VINCENT TIOPIANCO
Haribon team and kids from SAC 5 unite to save and protect the environment
AFTER watching the Japanese TV series Steins;Gate and spending the whole day with the active youth from the Service Area Center (SAC) 5 in Tondo, Manila, I was amazed at how kids ages 12 to 21-years-old were actively listening and participating in activities that Haribon had planned.
When I was 13 years old, I was too focused with sports and academics to even try to help save the environment, yet these kids are willing to give their time in order to be a part of something bigger and meaningful. Even though the world is far away from even building a time machine like the one in Steins;Gate, I don’t think sending an e-mail to myself in order to change my past would have the same effect as having the next generation pioneer us in saving the world.
As an intern for Haribon, I was just asked to help facilitate the activities and try to take some pictures, but it felt like I was becoming more than just an intern. Seeing the youth actively learning on how to save the environment made me envious that I was not able to this at an earlier time in my life.
But it’s never too late. I realized that all is not lost, that I can still do something to help the environment. It was fate that brought me to Haribon in order to make me more aware about the environment, and it was the active youth from SAC 5 that made me want to take action. If this generation and the next are informed about the importance of saving the environment and unite in order act on it, then we can move forward into a cleaner and greener future.
After spending 120 hours in the office and the field, Haribon has truly made a difference in my life. I am truly grateful that this foundation helped me see that all is not lost, that the environment can still be saved if we all pitch in. This experience reminded me that we, the youth, have limitless capabilities that can carry this world forward into a brighter and greater place.