Japan-based Pinoy youth to attend Davos econ forum

For actively helping Japanese-Filipino youth, a Tokyo-based Filipino teenager was chosen to represent the world's youth in the upcoming World Economic Forum's (WEF) annual meeting in Switzerland. The Department of Foreign Affairs said Carmina Mancenon will join five other youth leaders who will take part in the forum in Davos, Switzerland on January 27-31. "Ms. Mancenon is a 16-year-old student of K International School Tokyo who is actively involved in volunteer work through organizations such as Habitat for Humanity, Ajisai Senior Home, Second Harvest, Free the Children, Model United Nations and her school's tutor program," the DFA said in a statement posted on its Web site. The DFA said Mancenon had also served as a core member of the Japanese Filipino Youth Organization, facilitating events and planning fundraisers that helped create a solid community of Japanese-Filipino youth in Tokyo. Mancenon was selected out of 1,200 applicants to attend the WEF based on her impressive performance at the Global Youth Summit in London held on Nov. 15-21 last year. She impressed judges with her convincing and articulate style of argumentation, as well as the array of ideas she had for potential social activism projects, the DFA said. Mancenon will be among the six young leaders under the British Council's Global Changemakers program who will pass on the voice of the world's youth to the global leadership. Accompanying Mancenon in the courtesy call with Foreign Affairs Sec. Alberto Romulo were British Council officials led by Steve Adams, British Council Director for Western Japan. The Global Changemakers programme includes a select group of youth between the ages of 16 and 25 who have demonstrated a track record of achievement in their local communities through social entrepreneurship, social activism and voluntary work. They are part of a global network where they share ideas and practices, and participate in high-level political and economic events to act as advocates for youth, the media release stated. - Jerrie Abella/KBK, GMANews.TV