I was waiting for someone at the side of a basketball court and I was just happy in my corner when the caretaker of the recreation center told me off that I was not allowed to plug my laptop. I unplugged my laptop and started to apologize when the caretaker turned tail and walked off.

While waiting, another person came looking for the same person I was waiting for. The caretaker came back and told us to scram. We in turn explained that we were waiting for someone who works in the center. But the caretaker still told us off while he was walking away.

I did not get the idea to write until the next day when I was back in the same situation waiting for the same person. This time the caretaker was upset and mentioned that we did the same thing yesterday.

For two days I was in that recreation center and I wondered what could be the past time of the youth of Baguio City because that recreation center was empty most of the time. I asked how much the rental of the basketball court was and I was surprised that it could go as high as P300 per hour. No wonder the youth prefer to buy kwatro kantos which only costs P60.

We expect the youth to be productive but we do not give them viable options to pass their time.

In our neighborhood there is a covered basketball court where I see quite a number of teenagers playing in the afternoons and whenever I go home late, seldom do I see teenagers in the stores with videokes probably because they have used up their energy for the day or they don’t like to sing.

I do commend the institutions that offer summer skill or talent courses. I was in one of the malls when a group was having a recital. Sometimes my friend and I would cringe because we could not imagine how that kid performed prior to the recital.

Being the education hub of the north I could not believe that there is no resource sharing in the libraries of the universities. We wonder why our officials in government and other institutions are imot? Simplybecause our universities have produced students who did not experience a lending hand.

I couldn’t believe that most retreat houses do not offer a student rate. I commend San Pablo Seminary in Crystal Cave and St. Francis Convent near BGH for considering the status of the students and supporting them in their spiritual growth.

I understand that we all have to make a living but I challenge the City of Baguio to be a haven of developing young people to their full potential not just in their academics but also in their physical growth through sports, honing talents in the different arts, and in their spirituality.