WHAT is your dream for the city?
It was a simple question, and yet it drew varied and profound answers from the Cebuano youth, where a diverse collaborative
advocacy began.
“So what is your dream for Cebu?” asked Johanna Michelle Lim in the middle of a press huddle at A Space Cebu for the Dream Festival event.
I was caught off-guard as she turned the tables on the media. The question was now addressed to me after I inquired about the 16 individuals before us who represented the Global Shapers Cebu community.
I must admit it got me thinking hard. And I suppose everyone there felt the same way.
The Global Shapers Cebu has been asking the question in classrooms, corporations and communities, all with different approaches for a year now.
“It is simply letting them know their dreams and maybe, we can find ourselves sharing the same dream all along. From there, we can work together. The challenge lies only on how to express it. There is no apathy among the youth,” said Mel Yan, a member
of the Global Shapers Cebu Community.
Global Shapers Cebu takes note of every dream to form a holistic vision that can bring the youth to work for the coming years.
“Through our dream caravan, we were able to identify the mindset of the youth, what keeps them from achieving their dreams. For instance, many of those in the corporate world are too busy with their responsibilities as breadwinners that they choose to set aside their dreams,” said Mel.
The event dubbed as Dream Festival: A Grand Celebration of the Collective Dream of the Youth of Cebu will take place on Nov. 19, 4–9 p.m. at The Terraces, Ayala Center Cebu.
Musical performances from Cattski, Bethany, Wonggoys and Kurt Fick will be part of the celebration. Meanwhile, dream speakers, reigning Miss Cebu 2016 Raine Baljiak and Bobby Gothong will take center stage for inspirational messages.
Advocacy booths for environmental conservation, business development and universal education will also be in place at the event, like the Basadours, Let’s Do It Philippines, DTI Go Negosyo, and the Island Souvenirs Program for Inclusive Growth.
A diverse group of 16
As with many things that start small, drops will make a ripple and eventually create waves.
“We came from different fields. We are 16 diverse people, and if you put us together in one room, we are actually representing 16 dreams,” said Jonnette Alquizola, founder of
Children of the Coast Foundation, who recently joined the community.
Jonnette is a cancer survivor after undergoing two years of hospital treatment for Ewing’s Sarcoma, a rare disease in which cancer cells are found in the bone or in soft tissues.
“My dream is for the grown-ups of Cebu to show the children what it means to be an adult; that being an adult means choosing to be the responsible version of the child in all
of us,” shared Jonnette on Global Shapers Cebu official Facebook page.
With her are Monica Alipe-Enriqueza, Carlo Delantar, Megan Lim Young, Tidow Gothong, Chip Lopez, Joanna Cuenco, Francis Sollano, Monica Alipe-Enriquez and Maan Briones-Ting, Bea Evardone, Jose Franco Soberano, Maan Briones, Anya Lim, Roanne Rae Cabradilla, Ken Ngo, of course, Mel, Jonnette and Johanna.
