I am so happy about what I have learned today. I read that United Laboratories, Inc. (UNILAB) has this project where they call on the youth to help improve the health and wellness of the country, by promoting it one community at a time, through its
Unilab Ideas Positive. It is an idea-generation contest on social marketing programs that address health and wellness issues in communities.
So, do you have an idea? It could actually work once it is being funded.. Unilab Ideas Positive program was actually launched as a response to the increase in community issues of hygiene and sanitation, issues on nutrition, problems in disease prevention and intervention, and most importantly, environmental care and protection. On its second year, Unilab hopes to achieve more than before, it continues to believes that these concerns are more effectively addressed when two or more groups or organizations are working together in true Bayanihan spirit, the Filipino trait of working together to achieve a common goal. That, by the way explains how the logo looks..
So why the youth? Well, Unilab believes in the youth's creativity, idealism and sense of social purpose to find fresh and innovative solutions to emerging and recurring health and wellness issues in communities. This event is not just a venue to be heard, but more importantly, a chance to empower the youth to turn their ideas into reality.
To make it so, a seed fund of Php100,000 shall be awarded to the winning team to implement their social marketing program for their chosen community. Two runner-up groups shall be given Php75,000 each to do the same for their programs. Last year, the students from the University of Asia and the Pacific (UA&P) bagged the grand prize for their idea, "farm-in-the-city concept", where they taught hydroponics gardening to mothers in Barangay San Joaquin in Pasig City for their own sustainable source of vegetables within the community. The said mothers made their first harvest of lettuce and Kangkong in April this year. With this knowldege, the local government of Pasig City has expressed a desire to replicate the same program in other barangays. Amazing! This information made me cry..
Because of its successful run last year, the program has now expanded from Metro Manila only to include nearby provinces like Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Bulacan, and Rizal. If you are one of the many interested students, you can form a team of five and submit your idea through
www.unilabideaspositive.com until July 18. Ten semi-finalists will be chosen to undergo a 3-day camp in August where social marketing thought-leaders led by 2009 CNN Hero of the Year Efren Penaflorida and social marketing guru Dr. Eduardo ‘Ned’ Roberto will help teams to firm up their social marketing plans. Frome there, five finalist teams will be chosen to defend their plans by Sept 18 before a multi-sector panel of judges that will pick the team that wins the seed money from Unilab.
So, what are you waiting for? Join now..
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