By Rufus Adducul, YES 2007-2008, hosted by PAX in Phillipsburg, MO

My exchange year in the US was life changing. I was transformed from the timid and shy kid that you would see in one corner of a room, to the outgoing and socially aware youth leader that I am now. Growing up in a country that has a totally different culture from the United States, I thought living in the US for a year with a host family would be extremely difficult. However, the cultural immersion and adaptation just happened very naturally and easily. YES played a very important role in making it easy for us to understand the world.

During my exchange year in the US, I was placed in a small town in Missouri called Phillipsburg. My host parents exposed me to various church activities in St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church and one activity that struck me the most was volunteer work where people from the church devote their free time once or twice a week to raise funds for the homeless. These people do not get anything in return for giving their precious time. They could have just done something else, but they opted to volunteer and lend their helping hands to these people in need. This is the first time I became so interested in volunteer work. It gives me so much fulfillment knowing that what you are doing could give someone a chance for a better life.

This is precisely the reason why I became so active in volunteer work here in the Philippines. The spirit of volunteerism that was ignited by the experience I had in the US grew so much that I am now the Vice President of a network called the Volunteer Youth Leaders for Health – Philippines. It is composed of youth leaders from different community and university-based youth organizations throughout the Philippines. The network was organized with the aim of creating a network of youth leaders who will champion increasing public awareness of existing health programs, and the importance of a healthy lifestyle at an early age. Taking into account the volunteering skills that I acquired in the US as well as taking value to the importance of the youth in nation building, I hope VYLH-Philippines will continue to mold, equip, and engage Filipino youth leaders in the hope of promoting a socially aware and healthier nation.