Eastern Visayas scholars join Young Minds summer edition

CEBU, Philippines – Scholars for the summer edition of the Young Minds Academy come from Baybay and Tanauan in Leyte province, the Biliran Island, from Guiuan of Eastern Samar, and the rest from Northern Samar.

Through the Young Minds Academy, the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. launched the summer edition with participants from Region 8 or the Eastern Visayas region.

“Since 2006, this is the very first time we are conducting a summer edition as well as the first time to get scholars which are not from Cebu,” Dominica Chua, chief operating officer of RAFI, said.

The participants are composed of seven teams with five members each, ages ranging from 12 to 30 years old. The winning team will be given the chance to present a proposal that would benefit the environment which is the main focus of the academy.

The proposal should be practical, doable and innovative.

The scholars’ training will run for a month; the first half was already conducted here in Cebu. The participants had already visited the Inayawan Sanitary Landfill for environmental exposure purposes.

The rest of the trainings will be conducted in Samar to give equal opportunity to students in the Visayas regions.

This year, RAFI partners with the Sacred Heart Institute for Transformative Education Foundation as well as the Foundation of Philippine Environment for the trainings. — Mark Z. Gantuangco (THE FREEMAN)