There’s no denying that the youth is among the most vulnerable groups affected by the health crisis. Despite this, some managed to still participate in volunteer works and community programs as seen in the various initiatives hosted to help those in need, especially given the pandemic situation in the Philippines.

The relentless resilience of the Filipino youth is among the reasons organizations like the Alfonso Yuchengco Foundation exist. Its rich history under its name banks on one main story -- the belief of the late Ambassador Alfonso T. Yuchengco on the essential role of the young generation towards a better and an improved nation. 

Established in 1970, AY Foundation started off as the Bayanihan Foundation which Yuchengco built to provide educational fund assistance to the children of employees of Grepalife Financial Inc, an affiliate of the Yuchengco Group of Companies. It was renamed to AY Foundation in 1988, and in the following years, one of its flagship programs, the National Discipline Awards (NDA) was also introduced, strengthening the mission of the organization to laud the Filipino youth as role models. 

The academic year 2019-2020 marks the 28th edition of the NDA. With the theme “Persevering for Progress,” it recognized 497 students from all over the Philippines who exemplified outstanding attitude not just in terms of academic performance but in their involvement in volunteer works and community programs amounting to nation-building.

Every year, an inquisitive screening process is done to select National Discipline Awardees from various regions of the country. It starts with a two-level selection process consisting of secret balloting and deliberations of student candidates by a higher screening body done by and within participating schools. 

Students who were shortlisted will then be evaluated by a final screening committee composed of the school principal or school director, guidance counselor, prefect of discipline, class adviser/values teacher, and curriculum chairman/academic coordinator. This process involves background check done through panel interviews, on-the-spot home visits, and interview of nominees' family members and peers.

Each participating school is allowed to nominate only one student who will vie for the National Discipline Award. Once nominations are closed, the AY Foundation committee will proceed in selecting the awardees based on the following criteria: self-sacrifice, courage, integrity, and discipline.

A grand awards ceremony was usually held annually for the NDA, but given the pandemic, it was halted this year. The awardees will still be given the San Lorenzo Ruiz gold medal and a cash award of P7,500.

The outstanding young men and women awardees will also be invited to a three-day, all-expense paid training sessions under the AY Foundation’s Championing the Youth for Community Leadership (CYCLE) program, an avenue where they can develop more their leadership and people skills, and be exposed more on various programs aimed for the betterment of the community.

The National Discipline Awardees for 2020 add to the growing list of AY Foundation’s commendable youth, which now has more than 13,000 high school and senior high school graduates from more than 1,200 partner schools nationwide.

The AY Foundation will maintain its pursuit of being an ally of the youth in the coming years and beyond as it continues to serve its goal of improving the lives of the Filipino people. For many decades, the foundation still thrives to help the marginalized sector of the country through programs largely focused on healthcare, education, disaster relief and rehabilitation, and values formation particularly among the youth.

The AY Foundation has opened applications for the National Discipline Awards 2020-2021 which started on January 4. Read more about its programs and initiatives on https://ayfoundation.com.ph/