Adventist Youth Represent Philippines at International Event

Philippine youth representatives Angeilyn P. Antivo, from Eastern Visayas, and Rowell B. Velonza, from the National Capital Region, both active Adventist church members, joined other Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) youth in the organization’s Youth Interfaith Camp (AYIC) 2022, August 7-12 in Jakarta and Semarang, Indonesia.

AYIC is a regional gathering that aims to provide a platform for ASEAN youth from different religious backgrounds to have dialogue and establish a strong network.

During the event, Antivo and Velonza were given the opportunity to present the Smoking, Alcohol, and Drugs Free, or SADFREE, initiative. 

The SADFREE initiative is a movement founded by Southern Asia-Pacific Division (SSD) youth and young adult ministries director Ron Genebago. According to Genebago, the movement seeks to save young people from the harmful effects of smoking tobacco, drinking alcohol, and using illegal drugs. 

Antivo also showed a video titled “Palit Yosi,” a short documentary produced by Project Life. “Palit Yosi” is a compassion activity of Adventist young people who visit public places to encourage cigarette smokers to exchange their cigarettes for fruit and nuts. 

Antivo and Velonza finished their presentation by appealing to the rest of the youth delegates. “We invite you to become active in helping the community to quit unhealthy habits,” they said. The program is expected to produce post-event initiatives at the community level, leaders said.

The ASEAN camp was officially inaugurated in an opening ceremony held at the Sari Pan Pacific Hotel in Jakarta. The ceremony was led by Asrorun Niam Sholeh, deputy for Youth Development in the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Indonesia.

Thirty young people coming from seven ASEAN member countries attended AYIC 2022. This year’s event included representatives from the Philippines, Indonesia, Cambodia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. 

The ASEAN Youth Interfaith Camp is organized by the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Indonesia in cooperation with the National Youth Commission of the Republic of the Philippines.

The original version of this story was posted on the Southern Asia-Pacific Division news site.