Young Hearts for Leadership (YHL)

Background

The Young Hearts for Leadership (YHL) is a holistic formation program for Christian leaders at the University of Eastern Philippines (UEP). The formation  involves evangelization, spirituality, values and leadership skills, with programs that deepen the understanding, living out and teaching of JPIC (justice , peace and integrity of creation) in today’s world. The  YHL is facilitated by the RSCJ and their Volunteers/Mission Partners through the SHIFT Foundation. The UEP Administration has been supportive of this program by providing a Campus Ministry office in the campus and getting the CM members  involved in university–wide events such as the Student Council Election Watch.

The regular members of  80-160 students reach out to more than 6000 students coming from all over Samar Island.

Objectives

• To  “make the Sacred Heart known and alive” in the university through evangelization and training in JPIC spirituality with the students, considering that they have not had systematic and relevant faith formation in the public schools they come from.
• To train students leaders  in values,  leadership skills,  and in JPIC  so that they can also train other young people not only in UEP but also in their respective dioceses, parishes and local areas. 
• To identify and develop  RSCJ Volunteers/Mission partners who will help the RSCJ continue their ministries in Northern Samar.
   

Activities

• Youth Leadership Camp

The  school year in the Philippines opens in June,  so in May, the Campus Ministry holds a Youth Camp  for the leaders. The youth camp focuses on the following: community building, organizing and facilitating skills, bible study and awareness of issues on justice, peace and integrity of creation. The camp, which lasts for 4 nights and 5 days, aims to prepare the leaders for the coming school year, thus include review of last school year’s activities and structures followed by a planning for the coming school year. 

• H.E.A.R.T.S. Formation Program

The acronym HEARTS  stands for H-Home (Belongingness), E-Empathy (Compassion), A- Alone with God (Prayer), R-Reconciliation (Forgiveness), T-Thanksgiving  (Offering), S- Sent  (Mission). This is a day-long once a month formation program,  where  formation of the heart is done in a prayerful and  reflective way with the CM leaders. These formation modules serve as trainors’ training  for leaders. 

• University Student Elections

The Campus Ministry, regarded  as a neutral and credible group on campus, is tapped by the UEP Administration to facilitate the Candidates’ Forum, conduct voters’ education, and maintain the conduct  of honest, peaceful and orderly student  elections. UEP is a State University where the students are influenced by local and national politics. In the Philippines,  democratic processes still need to be practiced. In Northern Samar, during national elections, vote-buying is rampant and violence is not avoided. The CM tries to help educate the UEP studentry to start clean politics in the campus. The Candidates’ Forum is one of the highlights of the activities when classes are suspended so that the students can get to know the platform of government of the candidates. It is also a chance to voice out the desires of the student-voters on what kind of leaders they want for their university. 

• Christ Awareness Week  

This is a week-long  program held in February during Valentine’s Week. It starts with the opening Mass with the whole UEP Community and families on Sunday before the week starts and ends with a Mass the following Sunday. The UEP Chaplain and the Bishop of the Diocese of Catarman normally grace these occasions. During the week, a parade around the campus by the CM members, joined by the different organizations, is looked forward to by the students when a pantomime, liturgical dance and songs are held during stops in front of every college (9 colleges), and the administration office. Seminars on Youth for Peace, a  forum on youth concerns, messages from the heart, a Scripture-based “Love letter from God”  and other  forms of reaching out to around 10.000 students  are done and celebrated by all. 

• Diocesan and Provincial /Samar Island Participation

The CM leaders are requested to attend and help facilitate in Diocesan Youth Camps. The Northern Samar Peace and Developmet Forum (NSPDF) and Samar Island Partnership for Peace and Development (SIPPAD) are partnerships of the Church, Government and Civil Society leaders wherein the RSCJ –SHIFT Program Director and its team serve as Secretariat. The CM members are introduced to a wider scheme of involvement in justice, peace and development issues of Northern Samar and Samar Island.

• Outreach  Program

The CM partners with other organizations do outreach activities depending on the availability of the members. One of the  outreach activities is the bible sharing with the parents of a pre-school also managed by the RSCJ in a poor neighborhood. Once a week, the CM members take turns facilitating bible sharing with the parents. This is a concrete outreach of the bible study group which every member attends once a week. 

Results

• Leader students of the CMO become the multiplier agents for the whole UEP community.

Extra comments : 

There are young people and teachers from other countries (Sacred Heart schools in Australia, France and the USA) who come to serve with, and learn from, our CMO programs.

People being served : Agents of transformation (Educators)

Age group : Adults 26-60, Young people 18-25

Number of participants : 101-250

Project status : Ongoing

Society presence : Philippines

Focus of the project : People

JPIC Imperative : Transforming and Being Transformed

UN Sustainable Development Goals :