Tired from almost a month of inactivity, National Youth Business Convention 2017 (NYBC) was an event I was counting down the days for. It held the great promises of learning and experiencing and of inspiration and determination.
Those brief 3 days did not disappoint.
The one word I would use to describe NYBC would be action. The word manifested itself consistently throughout the three days. On one level, NYBC was all about movement (literally). Moving from city to city, venue to venue, and even talk to talk. But with the movement of the feet and wheels came the movement of the heart and the mind. I thoroughly enjoyed listening and learning from the esteemed speakers, who were just names and faces on the promotions; and who, as they talked and shared their ideas, concretised what it meant to sway and inspire the youth with words.
Particularly striking to me was the speech of the “valedictorian”of the event on the last day, a co-delegate, who was incredibly inspiring with his perception of the youth and his greater plans for nation-building. For a speech made overnight, I was (almost) moved to tears because I could hear the conviction in his voice as he spoke of what we can do, a belief that after a series of experiences in NYBC, deeply resonated with me.
See also: What’s in store for you in National Youth Business Convention 2017?
One thing I have come to take away from the experience and from meeting and interacting with my co-delegates is that the youth is not just strong in its numbers, but also incredibly substantial and woke in their ideologies and beliefs. There were so many great ideas I came across from Day 0, ideas I saw winning Nobel Peace Prizes and social service awards if executed wonderfully.
Events like these never fail to make me feel empowered. Witnessing the belief of others in the youth, and more importantly, seeing the youth ourselves engage in such initiatives makes me hopeful that nation-building is possible. It’s a strong contrast to what I see in the media, which chips away at my hopes for a better Philippines. But firsthand witnessing the “smaller people” behind these daunting institutions remind me that there’s a whole hoard of dreamers and builders rallying for the good and the just, and for the betterment of millions.
NYBC was a flurry of new things: new experiences, new learnings, new friends, new opportunities— it affirmed the very small optimistic dreamer in me. NYBC, all that it was and what I hope it to be in the years to come, is a hard salute to the youth and what we can do.
To NYBC, thank you for all the action you brought to my heart, mind and soul. Those 3 days will forever be remembered and held onto as we set into motion to build the nation.