Cebu City, Philippines—August 26, 2010—Global Xchange Team 107 in partnership with The Outpost Restobar and with the support of Not Yours Production presents Change Revolution: A Rockin’ Event to Make a Difference on the Friday, 3rd of September, 8:00 p.m.

Global Xchange (GX), an initiative run in partnership between the British Council and VSO Bahaginan, is a volunteer exchange program which gives young people from the Philippines and UK a chance to work together to develop and share valuable skills to make a practical contribution where it is needed in local communities.

Now on their second phase in Cebu, the team has undertaken several initiatives for the benefit of the community: mangrove planting, 1GOAL football clinic, and ocean clean up, to name a few.

The concert, which will feature: Skankin’ Brews, Hastang, Melophobic, Nyor, and Xchange Sounds is an effort by the team to raise funds for VSO Bahaginan which sends Filipino professionals abroad to work as volunteers in various fields.

The night is not just about music; it’s about having fun and giving for a cause. Exciting stuff will be auctioned and the profit will go directly to the organization.

It is also a treat for everyone, as the team members themselves will staff the entire evening. A special GX cocktail will also be available, limited only for the event.

A night to remember, this event will rock Cebu—creating change through music and rhythm.

Global Xchange is thanking the following sponsors: San Miguel Corporations, The Bar Vodka, Fruit Magic, Jehzlau Concepts, GVSP, and Fairtrade Cebu.

No doubt many have noticed that I’ve been on a blogging hiatus. Between attending to Global Xchange commitments and traveling and enjoying vacation, an overwhelming schedule, and taking some much needed time off -- blogging was put on hold for a while. Now, finally, I can see some light at the end of the tunnel after visiting the land of Big Ben.

Couldn't ask for anything else. I’m sure to come back in London soon.

I don’t want to bore you with blah blah adventures that I have had in the UK, so I hope the visuals below will serve its purpose :)

Oioi, everyone! Greetings from London! I'll be temporarily inactive in blogging for the next few months. I'll be updating this blog soon.

I miss Pilipinas. I miss you all.

A single butterfly flapping it wings can cause a hurricane half across the globe.

This may sound poetic, or even implausible, but some volunteers of the Global Exchange Program (GXP) believe that they can help create that spark and start the fire burning for youth volunteerism in the Philippines and around the world.

Putting the internet to good use, this year’s volunteers or Team 107 created the first ever GXP volunteers’ project dubbed as The Butterfly Effect Project.

“We based this on the chaos theory. A single butterfly flapping its wings in this particular place can cause a hurricane. The same with this project, that no matter how small it is, this would ultimately make a difference for somebody, a group of people and ultimately for the world.,” explains 24-year-old GXP volunteer Anthony Ross Zuniga.

GXP is a project of the Volunteer Service Overseas (VSO) in partnership with the British Council Philippines. Participants do a three-month volunteer work in the United Kingdom and another three months in the country. Aside from Zuniga, Team 107 is composed of Mark Aethen Agana, 22; Dionell Chris Batoon, 21; Margarita Victoria Caballa, 21; Joseph Eduard Larano III,, 20; Desiree May Llanos Dee, 21; April Karnette Maniacup, 21; Karl Benson Molina, 21; and Christina Lucia Marian Palami, 24.

The UK group is composed of David Thompson, 23; Bridget Hutchings, 18; Patrick Dougherty, 18; Rachelle Kitty Francis, 22; Renata de Groot, 22; Dani Sempers, 23; Neil James Thomson-Turner, 23; Sam Rowles, 18; and Michael Hoban, 19.

THE PROJECT

The Butterfly Project is a website where the GXP volunteers upload videos of their experiences during their volunteer work starting in the UK, and then the Philippines. It is really like a reality show, but online.

“One small act of kindness, one small act of change can elicit a bigger change in the future. We’re going to do that first by creating this website. It’s like a reality show wherein you get the young people of the Philippines, the young people of the world to actually experience global exchange through us,” Zuniga shares.

The group will update the website of their real-life experiences “Hopefully these people will get inspired not just to join the program but also to act out and speak out and make a difference,” Zuniga says.

The website is likewise connected to their Facebook and Twitter account where they can interact with the website’s visitors. 

TO TRANSFORM ALL

GXP member volunteer April Maniacup quit her job to do developmental work.

“Eversince college, I’ve been thinking of how I could be of help to the Philippines.

I quit my job when I reached a crossroad. I realized that I want to do developmental work so I worked for the Red Cross,” April shares. “When I thought of the program, I think it’s an avenue for me to really experience working from below and I can really say to the people that I did something.”

The group hopes that young people like them can set aside their doubts and fears and create that change. “Because sometimes the real question that people ask is how to start. How can I start giving back? How can I start creating that change? I’m just one voice, can I really make a difference?” Zuniga relates.

The Butterfly project urges the young to go into something bigger than themselves.

“This particular project answers all that question, even with one voice, one individual with one motive, if we combine those intentions and those motives it can bare something bigger than ourselves. We shouldn’t be afraid to make the first step because the first step is really the hardest but once you do the first step, the second, the third, and even the final step much easier. It’s just the fear that stops us from actually doing something,” he adds.

VISIT: http://thebutterflyeffectproject.com/Article by Angelo Garcia. Published in Manila Bulletin last May 10. 

I'll be back in the Philippines soon. I'm having a good time here in London Borough of Hounslow but I can't get online 24/7 so I might be not virtually present for few weeks. I miss rice, adobo, and talking in tagalog. STRESS! Sigh. See u soon all guys.

The Butterfly Effect Project- Global Xchange Team 107

It has been said that something as small as the flutter of a butterfly's wing can ultimately cause a typhoon halfway across the world.

GX Team 107's campaign focuses on the power of small, seemingly inconsequential acts that, if properly situated, can bring about wide-ranging effects.

There is no limit to how an individual can change the world. As the butterfly effect illustrates, it can begin with one flap, a single step, one act. It can begin with you.

I started to be a beach bum again. First stop: Anawangin Island Cove and Capones Island in Zambales. Camping is fun! Beach is fun! Summer is fun! Everything is fun!



Nothing expensive though, the most expensive thing would probably be Wonderland.

Next stop: Samal Island, Davao. Next weekend. Exciting.