Mountain Province has successfully celebrated the first Linggo ng Kabataan. Beautifully, it was affirmed by the good weather. For weeks the province suffered from strong and continuous downpour causing landslides and agricultural damage.
Good health, good weather, and harmonious collaboration were God’s signs of approval of the celebration, and His signs that collaboration of people and institutions should be the image of support to the young people.
The Local Youth Development Council (LYDC) of Mountain Province under Genoveva Yodong and the Mountain Province Sangguniang Kabataan under its president Jazzel Mae Masidong planned a continuing human formation for the youth of the province.
Mountain Province dedicated a week for the youth to learn, recreate, and grow as individuals and as a community of young people. A series of activities have been conducted to address the holistic formation of the young people.
With my humble skills on journalism, the LYDC and SK Mountain Province invited me to lecture and facilitate feature writing for young writers. It was an activity not merely on lecturing but also honing the young writers through experience coupled with Christian and cultural values.
Our generation needs not only journalists to inform but also to form and transform. Lies on social media are often the causes of chaos and brokenness. Hence, it is not sufficient to just lecture on the mechanics of writing but to let the young write founded on values, responsibility, and accountability. Responsible journalism must be the good partner of evangelization today.
Gratefulness goes to the publications that gave me the chance and space to share my reflections on life and faith, not failing to mention the Baguio Midland Courier. My columns obviously have limitations and lapses, which may not be received comfortably by readers. I continue to seek guidance and wisdom of the Holy Spirit. For the weaknesses and mistakes, I beg for forgiveness.
The pandemic complicated our life. It made our difficult situation worse. But above all, God gave us the opportunity to seriously ponder on our temporal and our spiritual life. The pandemic is telling each one to live life justly and to be prepared to meet God in his time and be more generous in appreciating people than bashing them.
Jason Sowaken is a young and jolly fellow who recently found himself as a gifted person. His testimony gave life to his fellow youth that there is hope in God and there is hope in overcoming vices.
Jason is loved by his fellow youth because he relates with people without duplicity.
Prior to his being active in church and a guitar teacher in the Broken Guitar Project (BGP), he was troubled by his exposure to alcoholism as early as grade 7.
God indeed is a God of miracles. Amidst the pandemic, God has touched the heart of Jason. The BGP started to harmonize the strings of the guitars attracting the youth to the church. Brokenness started to find healing in music.
Jason gradually listened to the Word of God during the Holy Eucharist he loved to attend daily until he became an altar server. Coupled with his new lessons on music catered by the BGP, he tried to share it to his fellow youth.
With the approval of his parents, he stayed at the rectory. Jason completed junior high school just recently and he opted to remain at the St. Joseph rectory despite being left by his good friends who are now at the seminary. Jason is now enrolled at St. Vincent’s School (SVS) in Bontoc for senior high. He wishes to invite his friends to accompany him at SVS.
Reach me at [email protected] or 0908-727-6735.
April 30, 2024
