Youth and community leaders redefined leadership as they interacted with 25 exemplars in the two-day Fourth Tsinoy National Convention.

Held on November 30 until December 1, leaders from Tsinoy-run programs shared their experiences in implementing development work on heritage, education, health, community development, and governance.

The youth convention aimed to guide the next generation of youth leaders to become advocates of oneness, tolerance, mutual respect, and positive change among different communities in the country, as well as encourage them to respond creatively to the call of the times.

The event also discussed the concept of community and its different aspects such as the feeling of belonging to one community; how the community can help the youth; and personal contribution and responsibility to the community during a workshop.

With the 25 exemplars, the participants also aimed to build new bridges for the Philippines through innovative project ideas on heritage education, social development, and volunteerism.

The Fourth Tsinoy National Convention also sought to inspire 300 youth and community leaders to take pride in their multicultural heritage, to advocate for oneness and mutual respect, and to engage in social development.

Highlighting the values of oneness, acceptance, and mutual respect is University of the Philippines School of Economics Professor Solita “Winnie” Monsod, the keynote speaker of the convention.

She also discussed the appreciation of multicultural heritages, volunteerism, and engagement in human-centered development in a diverse society.

Other multi-awarded exemplars who attended the convention were Queena Lee-Chua for education, Dr. Isidro Sia for medicine, and Josiah Go for marketing.

Meanwhile, some of the programs for the youth were discussed in the convention like the Akay-De La Salle University for its public school-based tutorial program with home visits and action research.

Another program is the Project Laan-Ateneo de Manila University for public health insurance, which is a youth-led anti-poverty organization whose mission is to advocate quality health care for every Filipino by raising financial resources.

Third is the Good Food Community for community-shared agriculture, which brought vegetables to various communities, aimed at building relationships between farmers and shareholders.

Last is the TayTsinoy Festival for cultural celebration in the local government of Tayabas, Quezon—one of Tayabas City’s much celebrated festivities, as part of Chinese New Year.