The Institute of Cooperatives and Bio-Enterprise Development (ICOPED) concludes its Youth Leadership and Enterprise Development Program by conducting face-to-face sessions and closing ceremonies on 27-30 May 2024 at the University of the Philippines Los Baños, Laguna.
ICOPED’s Youth Leadership and Enterprise Program, which started on 16 March 2024, was organized by ICOPED in partnership with the Federation of Peoples’ Sustainable Development Cooperative (FPSDC). It aims to educate youth trainees on developing their enterprises and obtaining entrepreneurial and leadership skills.
Online sessions were conducted to deliver lectures on entrepreneurship, leadership, product ideation, value chain analysis, and formulating enterprise plans. Fourteen (14) youth cooperative members from all over the Philippines participated.
Faculty and staff from the College of Economics and Management, University of the Philippines Los Baños, served as resource speakers and mentors throughout the program. They came from the Institute of Cooperatives and Bio-Enterprise Development (ICOPED) and the Department of Agribusiness Management and Entrepreneurship (DAME).
The last part of the youth program was the week-long face-to-face sessions conducted at the University of the Philippines Los Baños, Laguna. On the first day, the participants visited the Office of the Chancellor for a courtesy call to Chancellor Jose V. Camacho, Jr., where he introduced the youth trainees to UP Los Baños and its programs to support the cooperative movement.
On the second day, Dr. Maria Angeles O. Catelo, Dean of the College of Economics and Management (CEM), welcomed the participants to UPLB and challenged them to inspire more youth to lead their communities toward development actively. She mentioned that one small act, such as joining this youth program, can make a big difference to their cooperatives and themselves.
The first session was a lecture on pitching, with Assistant Professor Cris Edwin Bonalos from the Department of Agribusiness Management and Entrepreneurship (DAME)-CEM as the resource speaker. This lecture was conducted to prepare the participants for their enterprise pitch, one of the major requirements for completing the program. Asst. Prof. Bonalos started by asking the participants to pitch their definition of love to gauge how the students showcase themselves to an audience. He then continued by discussing how to present their pitch effectively. After the lecture, the resource speaker also mentored the students to determine their strengths and weaknesses in the presentation.
In the second session, Mr. Paul Kenneth Maghirang, a University Researcher from ICOPED, continued his lecture on developing an enterprise plan, discussing the operational, resource, and financial plans. The participants were then given the time to improve their enterprise plan.
In the afternoon, the youth participants visited the Institute of Food Science and Technology (IFST) and Dairy Training and Research Institute (DTRI) for their Lakbay Aral. The visit was designed to acquaint them with the agricultural facilities, products, and services offered by UPLB.
The enterprise pitch presentation and closing ceremonies were conducted on the last day, May 30. During the enterprise pitch session, the participants were given three minutes to present their product to the judges and answer their questions afterward. The invited judges were Mr. Marciano “Jun” T. Virola, advisor for Agriterra Philippines, Ms. Olivia G. Ferrer, director of San Dionisio Credit Cooperative, and Mr. Nick Loque, proprietor of Dontog Technofarms. The top three best enterprise pitches were awarded during the closing ceremony. Cash prizes were also given to the top three: Php 75,000 for the first placer, PHP 50,000 for the second placer, and PHP 25,000 for the third placer.
Ms. Biatriz Jami Louise R. Villanueva, from FPSDC, garnered the highest judges’ scores and won the 2024 Best Enterprise Pitch Award.
Ms. Rejalyn A. Alabado from Sta. Catalina Multipurpose Cooperative in Cotabato received second place, and Mr. Arjay Naungayan from Sacred Heart Savings Cooperative in Ilocos Sur bagged third place.
After the enterprise pitch, the closing ceremony was held to recognize the youth trainees’ participation in the program and award them with certificates of completion.
Written by: YMLDizon
Edited by: KQCustodio & AMQuilloy
