Call to Arms Speech by Leader Anne Boese

Call To Arms

We Have Value; We can make a difference - 6 weeks ago I was surrounded by 26 different types of leaders - all with different personalities, different views, different goals and different backgrounds. For the past 6 weeks we have been sharing, collaborating, discussing and debating various Leadership concepts.  Now 6 weeks later we are united to share one common goal – to become Authentic Leaders.This is call and a challenge to all of us here in this room. No matter what we do, whether big or small,we have value and we can make a difference.

Prof Saguinsin, Leaders – Mayap a bengi po, Maganda Gabi po, I am Leader Anne Boese and this is my advocacy.

Allow me to share with you all the famous words of Martin Neimoller (Lutherian Pastor):

When the Nazis came for the communists,
I remained silent; I was not a communist.
When they locked up the social democrats,
I remained silent; I was not a social democrat.
When they came for the trade unionists,
I did not speak out; I was not a trade unionist.
When they came for the Jews,
I remained silent; I wasn't a Jew.
When they came for me,
there was no one left to speak out.

Does this mean it does not affect us, we will not be concerned? Does this mean if it does not concern us, we should remained silent or not take action? If this is the case, imagine our world "A Careless World" I do not want to be part of world where people care less about each other. "Walang sinuman ang nabubuhay para sa sarili lamang, tayong lahat at tinipon nang Diyos para sa isat isa".

Now this speech is not about fighting or standing up to Nazis or some other authoritarian regime.  It's about taking action in your communities – against corruption, against lawlessness, or against any misbehavior that threatens the civility or general well-being of our surroundings.  It's about making positive changes in our towns to make it a better place for everyone.  By being proactive, being involved, or just speaking out against wrong-doing, anyone can make a difference in our environment.

1^st Step - Take ownership in our surroundings.

We are responsible for our surroundings. Our  town, or province, or even our country as a whole didn't, for better or for worse, just naturally evolve into what it is now.  It developed because the people who decided to be the most proactive shaped it into what it is now – whether through government office, business, or just local leadership.  Many of these leaders have good intentions for positive change, but that is not always the case.Some actualize change for personal gain, power, or even just out of complacency.  Good people have allowed the negative facets in our communities to propagate out of their own complacency – by failing to be involved and act.

2^nd Step- Be involved in our community to make it a better place.

If there is something we do not like we should do something about it. Volunteer and take action. Don't wait for others to do it. Let us be proactive in reforming structures of social sin by not taking part in it and by fighting against it. Let us work together and do our best to influence others to do the right thing. If there are more people involved in the reformation, we will get more results. If others are educated, then we are empowered, and goodness is empowered. If we find ourselves surrounded by corruption, remember that it doesn't mean everyone is doing it. Even if you are in the minority, stand firm if you know you are on the right side. Do not allow others dictate your conscience; make your own sound judgment.

3^rd Step - Don't allow others to shape our environment.

Speak up. If you see someone e.g  littering in your community, say something - do not allow them. One time I went to visit my dad in the cemetery and I noticed that thehigh school students were throwing their fishball sticks and buko juice plastic everywhere. I was disappointed because the school was also beside our parish church and cemetery. I immediately brought it to the attention of the school and posted on our local social network the incident. A lot of people made the same comments. And because someone started noticing it other followed.  I suggested providing large visible trash cans around the vicinity of the school.  Unchecked, a small issue like teenagers throwing trash in the church and school, could have over time, turned  into the town dump.

4^th Step- Be involved and critique local government and agency policies.

My Father actively promoted good governance. He worked for a politician that fought and tackled corruption, illegal quarry and jueteng.  On June 26, 2000 they were ambushed and he was killed on the spot.  One of my dad's favorite quotes was, "Politics without principle is evil" by Mahatma Ganhdi. This is one of the reasons I am also against any sort of corruption or and illegal activity. My Dad died as a hero. I want to continue what my dad pursued. I am currently a member of Gising Porac, a social network group that tackles different issues "political, health, poverty, good governance, etc". The group is actively monitoring and leading actions for issues in our home town. The group also encourages members to be active: Clean Up Drive to prevent dengue, donate a blood, Run for a cause, visit indigenious and more. The group is calling for action in the community. The comments being posted are relevant and helpful to the community. It spreads issues, awareness, call for involvement, actions, solutions and unity in the community.

Recently my 2 nephews, aged 7 and 6, had a hard time enrolling at our local public school. According to the public school, the preschool where my 2 nephews came from was not accredited. This was the first time this issue was publicized and no one had informed parents about this. Parents became furious in local social networking. There were also several parents surprised with the new policy because the preschool was operating for more than 20 years. The teachers at the public school tried to convince us to accept this because the children would learn again, even if they repeated preschool. I did not agree to this and I strongly spoke out against it since we are talking about time and effort. It is not ok for my 2 nephews or other kids to repeat. I questioned "why did the local government allowed for the pre-school to run, why they give permit to operate if it will be useless after. I wrote to DepEd to verify the case and I was routed to the local "balikeskewela help desk of Dep Ed" and explained the dilemma to them. Although it took time to get answers I waited and did not want to give up. It was also brought up the issue to our Local officials since parents were not informed that students coming from the mentioned preschool would not be accepted by our local public school. It was already the 2^nd day of class and finally DepEd called the local school regarding the issue. Not only did I help my nephews in not having to repeat pre-school, the school was also forced to shuffle the other students they put into preschool and put them in grade one.

Reach out to disadvantaged to help make their lives better.

Why do people steal?  Why do people litter?  Why do people commit any small crime which has generally become accepted as just a part of life? Is it because they're bad people?  Probably not.  It probably has more to do with being poor, or being uneducated.  A child stealing food from a small shop because he's starving, says less about the child than is does about our communities and how we've decided to take care of our own.  Yet there are countless small things we can do to help those around us – which not only directly benefits them, but benefits our communities as a whole.

Just a few of the things I've recently participated include: Being part of the Ateneo Student Council we are actively promoting Mulat Diwa projects. Visiting the indigenous Aetas o donate new clothes and spending time playing with the children.  Our most recent project, we took a large group of disadvantaged Street Children to Jollibee and presented them with hygienic kits. I donate to the bucket rice challenge, providing food for the poor.  My small business, Rainforest Resort, sponsored a teen basketball team – giving these under privileged boys a productive use for their time versus turning to drugs or crime.  I support the National bookstore campaign balik eskwela, where you can purchase school supplies for students in rural areas. I participate in Charity Runs and Bingo Runs, with proceeds benefitting to the poor subsistence farmers and other livelihood projects.  These are just a few examples of ways you can donate a small amount of your time or money to help others.  And by helping each of these specific people in need, we help to make the entire community a better place.

                To summarize my overall message – Do something. Get involved, and make your communities better.  Encourage others to do the same. If everyone did this, the world would be a much better place.

"Giving of oneself is more than a responsibility. It is a privilege. It is evidence of your faith. And when you submit to something larger than yourself, you will realize your true potential, finding real happiness and fulfillment through service to others."  – Bob Lane