Today's builders, tomorrow's leaders
MANILA, Philippines - “It’s time to build,” said 21-year-old Alexandra “Alex” Eduque, who founded the Habitat for Humanity Philippines Youth Council in 2010.
“We ought to build homes, relationships, trust and teams among our circles and beyond our circles,” added the bright-eyed political science student from Columbia University in New York, who comes home and joins “builds” or building sessions every chance she gets.
Indeed, this new generation of youth leaders takes up hammers to build homes for others. Together they brainstorm, meet and donate their time and allowances to the less fortunate.
It wasn’t hard for Alex, who chairs the Youth Council and has been helping Habitat since she was 16, to make her team of “helpers” grow.
Habitat Youth Ambassador and Habitat Youth Council founder Alex Eduque, HYC officers and their friends join the Kapit Bisig Para Sa Ilog Pasig, a movement for a cleaner Pasig River. “I’ve invited my friends to go on builds and they’ve seen my passion for it,” she says. “A lot of people really want to help out, they just don’t know how, or they’re looking for ways to do so. So when you approach them, it’s so refreshing to see them give what they can, their time to build. For them, it’s not the money, it’s their time.”
Also making time out of her busy academic life is Isabel Martel Francisco, president of the Habitat Youth Council. Isabel is a senior at International School Manila who serves as editor in chief of her school’s NewsFlash magazine, and has been a volunteer at Virlanie Foundation since 2010. Her devotion to Habitat came from exposure to a Habitat build.
“Sometimes kids can be ignorant of what’s going on around them, but by stopping and noticing what some people’s lives look like around us, the awareness will make people want to help. If teens or people of any age only slowed down and decided to help the less fortunate, it would make a massive change for our country.”
Making up Isabel’s team are Kevin Yang, Simon Tantoco and Pedro T. Roxas.
Yang is the current Habitat Youth Council vice president and a junior at International School Manila. He is part of several charities like the Ronald McDonald House charities, UNESCO Global City, and Hands on Manila. “The youth can give in any way they can, be it dropping off clothes donations for the victims of typhoon Sendong or going on builds to help the victims themselves. Every action will make a difference.”
Simon Tantoco, Habitat Youth Council’s communications officer, says, “It is important for the youth to be socially aware of the current state the majority of the people in our country are in, in order for them to change their priorities and look for ways to uplift the lives of those who work the hardest and get paid the least.”
As new officers of the Youth Council, Isabel, Simon, Pedro and Kevin want to continue past projects and initiate exciting new ones. “Look out for bigger builds, better launches and brand-new habitat merchandise,” said Yang.
Pedro T. Roxas, Habitat Youth Council’s secretary, was inspired by his mom’s involvement in Hands On Manila. “I believe that it is of crucial importance that the youth of today get involved with charity because it is the youth of today that will be the leaders of tomorrow. If the youth get accustomed to doing charity work at an early age, they will be doing it for the rest of their lives.”
These youngsters aged 18 to 21 think of fundraising partnerships and events, and mobilize groups to join builds to help Habitat for Humanity. They have also organized numerous successful fundraising concerts and events in the past year, including the launch of the Habitat Watch by Swatch.
Their next event, on Jan. 14, 6 p.m. at the Greenbelt Fashion Walk, is particularly important because they will announce their quest for 2,000 volunteers and as many sponsors as possible to build homes for 200 families displaced by Typhoon Pedring in Barangay Tanza, Navotas, Manila.
Habitat will also announce the Habitat Youth Leaders Movement, the Alex Eduque Legacy Project, which aims to find and develop 200 youth leaders like Alex to help elevate socially conscious volunteerism to a whole new level.
Habitat partnered with the following schools and sponsors for this momentous build: Krispy Kreme, Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, Ralph’s Wines, Washington Group of Companies, iFlick Photobooth, and Panasonic. University of the Philippines-Manila, Ateneo de Manila University, University of Sto. Tomas, Rizal Technological University, Technological Institute of the Philippines, Collegio San Juan de Letran will send their student leaders.
Habitat Youth Council officers Simon Tantoco, Isabel Martel Francisco, Pedro T. Roxas, and Kevin Yang in a fundraising event for Habitat for Humanity Philippines ABS-CBN television stars Karen Davila and Matteo Guidicelli will host the event, with entertainment by the Hiyas ng Pilipinas Children’s Choir and the CCP Bobcats.
The Habitat Youth Build 2012 on May 12 aims to attract 2,000 Filipino youth volunteers from all over the world to help build homes in the Philippines. The thrust to involve the youth spans through the Asia-Pacific region, where students and young professionals in countries like China, India, Indonesia and Thailand are mobilized to give their time, sweat and networks to advance Habitat’s mission and vision.
Other young Habitat advocates are singer and theater actress Cris Villonco, Eugenia Zobel de Ayala, and Alex’s and Kevin’s sisters, Michaela Eduque and Kay Yang. They join Kris Aquino, Manny Pacquiao, Derek Ramsay, broadcast journalists Karen Davila and Arnold Clavio, TV host Kim Atienza, former beauty queen Margie Moran-Floirendo, and PBA basketball star Chris Tiu as brand ambassadors for Habitat for Humanity.
