Preparing Young Professionals through the YMCA Career Development Program 2024
By: Michelle R. Maala
YMCA of Leyte
Over the last 19 days, the YMCA of the Philippines has played a key role in embarking on a transformative journey to empower the YMCA staff through a comprehensive Career Development Program. The program was designed to enhance skills and foster professional growth and personal development among participants. It is a training curriculum designed to equip young professionals who want to pursue a career in the YMCA.
The training was attended by 15 selected participants from different local Y’s: 4 from the YMCA of Manila, 2 from the YMCA of Baguio City, 2 from the YMCA of Makati, and 1 from the YMCA of Tuguegarao, Pangasinan, Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental, Leyte, Cagayan de Oro, and 1 from the YMCA of the Philippines. The training program commenced on May 6–24, 2024, and was held at the YMCA of Cebu, Inc.
The 19-day comprehensive training sessions addressed a variety of subjects, including YMCA history, philosophy, mission and vision, and theological perspectives, with the goal of enhancing the staff’s basic understanding of the YMCA. Throughout the 19-day period, a physical fitness exercise through swimming was done every morning. Furthermore, the training empowers the staff by covering a wide range of comprehensive issues, including current community concerns and needs, as well as how to solve them. Strategic planning, contextual realities, government compliance, fund-raising, resource mobilization, skills and competency development, community organizing, club formation and management, program development, and action planning round out the training course, which is essential for future professional leaders to learn while remaining true to Christian teachings.


On the first day of the CDP, the participants were engaged in a quick orientation about the training. It was the right time for the participants to get to know one another, and the facilitators, the specific duties and responsibilities of each participant were also revealed. Later that day, the inaugural program began, and the participants were formally introduced.




The Training Curriculum
Different lessons were offered in the program with the primary goal of equipping the participants with knowledge and skills that they would be able to apply upon returning to their respective local YMCA. With the aid of Mr. Pablito Tabucol, the former National General Secretary of the YMCA of the Philippines, the participants were introduced to the humble beginnings of the YMCA, with its initial mission of forming a group of young men seeking refuge from the hazards of street life. Additionally, Sir Pabs led the participants in an insightful discussion about the YMCA’s ecumenical approach to promoting Christian unity among young men. Participants were also involved with the writing of liturgy and worship in the YMCA way. In which the participants applied during the conduct of morning devotion every morning of the training before starting the day.



Mr. Orlando “Tito Orly” Carreon, the current National General Secretary of the YMCA of the Philippines, shares his grasp of the YMCA structures and constituents, emphasizing the difficulty of keeping a local YMCA alive and operational. Tito Orly went on to imply to the participants that keeping optimistic would help in dealing with failure and striving to survive again. He then indicated the number of active local YMCAs and those in the process of revitalization. The subsequent workshop on the subject gives participants the opportunity to learn about different local YMCAs.


“When you do community organizing, you identify the people’s needs and find solutions to their problems,” was the opening phrase said by the General Secretary of Negros Oriental YMCA, Mr. Gregorio Fernandez, as he began discussing the community organizing subject, highlighting the relationship and connectivity status between the community and the NegOr-Y. Following the strategic planning discourse, Sir Greg provided an example to give the participants a clear outline of how the strategic plan is constructed. By the end of his discussion, the participants were reminded, in relation to strategic planning, that in order to achieve improvement, they must be willing and able to sacrifice something.


A YMCA staff member, especially someone who desires to be an effective professional staff member, must be able to perform well with good communication skills. Throughout the discussion, Sir Pabs accentuated the various skills required to successfully connect with people. During the discussion about skills and competency building, Sir Pabs challenged the participants to utilize their existing skills as he gave different workshops related to the necessary paperwork of a secretary (narrative report, letters, memorandum, resolution, and minutes). He then checked the works of the participants, providing corrections, suggestions, and constructive feedback as a way to help the participants improve their works and give them the opportunity to grow.


The significance of complying with government requirements was highlighted by the representative of the SEC for SEC compliance, Mr. Merfred Belino for BIR compliance, and Atty. Romeo Calubaquib for business compliance. The subject was the most important thing to remember and adhere to avoid receiving severe legal penalties that may result in sanctions, fines, and the cessation of an organization or operation.



Establishing and sustaining a club organization is a vital method for expanding the YMCA membership and reaching a lot of touched lives, a mission of the YMCA. The club management subject was offered and discussed by Ms. Ivory Manio, featuring a quote that motivated the participants – to begin with the basics and start simple. The day’s exercise invited participants to think critically about how they would organize, sustain, and expand a club, either at school or in their community. Furthermore, each participant was asked how many members they planned to add to their existing number of members back at their local Y’s, amounting to 54,000 total new members by the year 2027 that will be made possible by the collective efforts of all CDP 2024 participants.


For the participants to better comprehend the YMCA’s core vision and mission, Ms. Ianne Christine Aquino, YMCA of Albay General Secretary, elaborated on the four pillars of Vision 2030 through the topic of contextual realities. Beginning with the Community Wellbeing pillar, Ms. Tin focuses on mental health awareness, including strategies for sustaining good mental health. Followed by the Sustainable Planet pillar, Ms. Tin provided an activity called Footloose to trace the participants’ carbon footprint, requiring them to reflect on their actions that have a significant impact on the environment. Moreover, Ms. Tin also shared an overview of the two remaining pillars of Vision 2030: Meaningful Work and a Just World.








Ms. Tin further emphasized the Global and Regional Quadrennial Program Plan, which strives to address contemporary global concerns that correspond with the YMCA Vision 2030.
Transforming the YMCA mission and vision into action and reality, Ms. Tin developed an understanding of how fund raising and resource mobilization are essential for program implementation. While she gave the discussion about the matter, the workshop relating to the subject allowed the participants to experience firsthand the making of promotional videos to visually attract prospective donors and establish relationships and partnerships with potential partners and donors.




Ending the training curriculum with an expected output from the participants, Ms. Tin deliberately talked about the program development topic, which will act as a guide for the participants as they formulate and defend their action plans during the presentation and subsequently implement them upon their return to their local YMCA’s.


The Best Enough to Remember
The BLOB Tree
The BLOB Tree was initially introduced before the CDP began; it is a tree with people representing different levels. Participants were invited to assess themselves and select the character that they believe best represents their standing within the organization, which includes their engagement and understanding of the YMCA. Prior to the CDP, the majority of participants picked the characters in the lower part. The participants believe that the training will serve as a key to unlocking crucial lessons and information required for fostering professional growth and development, as well as understanding how things are done in the YMCA approach.
By the end of the training, participants were once again questioned about their perception of themselves in the YMCA with all the teachings and real-life lessons taught during the CDP through the BLOB tree. With the participants’ character choices, it was evident that through the CDP, they were able to dig deeper and learn more about the fundamental approach to better understand and translate into reality the mission and vision of the YMCA.


The Swimming Session
The program not only focuses on the participants’ cognitive growth, but it also requires a physical fitness exercise every morning, which is accomplished through swimming sessions supervised by Mr. Christopher Cudera and Mr. Jonathan Obtina from the YMCA of Cebu. During the swimming session, participants are taught a variety of skills, ranging from basic to advanced swimming strokes. The activity seeks to improve the participants’ breathing and is one of the activities that would be beneficial for future survival.




The Journey Within
The journey within was an activity during the second day of the CDP training that encouraged the participants to explore upon themselves. It enabled the trainees to begin the process of introspection by thoroughly reflecting and monitoring their emotional state, beliefs in life, spiritual beliefs, and heart desires. With an overwhelming journey of reflection towards self-awareness, the participants can’t help but shed tears while they unravel the depths of their hidden truths, unanswered questions, and unresolved emotions. The journey leads them to a deeper understanding of themselves, which is essential for their personal growth and development.

Duties and Responsibilities
Ms. Ianne Christine Aquino created and implemented the list of duties and responsibilities for the participants, as a strategic way to nurture personal growth, improve existing skills and instill a sense of leadership and accomplishment amongst the participants. The tasking empowers the trainees to learn, grow, and adequately collaborate with their teams, setting the path for continuous improvement and attainment of common goals.

Lugaw Init Libre sa YMCA (LILY)
In order to engage and provide participants with real-life experiences that would play a critical role in developing essential skills and preparing them for the future, the facilitators agreed to allow them to spend their morning weekends cooking porridge that is specially served to the street dwellers, while the rest of the porridge is later given to the neighboring community. On the last Sunday of the training, the participants donated a certain amount of money to buy additional viands and snacks for the LILY beneficiaries. Wrapping up the LILY experience with a heart-warming gratitude with genuine smiles from the children and the community.





Community Exposure
In the context of understanding and responding to people’s needs, as well as deepening relationships within a specific community, the participants continued their training with a visit to the Bukas Palad Foundation, an organization that helps shelter families who are low-income and do not own a house. While on the visit, the participants had the opportunity to interact with children who are enrolled in the Bukas Palad Foundation nursery center, and some participants further engaged themselves with baking cookies and muffins.











The Commencement Exercise
An overwhelming sense of emotion filled the room during the commencement exercise of the 19-day CDP training. The event was attended by esteemed members of the National Board of Trustees, as well as National and local General Secretaries and Presidents, and was made truly memorable, thanks to the support of their local General Secretaries and the deep connection formed between participants throughout the training.
The National Program Secretary and facilitator, Ms. Tin, proudly accepted the honor to present the participants, who were later confirmed graduates, affirming their accomplishment and lifelong achievement for completing the 19-day CDP training. The CDP batch 2024 were named “Puhon,” which means hopefully someday, in God’s time.


Testimonial sharing from the three exceptional participants about their CDP thoughts and experiences.
“Because of this training, I started to gain confidence and learned how to effectively concentrate. Even though the training was draining, the lessons were all interesting. The training developed me holistically, from physical to cognitive to values education, and most importantly, it developed my spiritual aspect. During this training, I was overwhelmed with compliments from my co-participants, Sir Pabs, Ma’am Ivory, and Ma’am Julie. It may seem like a small thing for others, but for me, those compliments helped me strive and achieve the better version of myself.
There was a lot of learning insights I have acquired that would be beneficial when I go back to Leyte-Y, how to organize clubs, how to do effective fund raising, how to write reports, letters, minutes, how to craft action plan, strategic plan, and most especially I learned a lot about YMCA, and because of that I am hopeful I can continue working with Y, kahit maging volunteer po ng Y, just as long as it is YMCA.” — Michelle R. Maala, YMCA of Leyte, Inc.

“Thank you for giving me this opportunity to be one of the participants of the career development program. I learned to be more patient. Because you may not know why things happen now, but surely God has a reason. We came from different past experiences and backgrounds and because of that I learned to be more understanding about everyone’s situation and every situations of our Local Y. You have to be a good listener, not just to reply, but to truly understand the YMCA and absorb the additional knowledge the speaker wants to input into our minds and hearts. And lastly, to be more loving person. Mga kapwa participant ko. You make me feel like all of you are my family. You don’t let anyone left behind.To our facilitator and speakers, you guide us and make sure we make it through, that we grow individually and shine in the skills that we didn’t know we had. Because of this, now I know I still have a heart of a servant. A heart that is ready to be part of YMCA’s Vision and Mission.” Laura O. Clutario,YMCA of Makati, Inc.

“Because of the CDP, I have gained a newfound confidence in my abilities. Before joining the CDP, I often doubted myself and my capacity to handle challenging situations. This program has not only provided me with practical skills but also instilled a sense of self-belief. I have learned to trust my instincts, embrace my strengths, and work on my weaknesses. This journey has been transformative, and I am grateful for the growth I have experienced. The CDP has been a life-changing experience for me, and I am honored to share my journey with you.
The CDP has truly been a transformative experience, allowing me to overcome my fears and discover new strengths. I am grateful for the opportunities it has provided and proud of the progress I have made. To my colleagues, let’s bring this knowledge to our local YMCA or wherever you will go and not let what we learned in this program go to waste. Let’s not lose hope; let’s work together and always remember: once a Y’er, always a Y’er.” Kiehl Albert Estrada, YMCA of Pangasinan, Inc.

As the Career Development Program journey concludes, it is highly acknowledged that the insights and knowledge gained from the CDP serve as stepping stones toward greater opportunities, proficiency, and success in the participants’ lives. According to the participants, the CDP managed to answer their lifelong search for meaning and purpose. The training supports the participants growth both personally and professionally as they apply what they’ve learned upon their return to their local YMCA. The training further guarantees that the participants will remain dedicated, innovative, and prepared for any obstacles and setbacks that may come their way in real-life situations. Continuously promoting the Young Men’s Christian Association’s Mission and Vision towards a larger community.
The 2024 Career Development Program Graduates
BATCH PUHON
Safir Humad Al-Sinawi
YMCA of the City of Baguio
Cyrill Mae Alyao
YMCA of the City of Baguio
Kiehl Albert Estrada
YMCA of Pangasinan
Roxan C. Pacquiao
YMCA of Cagayan De Oro
Clinton V. Palma
YMCA of Negros Occidental
John Lorene C. Betchido
YMCA of Negros Oriental
Pamela D. Mamaril
YMCA of Manila
Luis B. Lobo Jr.
YMCA of Manila
Jhon Paul B. Naluz
YMCA of Manila
Irene T. Briones
YMCA of Manila
Lorenzo G. Littaua
YMCA of Makati
Laura O. Clutario
YMCA of Makati
Ron Galope
YMCA of Tuguegarao
Michelle R. Maala
YMCA of Leyte
Cyril James S. Morris
YMCA of the Philippines
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