Paradigm Shift: LINK Leadership Bootcamp 2017

22 May 2017, Balaoan, La Union. On May 22nd, 2017, “Lupon ng mga Indibidwal na Nangangalaga sa Kalikasan” (Group of Individuals Who Care for the Environment), also known as LINK, based in the bustling coastal city of San Juan, organized the annual LINK Leadership “Linkdership” Bootcamp 2017 under the theme “Stand Up and Be Counted”.

Celso Jucutan, one of LINK’s co-founders and leading environmental leaders in La Union, is also a graduate of environmental sciences from Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University (DMMMSU) in Bacnotan, La Union mentioned: “Our selection process is quite rigorous, as we want to be sure to attract and retain the top youth leaders with a real passion for our advocacies for the protection of the environment; they will after all be the real influencers, thought and action leaders who are already playing an active role in shaping the new, greener, more eco-consciouse future”.

Below is the account of guest speaker Tina Antonio, founder of La Union Soul movement and FEED Ambassador, on the subject of understanding an integrated approach to managing our plastics and other pollution, from upland agro-reforestation to the seas.

Paradigm Shift: LINK Leadership Bootcamp 2017

By Tina Antonio

It was refreshing to talk with student leaders from around La Union, and see their potential in becoming guardians of the our environment. Like a rough stone, holding a jewel inside, it is our duty to help these young adults, find it and polish it. This is exactly what the Leadership Bootcamp hosted by LINK was all about.

During the workshop, we expounded on realities that these young leaders haven’t thought about in their areas – problems about the environment – plastics, waste management, development, wildlife.

It was as simple as asking them a question that is close to their heart — “Do you eat fish?,” and then sharing a mind-blowing fact – that fish eat our plastic wastes, and in turn, we eat parts of the plastic, that we produce. With this basic problem, we provide them something to think about, and reflect on.

The next step was empower them with tools that they can use to enrich their wisdom, and act accordingly, through our programs in FEED, INC.

“Rough, unpolished, still natural… The rough stone is inside you. You have to find it and then polish it.” – Whisper of the Heart – Hayao Miyazaki, 1989