Millennials options this summer

By Shawn Luc Fernandez / Camilla D. Fernandez

SUMMERTIME for youths like us is a time for beaches, meeting relatives, enjoying time with the family, and other cool stuff. Sometimes, the time is numerous for us just to bum around, play DOTA, and even sleep and unlimited relaxation. Is this really what it is with us, young ones, and summer? I am thinking maybe there is more to summer than this so that the person I am 10 years from now will thank me today.

As a Dagupan youth running smack in the hotly contested election season, one might be tempted to volunteer to political parties. For others, that is swell, worthwhile to do, and also expands your network of friends. But I cannot help but think maybe one can also be a tool for these candidates once they are in office to do their dirty deed (graft and corruption?) and I am indirectly responsible for their rise in power?

I think it would be better if one can volunteer in advocacies rather than personalities. I recommend that to make our summertime more fruitful, one can pledge support to causes that are close to one’s passion. For my young friends who are environment conscious, I know of an event after May that wants to restore the mangrove population in Dagupan City, maybe you can join us in this tree-planting in our coastal areas and river systems?

Another worthy activity is joining civic organizations. There are a lot of young organizations that have projects similar to what I mentioned above that would be of interest. They also have leadership seminars that hone your organization development skills that can help you get an edge in life. You might say, I am shy, but it also means you have an inferiority complex, too, so better rub that negative thinking off. Nobody became famous being a shy person, much more a loser or an antagonist. Everybody loves a winner. Remember, a successful person is one who is not afraid to fail, failed several times, until he succeeds.

One can also get a summer job. There are a lot of companies that are inclined to hire young ones who can serve their establishments and pay good money. The values of hard work, discipline (waking up early and being on time for your shift) reaps you good character and a selfless attitude in the long run.

One can also be active in sports. Chess is the game of kings, strategy is key to be able to outsmart your opponent and even gain you insight on planning ahead in order to win the game. Play also locally produced sports like the Games of the Generals and gain intuition and strategies that you may use later in life.

Yes, it is an individual sport so if one is inclined for teamwork and collaboration, maybe a game of basketball, volleyball, or even revive interest in Sepak Takraw. Rather than focus on playing online games all day and all night, it doesn’t hurt to also be really social (doesn’t mean you do social media all day long)— or socially active, for that matter. There is more to living than our digital life, don’t you agree?

Since we are talking about using the computer and learning a hobby by its medium, it doesn’t hurt to enroll in online courses like Social Media Marketing or even learning a new programming language. Focus on developing your skills that are in demand nowadays. There are many volunteer groups in the Internet that are wanting to assist you even in learning presentation skills and even fixing laptops and smartphones for free. Check this group for more info: www.facebook.com/groups/MDICT

Bottomline, it is not a pain to also be responsible to do one’s chores efficiently. There was a study that those who do not shirk in their household chores and doing errands for their parents become better employees and better businessmen in life. Small things matter. We should not be complacent and spend our time being a burden to our hard-working parents. After all, when we become older and start a family, we would also appreciate our future kids to become industrious and be a contributing member of our household, and eventually a responsible citizen of our country.

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