ALMOST 500 youths from the different organizations, including the out-of-school youth, joined the first Visayas SK youth camp initiated by the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) of Lapu-Lapu City.
The two-day youth camp was held last Aug. 31 and Sept. 1 at the Mactan Benito Ebuen Air Base (MBEAB).
Frances Nicole Balao, Lapu-Lapu City SK Federation president, said she came up with this idea after meeting with an SK official from Cagayan De Oro City during their youth congress in Manila.
The youth camp participants spent the night in tents mounted inside the air base.
Maj. Gen. Romeo Poquiz, commander of the 2nd Air Division, welcomed the participants and thanked them for the tree-planting initiative inside the air base.
Balao said the youth camp aimed to develop Filipino values among the participants, who have become influenced by the Western culture and tend to forget their own values. The participants also received shirts, food and other assistance from the Philippine Red Cross, which helped contribute to the success of the activity.
Mayor Paz Radaza, in her inspirational message, quoted Dr. Jose Rizal as saying “the youth is the hope of our nation.”
“That is why my administration believes that the future of our city depends on you and how you will actively participate in today’s political, civic and social activities,” Radaza said. /CORRESPONDENT NORMAN V. MENDOZA