February 23, 2023

Education, Economic Empowerment, Social Inclusion and Equity, Peace-Building and Security, Governance, Active Citizenship, Active Citizenship, Global Mobility

WHY GABA-AN?\r\nFirst, because it is catchy (the gaba-an factor!).\r\nSecond, the youth and most people believe that they are cursed (gi-gaba-an), or when abused or oppressed, they \r\ncurse (gaba-an rana siya). We want to train the youth, we want to equip them. Our mission is the “upliftment of young\r\npeople from all forms of suffering and want, equipping them with the necessary skills and knowledge to face boldly \r\nthe future.”\r\nGYL wants every youth, every individual, to be confident of who they are, free from the concept of being gaba-an. \r\nFrom this, we will always put on the SPIRIT OF BEING BLESSED. Therefore, we can already act from oppression, help \r\nourselves and others better, understand and love fully, and confidently act on the free will God gave us.\r\nBACKGROUND:\r\nOriginally, the “group” was just an informal gathering of long-time friends, friends who had one thing in common—\r\nfacilitating and leading. Then, invitations for talks, seminars, and workshops were flowing. They were poised with the \r\nquestion: who are we if we are a team? With that question lingering, another funny twist of the team’s history was \r\ndeveloping. The use of the word gaba-an within the group. It became popular after months of making jollity of \r\nremarking gaba-an practically in all conversations and occasions. Eventually, this fun practice was caught on by\r\nothers in the community. The group was easily identified as the Gaba-an Youth Lead.\r\nThe word gabâ, for people in many parts of the Philippines, is a concept of a non-human and non-divine, imminent \r\nretribution, a sort of negative karma. Gabâ is generally seen as an evil effect on a person because of their \r\nwrongdoings or transgressions (gaba-an). Some sociologists believe that gabâ is one of the causes of complacency: \r\nbecause of the belief in it, they prefer to be silent on abuses. It gives hope to the oppressed that someday the abuses \r\nwill be paid for.\r\nWhat started as a fun exchange by friends of remarking gaba-an coupled with the nature of the friendship (youth \r\nleaders, animators, facilitators, and speakers) became a genuine facilitating team who now offers several programs \r\nfor the youth for different agencies and units in government and the private sector. Gaba-an Youth Lead in the onset \r\nwas just a byword, a joke as if to signify a vision by the circle, what if we can indeed be a youth facilitating team, is \r\nnow a true youth lead sharing their expertise to their fellow youths.\r\nThe fullness of the concept was later realized that we as the Gaba-an Youth Lead should give hope to our young as \r\nthey embark in a very cruel world. We know for a fact that no human being wants naturally to suffer; however, the \r\ninevitable reality is there; most of our young are deprived with opportunities. We as a facilitating team believe that \r\ngiven the opportunity that the young will be trained— to lead, to facilitate, and to manage—definitely, they can \r\nboldly face the hurdles of tomorrow. We strive hard as a team to be the best facilitators of youth programs so that \r\nthe young will never be complacent again. All youths will be confident of who they are, free from the concept of \r\nbeing gaba-an.\r\nThe founders of the team have many years of facilitating and leadership practice. They are Rey Dennis Caballero \r\n(Youth Champion of the Province), Ronald Kinilitan (Faculty, Silliman University), and Joed Marice Zamora (Lead \r\nFacilitator, Youth AGENT for Development Federation).\r\nWe have been there; we know how it feels. We were lifted from that misery before for we were blessed so much from \r\nthe many programs, we were part of. It is payback time then, we are here, offering you another road where fun and \r\nlearning can go hand in hand.