LOOKING TO impart effective leadership strategies to high school students and other seminar participants, members of the Ateneo Student Trainers (Strains) along with facilitators from the Department of Education (DepEd) teamed up to conduct the annual leadership National Leadership Training Seminar for Student Government Officers (NLTSGO).
With the theme, “Teamwork makes the dream work”, this year’s NLTSGO featured a new addition to the event—from being facilitated only by Strainers, the organization opened their doors to include volunteer-facilitators.
According to NLTSGO Project Head Biboy Jose, one of the goals of the partnership project is “to develop competent facilitators who possess the right balance of skill, passion, and commitment to national progress both in theory in practice.”
The event was held last September 3 to 8, with Strains representatives as well as other student leaders such as former Sanggunian Vice President Jauro Castro (AB PoS ‘10).
Now in its fifth year, the NLTSGO was held in Baguio City.
Leadership training
The leadership training included talks by Vice President Jejomar Binay who delivered the keynote address, and Dr. Neric Acosta who talked about “Leading by the Moment: Adapting to the Challenges of the Changing Times”.
Other speakers included Ed Pilapil, Jr. of Salt and Light Ventures and Chief Disturber, The Master’s Lighthouse Anthony N. Panglinan
The Ateneo Student Trainers facilitated breakout sessions that focused on entrenching the maximization of team potentials, the importance of individuality among team members, and teamwork to the participants. Before these sessions, Strains moderator Benj Barreto of the Political Science department talked about the task of nation-building and dealing with the challenges that go with it.
The beginning
The role of Strains in the NLTSGO has evolved from merely facilitating group dynamics, to including structured learning experiences in the training sessions.
Beginning in 2003, the DepEd requested the assistance of Strains to facilitate training sessions catering to different high schools and their student governments throughout the country.
In 2004, Strains leaders included Structured Learning Experiences—activities that incorporate informative lectures—to reinforce learning in the leadership training sessions.
Forming orgs
Apart from its partnership with the DepEd, Strains also helps in the formation of organizations within Ateneo.
According to Strains Client Relations Head JB Chun, although organizations in the Loyola Schools face minimal problems in recruitment, reinforcing member commitment proves to be a tough challenge.
Strains’ role in solving organizational problems is characterized by a client-driven and highly contextualized approach that probes their root cause. Solutions are made from a two-fold perspective—what the clients [the organizations] want and the diagnosis made by Strains.
While problems such as maintaining member commitment within the Ateneo are solved by people belonging to the Ateneo community for the most part, Strains recognizes potential engagements outside the Ateneo.
Through the NLTSGO, dialogue with entities apart from the Ateneo was made possible. External Relations Head Dani Gil said that developing relations with entities beyond their immediate reach empowers them to “develop people who systematically learn to look beyond themselves in more ways than the expected”.
