I have inspiring moments during the 1st SCA Earthkeepers’ Summit as one of the delegates in Tagbilaran, Bohol last November where I met many smart SCAns, experienced immersing on the exposure sites and learned many different things which I know I won’t hear in the four corners of the classroom. The summit was well organized and very successful. I fully enjoyed the four-day event with so many exciting workshops and discussions on various topics. Several of the sessions delivered by the different speakers which I have attended had been very informative and insightful on their particular subjects. I would like to reflect upon my enriching experiences in Bohol and sum up in what ways this summit helped me. Making a clear vision and noticeable changes I should make and actions as a student leader with relevance on what I’ve seen, heard and learned during the sessions.
It was alarming in my part knowing how degraded our environment was. Personally, I’m not really into environmental causes and the like. I’m inexperienced in this field. I don’t even know how I will survive the summit knowing nothing about what’s happening to our world today. But I think that’s the reason why I attended the summit— curiosity. The yearning for learning. Attending the summit was somehow empowering in my part. I’m not easily moved by the things which I’m not familiar. But during the summit, it was different. Realizing things was made easy by just listening to the talks. I’ve learned how vital the role of the young people of today is. That it doesn’t matter how big or how small the things you can do. What is important is that you take that single step towards that goal. Start small but think big. We, young people, shouldn’t limit ourselves to the typical things the world does. We should take part in doing simple yet life-changing steps. Making a difference thus means changing one’s self. Believing that change doesn’t happen overnight, as a millennial, I should initiate the change I want to see, hear and feel. As Erin Pavlina cites in Like Pebbles in the Pond, "Every action you take, every choice you make, sends ripples of effect through the pond of our reality. Small acts, small ripples. Big acts, bigger ripples. What you do impacts other people. What they do, impacts you."
Photo: Maria Fatima works on a team-initiated workshop during the Earthkeepers Summit in Bohol.
Inspired by what I’ve learned from the summit, the best thing I can do as a student leader is to re-echo what I’ve heard. Let others know the essential things they don’t know. Influence them in every way that I know and I can. I won’t promise anything yet because even I, myself, am having a hard time applying the things I’ve learned and grasped during the summit. As an earthkeeper, I should initiate the change I want to see in others. Walk the talk. Take little steps towards the goal of having a greener and better place to live in. I believe it will empower people if we do things hand in hand. I am a SCAn—an earthkeeper. Be a pebble and make a ripple.
Credits
"Like Pebbles in the Pond | Erin Pavlina." Erin Pavlina. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Dec. 2016 <http://www.erinpavlina.com/blog/2006/01/like-pebbles-in-the-pond/>.
Read more similar stories:
Read our eSummit Documentation HERE
Comments on this article? Send your thoughts below.