WHAT gives young leaders an edge over their older counterparts? They start from scratch.
This was the message of Doris Magsaysay-Ho to the youth in the recently concluded 21 Young Leaders Summit (YLS) organized by the Asia Society Philippines, which Magsaysay-Ho leads.
While the youth’s lack of experience and capital is often seen as a liability, she said it is also their biggest advantage.
“Because the greatest innovation comes from having nothing,” said Magsaysay-Ho, who is also president and CEO of the Magsaysay Group. “So in my company I try to encourage innovation from a mindset, because if you are stuck with what you have, you will not see the need to innovate.”
The Zen-like approach of the youth coupled with their exposure to modern technology like social media, she explained, makes their business or members of advocacy groups more grounded to the nuisances and needs of their intended target clients or beneficiaries.
“I would say to the youth to be very excited with possibilities of being close to market demand and don’t feel they are being held back having nothing because that is their strength,” Magsaysay-Ho said.
Problem solvers
THIS makes the youth, especially in Asia, the best candidates in solving the growing challenges in Asia.
This is only natural, according to Tom Nagorski, executive vice president of the New York City, New York, United States-based Asia Society, with bulk of the population in the region being below 40 years old.
Data from the United Nations showed there are about 700 million youth in the Asia-Pacific Region, making it one of the regions in the world with the youngest population.
It is this reason why the Asia Society decided to intensify its mentorship program in Asian countries, including the Philippines, to ensure its future leaders will be equipped with the necessary skills for such a challenge.
“Today, the Asia 21 Young Leaders from across Asia Pacific’s foremost young leaders network,” Nagorski said.
Since the summit’s creation in 2006, the Asia Young Leaders was already able to produce 900 alumni from 40 countries.
Living proof
INDUCTED YLS alumni are not only given leadership workshops, networks with other leaders, but also seed funding through the Asia 21 Action Lab.
Emily Chew, chairman of the Asia 21 Action Lab Steering Committee, said that among the most notable participants of the YLS are Moshin Ali Mustafa, who established Clinic 5 in Pakistan.
Mustafa created an “innovative way” to solve the health-care needs of women and children in Pakistan.
Another alumni, Lincoln Sihotang, helped establish Kopernick in Indonesia, which provides energy devices to a network of women, mostly young mothers, to far-flung areas.
In the Philippines, she mentioned John Piermont Montilla, founder of the Kabataang Gabay, which helps child survivors of trafficking and violence by rehabilitating them and then creating opportunities for them to seek employment.
Chew noted that while YLS alumni come from different backgrounds, they have one key similarity in the manner of conducting their for-profit or nonprofit organizations.
“They use innovation in breaking into new business models that bring scalable and realistic solutions to improve prosperity to the bottom pyramid of the population in Asia,” Chew said.
Philippine connection
ON November 15, the Asia Society held its first-ever 21 YLS in the Philippines as proof of the growing role of Asian youth not just in their countries but in international affairs as well.
Among its key speakers was Vice President Maria Leonor G. Robredo, who shared her experience to provide aid to isolated communities in the country despite the apparent limitation of her position.
With minimal mandate and government funding for her office, Robredo said she collaborated with the private sector to facilitate for the needs of people in far-flung areas.
She attributed the success of her out-of-the-box endeavor to her staff, who are mostly composed of youth.
In the Philippine leg of the YLS, 27 of 31 participating young leaders are from Asia. Three of them are Filipinos: Bellas Artes Projects founder and director Jam Acuzar, photographer Xyza Cruz Bacani and Kalibrr co-founder and CEO Paul V. Rivera.
YLS participants were selected for being leading figures in their respective fields, like politics, business, arts, media and in nonprofit organizations.
“Building collaborations and opening new doors for people to be more effective and impactful agents of positive change is at the heart of Asia Society Philippines’ mission,” Asia Society Philippines Executive Director Maria Suyin Liu-Lee said.
Image credits: Ruslan Karazbayev | Dreamstime.com, Nonoy Lacza