Summer 2012 (Part 1)
A lot of things have happened since my last entry in March 25, 2012 and I just wanted to share a few of these things.
Graduation Time
Last March and April 2012, I was invited to be a graduation speaker to 3 educational institutions in the country, namely: Ateneo de Zamboanga University (AdZU), Proverbsville School Inc., and STI College Cotabato.
I never imagined that I would one day be a Commencement Speaker at age 30. In fact, I have never imagined that I would one day be 30 years old. Haha!
These are just some of the things I can't complain about since I boarded this 'yellow boat' more than a year ago.
You can check out my commencement speech to the high school graduates of Ateneo de Zamboanga University here.
I just tweaked this speech a bit for the ones I gave to Proverbsville School Inc. in Angeles City, Pampanga and also to STI College in Cotabato City. During the graduation ceremonies of Proverbsville School, I was pleasantly surprised to find 3 (yes three!) valedictorians in one ceremony. Two valedictorians for elementary since they have 2 branches and one for high school. And of course, I couldn't forget this banner that welcomed me:
STI College Cotabato was quite memorable too as it was my first time to visit my hometown in 3 years. The last time I went there was in 2009 when an uncle died.
STI College Cotabato gave me this token of appreciation that I would never forget and speaks a lot for what we are trying to accomplish in the Yellow Boat Project - the project is an attempt to bring out the best in Filipinos, to unite and work together to bring HOPE and dignity to struggling communities around the Philippines.
Learning is a continuing journey
The whole experience of being a graduation speaker brought me back to my school days when I graduated as class valedictorian in high school and when I miserably failed in two major subjects while taking up Computer Science in college.
Today, I could talk publicly about these failures but back then I actually went into hibernation. I couldn't accept it. After failing in those two major subjects, the division was forcing me to shift but I didn't want to accept it and so I resented formal schooling and college and I went back to Cotabato City. After a few months, I moved to our farm in Lebak, Sultan Kudarat. After a year of what I now call as soul-searching, I went back to school. It was a painful and difficult process but it has made me stronger today (refer to my graduation speech for more details).
Looking back, I actually don't remember what the graduation speakers for both my high school and college graduations were saying but one thing struck me - most of those who succeed in life after college are those who continue to learn. In truth, our education only really starts after graduation, as that is the only time we get beaten up and learn to stand up in the real world.
And so as I remember all these experiences, I am happy to share with you that I am going on another learning journey starting this September 2012 as one of the Global Fellows of the Acumen Fund, you can read about it here.
And as I enter this new chapter in my life, I've learned that we are always given second chances in life and we can always write a better story.
And so this summer 2012, I resolved to visit more Philippine destinations than I have ever done before. See those trips on the next post.
Thanks for reading!
On being men for others
Last March 23, 2012, I spoke as a graduation speaker for the first time. It was an awesome experience.
I could remember my hands were shaking when I started reading my speech entitled "On Being Men for Others." There's always a first time but since I was sharing my personal story it soon became easy to speak about it comfortably.
Since I was also an Atenean, I found it appropriate to talk about our school motto so that the high school graduates of Ateneo de Zamboanga University wouldn't forget about the need to be responsible citizens as well.
Here is my speech as published on Rappler.
The Awesome 1st Quarter of 2012
It has been a really really AWESOME journey so far in the Yellow Boat project.
During the 1st Quarter of 2012 with 3 more weeks remaining, I have been to 3 continents and to over 10 different cities.
I had tested India's Visa-On-Arrival (VOA) program when I went to Mumbai for a brief visit during the second week of January 2012, visited Europe for the first time in January, spoke in a TEDx event in Montpellier (France) last January 20, saw the Church of the Holy Family (Sagrada Familia) in Barcelona, sat on top of St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican for an hour, attended a Papal Audience, visited the Roman Coliseum, had my picture taken with the Eiffel Tower in the background, visited the beautiful Sacre Coeur Basilica (Sacred Heart of Jesus) in Paris, and almost missed my flight from Paris to Manila because I arrived 30 minutes before departure.
It is really an amazing ride!
And to think that I just "accidentally" boarded this yellow boat only 16 months ago.
I together with my co-founders and partners-in-crime, Anton Lim of Zamboanga (the Mother Teresa of Mindanao), Ofelia Samar-Sy of Legaspi City, John Michael Dellariarte of I CAN make a difference in Lakewood, Zamboanga del Sur, and many others in our team are truly grateful for your support, dedication and commitment at helping us, volunteering for us and donating resources for the communities we are helping. (Help us more!)
Let me summarize the major highlights on how the yellow boat has influenced my life this year:
March 4, 2012 (The Boat to Success, Starweek Magazine of The Philippine Star)
Me holding a copy of the Starweek Magazine of The Philippine Star
The cover of the Starweek Magazine of The Philippine Star (March 4, 2012)
March 2, 2012 (The Yellow Boat of Hope, Huffington Post)
February 26, 2012 (Ito ang Contri ko sa Country Ko - Pulsong Pinoy TV program, A People Power Special by the Presidential Broadcast Staff - Radio-TV Malacañang and NBN-Channel4)
February 17, 2012 (Regional Awarding, Gawad Geny Lopez Jr. Bayaning Pilipino Awards)
February 12, 2012 (9 Filipinos among World Economic Forum’s Global Shapers, Philippine Daily Inquirer)
February 11, 2012 (Saturday Success Story #23, Jay Michael Jaboneta)
February 8, 2012 (The Yellow Boat of Hope, Rappler.com)
January 20, 2012 (Speaker - Jay Michael Jaboneta , TEDxMontepellier)
And here are some things to watch out for before the 1st Quarter of 2012 ends:
1. The official Yellow Boat Project video for winning the Liberal Project last year;
2. Masbate updates (I will be there starting tomorrow, March 5, and will stay for a few days); and
3. Graduation speech to the High School Batch 2012 of Ateneo de Zamboanga on March 23
PS - There is also something AWESOME that's going to launch on March 7!
Day 12 of my Europe Tour (Leaving Paris)
Visiting Europe for the first time was a great experience.
It made me realize so many things in life while I was in-flight.
FIRST, is that it allowed me to find a deeper meaning for HOPE and these are:
H is about harnessing one’s potential. It is about finding your passion in life. I personally feel, even after 16 months into the project, that I have found my life’s mission and it is to help children who struggle to go to school.
And more than that, it is to help bring communities in the Philippines the resources they need to get a better chance in life. Without discovering what you are passionate about in life, it is very hard to stay focused on a mission, on a project. You’ve got to find what you love to do.
O is about opening one’s mind and one’s heart. When I first heard about the story, I couldn’t shake it off. I didn’t know what to do then. I shared it on Facebook, not thinking that it would transform into a thriving national movement helping children in 3 communities around the Philippines.
P is about Perspiration. You cannot help people without getting both your hands and your feet dirty. When we want to help people, we should act on it. Only in doing so can we gain insights into how our efforts and operations can be made better. Perspiration is very good for the body and the soul too, as it cleanses our system. Personally, I have become thinner as a result of my involvement in the project.
E is about empowering others. And this is for me, where the challenge really lies, even when you think of our national leadership. In order to succeed sustainably, we must equip and empower more leaders to take on the challenges in education and the other challenges our country is facing.
SECOND, I gained a deeper understanding of the world and how the shift of both economic and political power to Asia from the Western nations is now slowly happening. This was clearly pointed out to me by the entrepreneurs and businessmen I met over coffee in Europe. The tide is truly changing and it is pointing to Asia.
THIRD, I fully realized the significance of continuing what we are doing in the Yellow Boat Project. To the naked eye, it seems we are just building boats to ferry children to school and to help provide tools to their parents' livelihood. But on a deeper level, we are providing HOPE, opportunities and more importantly, a platform where these communities can take center stage, teach us a thing or two about community development and then bring and scale it to other areas. Take note that I am not saying we are teaching them about development, THEY ARE TEACHING US. (If you want to learn more, you can take me to lunch or even just coffee.)
Social Entrepreneurship is an amazing new field that allows us to tackle social problems with an entrepreneurial attitude and skill set. Governments and the corporate sector must encourage it, if not fully embrace and support it.
The only reason why poverty continues to exist is because we expect it to.
Wouldn't companies have bigger markets and bigger incomes if we get to enlarge the pie? Think about it...
Eradicating poverty is a lot like climbing these mountains, it's hard, time-consuming and sometimes might lead to failures - the important thing is we keep trying! Sooner or later we will make a dent!
HELP US!
If you have read this far, I invite you to jump on board the Yellow Boat and together let's save the world from the flood of indifference and hate.
You can reach me at jay.jaboneta[at]gmail.com.
Thank you!
How To Enjoy The Present Moment
I would like to share another story that Paulo Coelho shared in his book, Like the Flowing River.
Over the last few years, it has helped me enjoy the present moment. Let us all learn how to value the present.
Rome: Isabella Returns from Nepal
I meet Isabella in a restaurant where we usually go because it's always empty, even though the food is excellent. She tells me that, during her trip to Nepal, she spent some weeks in a monastery. One afternoon, she was walking near the monastery with one of the monks, when he opened the bag he was carrying and stood for a long time studying its contents. Then he said to Isabella:
'Did you know that bananas can teach you the meaning of life?'
He took out a rotten banana from the bag and threw it away.
'That is the life that has been and gone, and which was not used to the full and for which it is now too late.'
Then he drew another banana, which was still green. He showed it to her and put it back in the bag.
'This is the life that has yet to happen, and for which we need to wait until the moment is right.'
Finally, he took out a ripe banana, peeled it, and shared it with Isabella.
'This is the present moment. Learn how to gobble it up without fear or guilt.'