The Power of Youth

An Oratorical Speech
for
Glenda Paulino
Written by
Gian Carlo Auxilian

Ladies and gentlemen, honored guest, friends and family, a pleasant da y to you.

Let me tell you a story abo ut three famous youth who in o ne way or another etched their
names in history.

First is Angad Daryani a 15 year old developer and inventor from Mumbai. He left school
when he was in 9th grade to pursue his passion for creating and improvising things around
him. When he was 8, he developed the lego mindstrom humanoid robot. His highly
acclaimed invention is the Virtual Brailler, a device that helps millions of visually
impaired people by converting digital text from Roman to Braille. Isn’t he amazing?

Second is a 12 year old rising tech star Thomas Suarez who impressed the tech gurus at
TEDx Manhattan Beach where he was invited to deliver a speech about his recently
released apps for iOS devices. Some of his famous development is Bustin Jieber and
Earth Fortune. At such a young age he was able to create his own company, the Carrot
Corp. Isn’t he surprising?

The third youth I would like to introduce to you is my self. At age 12, I was awarded as
one of the best junior editor in the province. When I entered high school, I joined schoo l
competitions both provincial and regional level. And right now I am confidently standing
in front of you not to impress you or brag abo ut my achievements but to tell you an idea
that I have.

So dear friends, guests and Antiqueños, lend me your ears!

Angad Daryani, Thomas Suarez and I have a lot of common qualities but I would like to
focus on one thing, we are all empowered youth!

Our power is not superficial like superhuman strength or speed. It is a power given to us
by the community, a power so strong that it can make or break our nation, even the
world. It is a power that allows us to shape the future. My dear guest what I am talking
about is youth empo werment. But what is youth empo werment?

Ada m Fletcher and Joseph Vavrus defines youth empowerment as “an attitudinal,
structural, and cultural process whereby young people gain the ability, authority, and
agency to make decisions and implement change in their own lives and the lives of other
people, including youth and adults.”
Just like Angad Daryani and Thomas Suarez, who made a decision to improve not just
the ir life but the lives of other peop le as well, youth empowerment begins with a choice.
That is why I made a choice to tell you and convince you, my dear friends, to make that
choice to become a better individual. Once the choice is made, we must put it into action.
Putting our choices into action is easier said than done. We will encounter a lot of
hardships, problems and c hallenges that may instill to us fear and o ther negative
emotions. That is why we need to be strong and firm. Never forget that a person who
succeeds is a person who is not afraid to fail. Believe when I say that the fruits of our
firmness and perseverance are sweet and fulfilling.

Youth empowerment is also about learning from mistakes. Let us not forget the lessons
we learn from every event, for this will serve as a guide on making better choices. Lastly,
this idea would be useless without the suppor t of every individual in the community. We
youth, need models, people who can inspire us to do what is right and good. People who
can teach us and help us learn how to live life.

Youth empowerment is not just a fad or trend; it is the response of the world to secure a
brighter future for generations to come. The world provides a chance for us to develop
our talents, boost our confidence and improve our decision making skills.

So my dear friends let us stand up and make that choice! Let us empower ourselves and
unite to create a better world. Let us rise to the challenge and show the world that we are
still and will always be the hope of the future!