ARC Refreshments Corp. is once more sponsoring 45 underprivileged yet deserving college students in Metro Manila to undergo a three-day leadership training in the upcoming ARC Young Leaders Camp (ARCYLC), from February 11 to 13, at Camp Benjamin in Alfonso, Cavite.
Now on its fifth year, ARC is holding this annual program that aims to hone poor but high-potential student-achievers who could be the country’s future leaders.
“The idea that we still pursue today is we want to plant the seed basically. We cannot train everyone, or every aspiring leader to become a good leader. So the best that we could really manage well is to pick good ones and then develop them further so that when they go back to their school or anywhere they go, they can inspire other leaders,” ARC EVP and COO Gerry T. Garcia told reporters on Friday at the sidelines of the delegates’ briefing and gathering at the Marco Polo Hotel in Ortigas, Pasig City.
“But the underlying objective is to train the underprivileged potential leaders. Meaning, we wanted those who cannot afford to really pay for the training themselves. That’s why we selected public schools, and even if we get some from the private schools during the screening process, we make sure that they are really underprivileged,” he added.
ARCYLC is the youth leadership program that forms part of the corporate social responsibility thrust of the licensed bottler of RC Cola International in the Philippines.
“This is our way of giving back. If you look at the primary market of ARC where we started and where we grow, this is the lower socioeconomic group of people,” he said of the foundation of their consumers here.
“They are the ones who [have helped] build our company. So we would like to build leaders also in this socioeconomic group of people,” he noted.
Since its inception in 2011, this year’s ARCYLC is the biggest in terms of the number of schools and student-participants.
In fact, from the previous average of 60 to 80 applicants, the number of freshmen and sophomore students vying for a slot in the camp has since gone up as high as 220 to 250 this year, Garcia said.
“And it’s a task in itself to screen them, and really get the best,” he said. “So this year’s camp promises to bring together the best of the best not only in terms of participants, but also in the quality of trainings that we’re offering.” Applying the key teachings in the past four editions, this year’s camp will be more inspiring and encouraging with the quality of activities and the choice of speakers. Interactive lectures, panel discussion, workshops, reflections and experiential activities are lined up for this three-day event, themed “Inspiring dreamers to become leaders.”
The fifth ARCYLC is also bringing back Efren Peñaflorida, CNN’s Hero of the Year in 2009, together with other invited speakers, namely Bonn Manalaysay, founder of Club 8586; Kesz Valdez, International Children’s Peace Prize awardee in 2012; Karen Davila, news anchor and correspondent at ABS-CBN; and Aisa Mijeno, co-founder and CEO of Sustainable Alternative Lighting technology. “We choose the speakers who can ‘walk their talk,’ specifically people who were successful in doing something unique as a leader,” Garcia said. Former student-delegates, like Salina Biene, will also join the camp to share her experience to this year’s participants.
Their attendance in this year’s leadership seminar, according to the executive, will serve as a positive reinforcement in the minds of the new trainees that it really works. “The ARCYLC is only on its fifth year yet we have seen some camp graduates already doing outstanding work in their field. That is the beauty of this camp.
“Our company is pushing the envelope on this because we want to contribute to a better world by nurturing young leaders. We have been trying to pay it forward, and all for a good cause,” Garcia said.