26/11/2024
๐๐๐๐ง๐จ๐ฅ๐ | Empowering Youth for the Environment: Princess Gampayon at YES-O Camp 2024
Princess Gampayon was an active participant in the Division Youth for Environment in Schools-Organization (YES-O) Camp 2024 held at San Pedro National High School, Narvacan, Ilocos Sur, from November 22 to 24.
Dubbed with the theme "Kabataang Kaagapay ng Kalikasan: Sandigan sa Panahon ng Kalamidad," the camp was innovatively crafted to rally young people towards becoming drivers in the protection of the environment, especially during calamities or disasters. This was consistent with the overall goals of YES-O, which sought environmental awareness and action among students.
Among the programs developed by the camp for education and mobilization of participants include YES-O Pageant, where creativity was honored in environmental advocacy as well as lectures about urgent environmental issues. Tree planting was also done to raise awareness on reforestation and biodiversity conservation.
A cleanup drive was even initiated in order to get the public involved in responsibility for their surroundings and, through a postal cleanup advocacy, it succeeded in stirring up the clamor for the proper waste management. Group activities furthered a sense of group cohesion among all participants, who, having gone for a cause bigger than themselves after the activityโthat is, taking care of the environmentโwere motivated to keep that goal alive.
Princess Gampayon was very actively involved in all the activities. Her and her teams' dynamism and high energy paid off when her group was declared the Most Active Group in the camp. Success like this wasn't just a testament to one's commitment but also reflective of the collaborative ethos among participants who shared a common goal for environmental responsibility. This, again, was a motivational tool in the whole training process-an example of how teamwork helped transform positively.
The lectures were held at the camp and included topics such as climate change, waste disposal, and sustainability among other core subjects. Valuable insights were shared by experts, such that participants reflected a lot on their roles in environmental conservation.
These were complemented with hands-on activities that included tree planting and cleanup drives, which therefore allowed attendees to apply what they had learned in real-life scenarios. Such experiential learning was critical for instilling responsibility toward the environment within the hearts of youth.
As such, the theme "Kabataang Kaagapay ng Kalikasan" really gained much in the camp since it drove home the role young people played as partners in environmental protection. On the other hand, empowering the youth was important in building resilient communities when faced with challenges like climate change and natural disasters.
Yes-O Camp became an avenue wherein activities continued to instill in participants their leadership abilities and knowledge and devices needed to be able to advocate for sustainable practices at schools and communities.
Princess Gampayon took part in the YES-O Camp 2024, where young people showed dedication toward environmental stewardship. Activities included interesting learnings from engagements as well as collaborative efforts toward addressing current pressing issues threatening the environment; here, such actions were learned and taken to make a difference.
Therefore, the success of the camp brought out the essence of youth involvement in tackling environmental issues and fostering a culture of sustainability for the future.
