Heroes

At the 12th Ayala Young Leaders Congress

The Ayala Young Leaders Congress is an annual gathering of the country's best and brightest college students for 5 days of leadership training, workshops and outdoor activities. It is an initiative of the officers of the Ayala Group of Companies, one of the largest conglomerates in the Philippines. The keynote speaker for this year's Congress was Efren Peñaflorida, 2009 CNN Hero of the Year. Efren talked about the Dynamic Teen Company and the "Kariton Klasrum," a project that aims to keep children away from a life of crime and violence through education. The concept of the "Kariton Klasrum" is simple: if the street children can't come to school, the school will come to the street children. "Love learning and it shall it love you back," Efren said. "Nobody is too ordinary to be a hero."

One of the outdoor activities that tested the participants' teamwork abilities. Each group of around 15 had to stand on two rows of wooden planks, and, using just ropes and their communication skills, "walk"as a group towards the finish line.