By Bet Domingo
Two Filipinos bring pride to the Philippines as
they enter the roster of this year’s JCI Ten Outstanding Young Persons of theWorld (JCI TOYP).
HIV advocate and educator Ronivin “Vinn”
Pagtakhan, and political analyst and academician Richard Javad Heydarian are
joining eight other young active global citizens as honorees of the 2018 JCI
TOYP. Other honorees came from Mongolia, Nepal, Nigeria, Romania, Syria, Turkey
and United Kingdom.
Humanitarian-Voluntary
Leadership
For his compassion for those living with HIV
and dedication to empower the LGBT community, Vinn Pagtakhan has been named JCI
TOYP Honoree in the category of humanitarian and voluntary leadership.
Over the past decade, cases of HIV have
increased exponentially in the Philippines, one of the few countries with a
rising incidence of the disease at an average of 31 diagnoses per day. The
growth is attributed to the lack of knowledge on HIV prevention, care and
support, which has worsened by the stigma around HIV causing many individuals
to hide and avoid seeking help.
Pagtakhan started on Twitter by giving honest
and accessible health advice to people asking, mostly about HIV and sexually
transmitted infections. This brought Pagtakhan and six of his friends to
establish the organization LoveYourself in 2011.
LoveYourself aims to open self-sustaining
resource centers for the youth and LGBT communities, offering free HIV-related
services such education, testing and counseling, treatment, care and support,
as well as to become a model community to other community-based HIV organizations
around the Philippines.
To date, Pagtakhan’s serves free HIV
testing to nearly 30,000 clients yearly on its three community centers, and
free HIV treatment to around 2,500 Filipinos living with HIV. The organization
bridges the gaps in the HIV continuum of care by scaling up HIV testing, linking
diagnosed persons with treatment and counseling, and creating a community that
has led to reduced loss of life.
Moreover, Pagtakhan empowers the LGBT community
and the Filipino youth to recognize their own value and self-worth, take care
of their health and well-being, and in the process, join in the fight against
HIV and AIDS.
Political,
Legal and Governmental Affairs
As a leading global expert on security issues
across Asia, Richard Javad Heydarian earned a spot in this year’s JCI TOYP.
Heydarian primarily uses his communication
skills - writing - for Filipinos to further understand the country’s
geopolitical and national issues in an effort to influence a better
socioeconomic and political thinking of the Philippine society.
Along with writing renowned publications
including How Capitalism Failed the Arab World and most recently The Rise of Duterte: A Populist Revolt Against Elite Democracy, Heydarian serves as a
non-partisan policy adviser and socially-engaged scholar to explore the most
pressing political and socioeconomic challenges of our time.
Heydarian has written around 1000 articles and
a common resource person by leading local and international media outlets.
Through these regular media engagements,
Heydarian was able to inform not only Filipinos but all citizens of the
world, and raise consciousness about the key challenges facing the world for a
more constructive national and international dialogue, inspiring a new
generation of leaders who will push boundaries to create positive and lasting
change for a better Philippines and a better world.
The Junior Chamber International Ten Oustanding Young People of the World
JCI (Junior Chamber
International) honors ten outstanding young people under the age of 40 each
year. These individuals exemplify the spirit of the JCI Mission and provide extraordinary
service to their communities. Whether through service, innovation,
determination or revolutionary thinking, these young active citizens create
positive impact on a local and global level.
These ten exceptional individuals will be
honored at the 2018 JCI Awards Ceremony featuring the 2018 JCI TOYP Honorees on
2 November 2018 at the 2018 JCI World Congress in Goa, India.
Junior Chamber International
JCI is a nonprofit
organization of young active citizens age 18 to 40 whose purpose is providing
development opportunities that empower young people to create positive change
around the world, uniting all sectors of society to create sustainable impact.
For more information, visit: www.jci.cc.
