GLOBAL YOUTH LEADERSHIP ACADEMY OPENING PROGRAM SPEECH

Julian GrayfrexA. Alcomendas

Lyceum of the Philippines University - Cavite

Mabuhay! Good day to all the Global Youth Leadership Academy guests, students, tutors, fellows, and delegates all over the world. I am very honored to be the representative of the global students and to speak with each and everyone of you. Thank you very much to Ms. Jie Zhan and the entire Global Youth Leadership Academy for allowing me the opportunity to share with you a piece of me.

My name is Julian Grayfrex A.Alcomendas, you can call me Julian, and I am from the Philippines. Right now, I am a college student taking Bachelor of Science in Nursing proudly from the Lyceum of the Philippines University - Cavite. I was a former badminton varsity player as well as the editor in chief of our school’s official publication. Asa student journalist, I once became champion in feature writing, and as are searcher, I won best research and best research presenter. I am the top notched of what we call the “JPL-SHL President’s Scholarship” which is the highest scholarship grant given in LPU. I am currently the outgoing President of the College of Nursing Student Government and just recently, I’ve been elected as the President of the highest student governing body in the university, the Lyceum Central Student Government.

As we all are aware of, one of our objectives is leading the world towards sustainable growth and development-truly a very imperative and important cause for the betterment of the lives of many. In line with achieving this objective, we have the 17 Sustainable Development Goals serving as a blueprint to tackle, improve, and/or solve the different problems and struggles different nations across the globe are facing right now. As a nursing student, I’ve been having my clinical duties at government hospitals which exposes me first-hand to different people experiencing different struggles. I’ve encountered patients who were confined due to starvation brought forth by poverty, patients who got illnesses due to drinking unclean water, patients who’ve been hurt by others due to their sexual orientation, and patients that contracted health complications due to pollution. I can only provide them care as a nurse but as a leader, I would like to envision a world where they won’t be admitted to the clinical institution in the first place. Eradicating poverty, diminishing hunger, promoting health, globalizing education, establishing gender equality, sourcing clean water, and fighting environmental degradation are just some of the focuses of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals from the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development of the United Nations. There’s already a plan, there’s already a blueprint, now, it is in the hands of us humans to assimilate change.

In line with this, I would like to share three parts of Filipino culture I think would be of inspiration to everyone as we strive to achieve our goals as youth leaders.

First, is not being a “ningas-kugon”.In the Philippines, “ningas-kugon” is a term used to refer to someone who is all talk but no action or all bark, no bite. There are people who like to join forums, join seminars, join discussions just for the prestige of being called adelegate, for the title of being called a leader when being a leader is not in the prestige of the position, but in how you perform your responsibilities and actions. I hope that we will not be “ningas-kugon” during and after the Global Youth Leadership Academy because we are all gathered here to learn about what is beyond our geographical vicinities, we are here to be aware of the problems of society, and we are here as future leaders that should not be all talk, all promise, but full of substance and action.

Second, is what Filipinos call “bayanihan”. I consider this one of the Filipino qualities that makes me very proud of my bloodline because what “bayanihan” embodies is the sense of unity, team work, and community. In achieving our goals towards the betterment of the lives of many, we surely cannot function on our own. As leaders, let us not put all the burden onto our shoulders. Always keep in mind that a leader does not carry the team nor does all the work for the ease of many because a leader enhances and brings out everybody’s maximum potentials so everyone can have a hand in achieving change. “Bayanihan” is not limited to those of a specific community, because this quality can extend across different nationalities. As members of the United Nations, let us embody being united and helping one another irrespective of difference in language, politics, and culture so that we can achieve the sustainable development goals for the sake of the earth and humanity.

Third and lastly, I would like to read one of the most famous quotes of the national hero of the Philippines: Dr. Jose P. Rizal. According to him, “Kabataan ang pag-asa ng bayan”. This translates to “The youth is the hope of the nation”. It might be conceited for me, a part of what we call youth, to emphasize on this but such is true. You, me, we are the hope of the nation. We simply do not exist for the continuity of mankind, we are here to maintain the good that is being done, to improve what needs further enhancement, and to solve the misgivings of the prior generation. We are already seeing a paradigm shift, now more than ever, the youth is becoming more outspoken, open-minded, and involved in what truly matters in the world.

These Filipino qualities don’t necessarily only apply to Filipinos for they are qualities and values that are worth sharing with the whole world. Fellow youth leaders, let us not become “ningas-kugon” and let us bite not just bark. Let us harness “bayanihan” through lifting one another. And let us prove “Ang kabataan ang pag-asa ng bayan” true because we truly are the hope of our nations.

It is my greatest privilege to be representing the international delegates of the Global Youth Leadership Academy. Thank you Dr. Liangrong Zu for founding such a program that unifies the youth under the umbrella of being exemplary leaders and civil servants and for this venue where everyone of us can grow, develop, and thrive. I am looking forward to the people we will become after this endeavor. Let us learn from one another, let us broaden our horizons, let us conduct meaningful discussions, let us share each other’s cultures, and let us bring out the best leaders in each and everyone.

Once again, my name is JulianGrayfrex A. Alcomendas from Lyceum of the Philippines University - Cavite, of the youth, by the youth, for the youth.

Thank you and have a nice day.

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