ARC Young Leaders Camp
ARC Refreshments Corporation
“With the learnings and ideas that the campers absorb in the camp, it was ARC’s objective that once they go back to “the real world”, they would initiate or conduct social development projects of their own, may it be a small or big project, simple or complex.”
INTRODUCTION
The ARC Young Leaders Camp is the annual flagship corporate social responsibility program of ARC Refreshments Corporation, the Philippine licensed bottler of RC Cola International, Georgia U.S.A., which aims to provide a suitable breeding ground for future Filipino leaders.Created in 2011, the camp is an annual gathering of the most outstanding student leaders selected from colleges and universities in Metro Manila and nearby provinces. The program sends young leaders to a 3-day camp where they get immersed in leadership discussions, team-building activities and workshops with some of the country’s top movers and change-makers.
FRAMEWORK AND STRATEGY
The ARC Young Leaders Camp selects underserved yet exceptional Filipino student leaders who are actively involved in school and community organizations, have a good academic record, and have a passion to lead, create and change the society.Factoring accountability into its strategy, ARC Refreshments Corporation has initiated a proactive engagement, taking on CSR projects that uplift the quality of lives in the communities where it operates. The ARC Young Leaders Camp, for instance, is the company’s way of helping develop the leadership potentials and skills of Filipino youth leaders and and instill in them the company’s core values of resourcefulness, integrity, teamwork and discipline.
The ARC Young Leaders Camp’s is a unique and impactful training that puts premium on underpriveledged students who are not afforded the opportunity to join leadership camps and trainings that usually charges registration fees.
ACHIEVEMENT AND IMPACT
The camp has trained and developed 300 individuals geared to create positive change in the society. As they returned to their own schools and communities, they started implementing social development projects of their own, from a simple creekside clean-up activity to a full-scale school building maintenance drive complete with donations of school supplies which benefited 1,800 public school students.With the learnings and ideas that the campers absorb in the camp, it was ARC’s objective that once they go back to “the real world”, they would initiate or conduct social development projects of their own, may it be a small or big project, simple or complex.
One example of this is the participation of camp alumni in the Department of Education’s Brigada Eswkela (School Brigade) wherein they helped prepare 36 classrooms in a public school for the upcoming school year. The alumni painted and cleaned the classrooms, chairs and other school facilities. They also pooled resources from their school mates, family and friends in order to donate school supplies like pencils, notebooks and crayons to 1,800 students of the public school. This is a concrete example of leading by example and youth helping out their fellow youth.
FUTURE DIRECTION
The support and clamor of schools and universities to participate in the camp have been growing each year and it is considered a big achievement once a student from their school is accepted to join the camp who in turn are given due recognition. In response, starting with the 6th ARC Young Leaders camp, ARC Refreshments Corporation increased the number of students who are able to join the camp to 50 (from 40 in the previous years).They have also put in place a networking platform wherein the alumni can discuss their plans to come up with their social development projects, and because there has been a growing number of alumni every year, there is an on-going effort to formalize and create an ARC Young Leaders Camp alumni association.
ARC Refreshments Corporation is committed to level-up this advocacy because they want to contribute to a better world by nurturing young leaders. They also envision to provide a bigger and better camp in the coming years by expanding the program to enjoin more participants from all over the country.
Started in 2002, ARC Refreshments Corporation is the exclusive Philippine licensee of RC Cola products. Under the guiding hand of its founders, the company flourished and is now a major player in the beverage industry. Its vision is to be the lowest cost producer of ready-to-drink, non-alcoholic beverages with the best quality and value.
