB OF MANILA

March 27-28, 2010, Grand Villa, Bay, Laguna - District Governor Connie Beltran addressed the Rotaract District Conference 2010 during the first plenary on March 27th. DG Connie arrived with three other district officers: SDG Ernest Yuyek, SDG Cynthia Evangelista and SDG Pam Nadura. This year's conference theme is ROTARACT: Celebrate Youth Power, which recognizes the Rotaractors' power to shape the future of Rotary and the world.