New Jollibee Yumbassadors: Young achievers choose to make positive change

MANILA, Philippines - Passionate and driven, the Filipino youth of today are all about making a difference. While pursuing their dreams and ambitions, they are also determined to help other people achieve their own aspirations. This is especially true for the three winning youth groups of Jollibee’s “Choice Ko Yum: Choosing the Next Yumbassadors” video contest in partnership with TAYO Foundation

From among the numerous video entries that were submitted, the entries of Alay ni Ignacio, JJC (Junior Jaycees) Noveleta Kalero, and PSF (Philippine Stagers Foundation) stood out  were chosen by the panel of judges as Jollibee’s newest Yumbassadors.

These three groups embody what a Yumbassador is all about: being the best that they can be and choosing to make positive change in their fellowmen’s lives.

Grand prize winner Alay ni Ignacio (ANI) is composed of dynamic and talented college students, whose goal is to help develop future leaders and fuel their desire for change. “Today’s youth are not afraid to blaze the trail and have the drive to spark change in their own ways,” said LeanaVibal, one of ANI’s members. “Our goal is to hone their skills and help them channel their energies into something that’s productive and positive.”

ANI started as an Ateneo-based student project that organized summer school programs for public high school students. Every summer, volunteers taught advanced classes in English, Science and Math, and conducted enrichment workshops to help prepare their beneficiaries for college. Since then, this school project developed into a year-round program that pushes not only for academic excellence, but also for holistic formation. The organization now offers leadership camps, mentoring sessions, and clubs for various interests such as art, film, creative writing, and sports.

Now in its 13th year, Alay ni Ignacio is showing no signs of slowing down. Many of the program’s scholars are now ANI members too, continuing the legacy and giving back to the project that guided them from high school to college. “It’s hard to go to school to volunteer every summer. It’s not easy to attend formation activities every weekend. But when you love something and you see the change it does for other people—when you see what it does for you—that makes you want to continue,” said Vibal.

As the Choice Ko Yum grand prize winner, ANI received P80,000 cash prize and P20,000 worth of Jollibee gift certificates. True to their commitment to serve, the members are planning to use their prize to extend help to more students in need. Apart from materials and modules for their beneficiaries, they will also dedicate a portion for the volunteers’ training and team building. “Our goal is to continue to impart the five values that our group upholds: commitment to excellence, love for learning, integrity, solidarity and service to society,” added Vibal.

“Our group believes that service to humanity is the best work of life,” shared Raymund Salazar, founder of the JJC Noveleta Kalero, Jollibee Choice KoYum’s second prize winners. “No matter how young you are, you can inspire people, transform lives, and touch hearts,” he added.

Through their “Junk to School Project,” this group of young people from Noveleta, Cavite, encourages kids and households to segregate their waste, turning recyclable junk to funds for school supplies and furniture for public schools.

“We thought of a project that does not need any funding but would help people. What came to our mind was to raise funds, but we didn’t want to solicit or ask money from other people. So we came up with the idea of collecting garbage from house to house. We chose to donate our earnings to schools because we found out that one of the main reasons why kids quit school is the lack of materials,” shared Salazar.

With their second prize winnings, JJC Noveleta Kalero is hoping to make a difference in the lives of more children. “Hearing kids tell us ‘thank you, because of you we can go to school,’ is the best feeling. The fulfillment that we get from helping them cannot be matched by anything,” said Salazar. “This is what motivates us to do more and make this project bigger.”

Third prize winner PSF educates and entertains their audiences through their values-oriented productions. Through PSF’s Theater with a Purpose project, aspiring theater performers are able to get free extensive acting workshops that discover and constantly polish their talent.

The group is behind the successful staging of the acclaimed youth-oriented play “Ako si Ninoy: A Filipino Musicale.” Next on their agenda is “Boni: Isang Sarswela,” a play for the 150th birth anniversary of Philippine hero Andres Bonifacio. “Our goal is to perform not only here in Luzon, but also in Visayas and Mindanao. That way, we can share the message of the play to more people, and hopefully inspire and spread love and blessings,” Villaviray added. 

More than just a theater company, PSF also shapes the youth to be responsible and caring individuals through outreach programs for the sick, the less fortunate children, and the elderly.

“We’ll use our prize to share, share, share. As the years go by and our group grows, our mission to help more people continues to increase,” shared Villaviray.

“Everything we get from our performances, shows, and competitions is donated to our beneficiaries,” said PSF member Nicki Villaviray. “Right now, we have free summer workshops for those who can’t afford to pay the tuition fee. As servants of the arts, we also want to help our fellow youth and allow them to get the training they need.” 

Just like these exemplary groups, today’s young Filipinos can embody the ideals of a true Yumbassador by making the best choices in life, harnessing one’s talents for the benefit of others.