The Hope Builders Organization Negros Island Inc. and the Provincial Youth Development Office of Negros Occidental successfully conducted the 9th edition of Lead for Hope (LFH), with the theme, “From the Ground Up: Nurturing Grassroots Leadership,” in Bacolod City, on September 26–27, 2025.

The two-day training program gathered youth leaders from across Negros. They engaged in discussions. Workshops were designed to strengthen their values and skills in community-based leadership.

The event was co-presented with 99.7 Brigada News FM Kabankalan, the City Government of Kabankalan, and the Local Youth Development Office of Kabankalan.

HBONI emphasized that the program serves as a platform. It provides young leaders with the opportunity to learn and collaborate. This helps them take on more active roles in their respective communities.

In his message, Kenneth Bacala, HBONI Founder and CEO, expressed his gratitude for the successful implementation of the program. He acknowledged the various challenges faced.

“I am more grateful for the implement of the Lead for Hope despite the circumstances, and this LFH is a venue for the youth to rediscover their values in community work especially in grassroots leadership,” he said.

The sessions featured in the program included Hinun-anon and Understanding the Community Lens. They also included Communities as Classroom, The Bridging Leadership Framework, and Project Hakaton.

Each topic was designed to encourage participants to ground their leadership in real community experiences.

Hinun-anon provided a dialogue platform for sharing challenges and insights in organizing at the grassroots. While, the session on Understanding the Community Lens stressed the importance of viewing issues from the local residents’ perspective.

Communities as Classroom reframed local communities as spaces of learning and leadership practice. Meanwhile, the Bridging Leadership Framework highlighted the importance of ownership, co-ownership, and co-creation.

These components are crucial in achieving social equity in project or program implementation.

Moreover, the Project Hakaton let participants create and suggest new projects to tackle important community issues.

Provincial Youth Development Officer Mardy Mae Javier emphasized the key role of youth leadership in promoting development in the province.

“We believed that young people are the key to the nation’s progress and that they should be educated and empowered to serve the country,” she said, stressing further that “investing in youth through training is also an investment in the province’s future”.

The training concluded with the presentation of outputs from Project Hakaton, where participants presented various community-based initiatives.

HBONI underscored that the event successfully met its goal of nurturing young leaders who are not only skilled but also deeply rooted in the values of service and community engagement.

For many participants, the experience was both inspiring and practical. “After the 2-day program, I reflected on the values of a leader and realized that real leadership starts with trust.

You can’t truly move ahead with the community if they don’t feel you’re with them. By listening to the different stories of my fellow young leaders, I realized something important. “Together, we carry each other’s hopes.” We move forward as one,’ said Mika Grace Regala, a youth participant from Cadiz City.

HBONI, through Lead for Hope 2025, showed its dedication to empowering the youth of Negros Island. The goal is to help them become catalysts for social change.

The organization emphasized that grassroots leadership remains a vital component of nation-building. Young people can make lasting contributions to their communities when they are equipped with the right tools and perspectives.*