YOUTH GATHERING. Rev. Ock Soo Park (right), founder of the International Youth Fellowship (IYF), answers media queries through his interpreter during a press conference at the opening of the International Youth Fellowship (IYF) World Camp 2023 on Wednesday (Sept. 20, 2023). The three-day event is being held at the City College of San Jose del Monte in Bulacan. (Photo by Manny Balbin)
CITY OF SAN JOSE DEL MONTE, Bulacan – Some 4,000 students, youth leaders and volunteers from Bulacan and neighboring provinces are now gathered here for the International Youth Fellowship (IYF) World Camp 2023.
Slated Sept. 19-21 at the SJDM Sports Complex, the event aims to enlighten and teach the participants the IYF mindset, which includes deep thinking and self-control and its core values: challenge, change, and cohesion.
Rev. Ock Soo Park, founder of IYF, said during a press conference on Wednesday that the event seeks to develop future leaders with a strong mind and humble kind of leadership.
“We want our youth to sleep with happiness and wake up with hope. The fundamental 'tanglaw' or torch that has been constant in lighting the path of the youth to become great leaders and leading them towards having humble leadership is the love of Jesus Christ on which the IYF mindset and core values are rooted,” Park said.
He added that through this youth gathering, IYF wants to impart a paradigm shift in youth development.
“This will lead to a force of young leaders that will not just be a value-added but a determinant of a vibrant and peaceful society. It is positioning for a strategy for the future of San Jose del Monte City,” Park said.
The World Camp is a collaboration between IYF and the city government of San Jose del Monte, which are both committed to the mental transformation of young people.
“The IYF World Camp is now in its 13th year, and it continues to inspire and empower the young people to become great leaders with humble leadership qualities,” said Jungyoon Kim, a representative from IYF.
He said the attendees will spend three days for mind education, leadership lectures, academies, and cultural performances that provide opportunities to learn and experience diverse cultures.
IYF is a global youth organization established in 2001 with offices in more than 95 countries. IYF is committed to building a vibrant and happy future for the youth as it guides and develops them to become leaders of the next generation.
One of its programs is the IYF World Camp, which aims to connect young people from different countries and cultures.
The IYF Philippines has hosted this annual youth gathering since 2010 in partnership with various local government units and organizations. (PNA)
