Pinoy Youth

Some organizations claim that they are youth-driven, but led by adults. There are some organizations though that are “for youth, by youth, and with youth”. When young people are given leadership positions and they are empowered and supported, they can bring out their creativity and youthful idealism in fulfilling the role of the leader. Young people in leadership can offer several benefits to the organization.

For one, youth leaders know how to deal with other young people who belong to their generation. Since they belong to their generation, they know the language of young people, the likes, dislikes, and interests of other young people. This is very important in the context of youth ministry. Youth leaders can engage other young people more easily. If the organization’s thrust is mobilizing young people and enabling them to reach out to others, having a youth leader will definitely help achieve such thrust.

Youth leaders have the energy, the humor, and the spirit to achieve goals. As long as these young people believe in what they are doing, they can give 100% of their attention and their time. They are passionate, dedicated, and willing to sacrifice their time just to achieve their avowed goals. Since youth also have fewer responsibilities in life like buying tons of baby milk and diapers, they can devote more time for the organization or ministry they have chosen.

Uhm… well, there are teenagers and young people who are on the hurry to add up their responsibilities in life in exchange of a one night stand. But that’s an altogether different topic that deserves a separate post.

Photo above courtesy of 3Rock Youth.

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I’ve been thinking about the starting point in writing about youth leadership. Should I talk about the issues and concerns of the young people and take it from there? Should it be about organizations and implementing activities and programs? Statistics and cross-section of young people?

There are a number of possibilities really. But which should be the starting point for starting a meaningful discussion on youth leadership?

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For the longest time, I have been looking for books, materials, and references dealing with the leadership needs of young people from a distinctly Filipino perspective. I went to various bookstores in search of such materials. Too bad, I haven’t found any.

There are books on leadership–John Maxwell’s books easily dominate the list. Stephen Covey, Ken Blanchard, and Peter Drucker also come close. Yet, books dealing with youth leadership specifically are rare and most of them usually come from other countries, mainly the United States.

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