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Around 40 student volunteers for the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games gathered at the University of Makati yesterday, November 11 for a volunteers training session facilitated by the staff of the National Youth Commission (NYC).

The volunteers, all undergraduate students of the University of Makati, are among the 6,000-strong mobilized nationwide by the NYC to help out in the 23 rd SEA Games. The biennial competition is set to be held in several major cities around the Philippines from November 27 to December 5 this year.

The training in the University of Makati is the first to be held in the NCR area. It was organized to prepare the student volunteers who will be assisting in the billiards and snooker games, which will take place in the nearby Makati Sports Coliseum.

According to Reggie Reburiano, Team Leader for the NCR volunteers, the NYC has set up standard objectives for all SEA Games volunteers training sessions.

“We hold the training sessions to give basic information kung ano gagawin ng volunteers sa games [about what the volunteers will be tasked to do during the games], to give them a picture on how volunteer effort can make things work and to motivate them to give their best,” Reburiano said.

“ Nag -iinvite din kami ng mga NSAs [National Sports Associations], mga authority yan ng particular sports, para ma -orient sila [volunteers], sa specific roles nila saka sa mga rules . Kasama na rin sa training 'yung scheduling and shifting [we will also invite NSAs, who are authorities on particular sports to orient the volunteers about their specific roles and about game rules. We also arrange the volunteers' shifts and schedules during the training sessions],” added Reburiano.

The student volunteers were made to undergo group dynamics to establish familiarity and solidarity within the cluster. Ernest Sanchez, a volunteer of the 1981 and 1991 SEA Games was also invited to share remarkable anecdotes of heroism and patriotism, which were carried out by Filipino volunteers in past editions of the competitions.

“ Lahat nito ginagawa [we do all of these] to emphasize to the volunteers that they will not be simply be a source of manpower during the games. Mahalaga talaga ang role nila kasi [they will play an important role because] they will be the ones to motivate the athletes and cheer for the country,” Reburiano said.

One volunteer, Ivy Yee, a marketing sophomore, said that she enjoys the experience of volunteering for the