The Third Mariveles Youth Congress happened on January 20-21 at the Bataan Convention Center in Mariveles, Bataan. MYC is the gathering of youth leaders and to ensure compliance with the vision of the Province of Bataan and the Municipality of Mariveles. Hundreds of youth leaders and youth-serving organizations attended the event to learn and pitch in on the 4 thematic areas of the congress: health, employment, education and youth participation.
Pocholo “The VoiceMaster” Gonzales graced the event as one of the speakers, where he talked about the role of the youth in nation building. As a proud native of Mariveles, Pocholo inspired the audience by sharing his own personal journey – from discovering his talent as a young boy growing up in the province, to traveling all over the country to inspire, motivate and empower his fellow Filipinos. He talked about how he got his break in the voice acting industry, which was powered by the simple dream of hearing his voice on the radio greeting his mother on air. He then went on to share how that simple dream propelled him to bigger and greater heights in the voice acting industry, until he became the most recognized and respected voice artist in the country. Of course, the audience were not left empty-handed as the VoiceMaster entertained them with his ensemble of character voices.
Pocholo also spoke about his work as the Filipino Futurist. He talked about technology and how it has greatly influenced the way people live and function everyday, especially the youth, the so-called ‘millennials’. Having been working with young people for 20 years, Pocholo has recognized the youth’s behavior, lifestyle and mindset, and has adapted to an effective way to communicate with them. He encouraged the parents and the teachers in the audience to have a more open mind when it comes to leading today’s youth, in order for them to reach their full potential.
Pocholo talked about the beginnings of his 20-year experience as an internationally-awarded youth advocate. He shared to and encouraged the audience to join local and international youth programs, in order to expand their mind and their network, and so that they can contribute to positive social change. He challenged the youth to live a life of passion and purpose, and to not succumb to the idea of studying in order to graduate and get a good job. “Being a youth is a gift that one day will be taken away from you,” were the wise words of the VoiceMaster. So he encouraged the participants to believe in their dreams and act on it immediately.
Pocholo’s talk in MYC is one of his most memorable, as it is his first speaking engagement where his entire family – his parents and his sister – were present to watch.
Also included in the speaker lineup were Senator Bam Aquino, Perci Cendana, Mayor Ace Jello Concepcion, and Congressman Joet Garcia. MYC was spearheaded by the Municipal Government of Mariveles to promote a unified approach to the formulation of Local Youth Development Plan (LYDP) for the municipality.
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