The second episode of the “SAFE TALKS: Tales and Takes by the Youth” was aired last November 27, 4pm on Zoom and Facebook live.
Once again, the 2020 GYS Outstanding alumni and Safe Space Heroes, Kier Adventurado of Happy Hearts Initiative, Joshua G. Cote of The Puso Movement, Sarah Jane Fabito of Witech Batangas, and Qjiel Mariano of Ladders to Literacy hosted the webinar.
It is pretty normal for children and youth to have a dream. The Safe Space Heroes talked about the dreams they had when they were children. As Fabito shared about her dream to be a teacher, they transitioned to extending their gratitude to the front liners who have shown their dedication and passion on their jobs and worked hard despite the challenges of the new normal.
When children dream, they tend to focus more on the emotions and feelings they have on their dreams rather than the material wealth or limitations it may bring. They think beyond themselves and uses their imagination to be whoever they want to be. However, as people grow older, things will change depending on their experiences. Some may stay and pursue their childhood dreams, some may choose a totally different path from what they have wanted due to interest change, or some may not be able to achieve their dream because of personal limitations.
The support of the family and friends is crucial for one’s dream to be achieved. There are times where choosing a dream career may depend on the culture of the family. They may be influenced by the decisions of their parents or pressured by relatives who have been continuing the family legacy on a certain discipline.
Family, friends, and institutions are vital players in building the dreams of children. Every child can dream but not everybody can achieve it. As much as possible, one should extend their outmost support to one’s dream whether it appears big or small because we are all interconnected. The roles we play in the society contribute to overall well-being of our world. If we live in harmony, we can have a better place, a safe space, for all.
Mariano aspires of giving free universal access for health to all people. He keeps on thinking of those who are not privileged enough to access medical help in times of need. This keeps him going in achieving his dream to be licensed nurse and eventually, become a licensed physician.
A dream is a dream. It is unfair to compare one’s dream to other people’s dream. In choosing a career, make sure to find balance between passion and providing basic needs in life. There is no such thing as right or wrong dream, however, one may be on a more suitable one if you explore new things and open new opportunities in life.
Mistakes are not setbacks but rather, an opportunity to improve one’s self. Thus, when you think of giving up after one “failure”, you need to be able to identify what went wrong or what went right to try again. Life is a journey and a process, sometimes it will be easy, sometimes difficult but our attitude towards it and how we go about it is very crucial. One should keep challenging him/herself to be able to improve and achieve his/her dreams.
There will be another episode of the Safe Talks webinar series to be released by the Consuelo Zobel Alger Foundation still in partnership with Global Peace Foundation Philippines. This will be an annual webinar series and is in support to the #SameSpaceSafeSpace campaign.