Good day! My name is Jessa Sasi. I am a single, 24 year-old resident of Barangay 1, Balangiga, Eastern Samar. I graduated this year 2021 from my course, Juris Doctor, and took Bachelor of Arts in Political Science as my pre-course prior to Law. I am the 2nd out of 3 daughters of Ptra. Ana Sasi, who was the head pastor of JCSFCC in Balangiga.
Being a member of the church since I was a child, I grew up joining and participating in different church activities, such as church anniversaries, thanksgiving, Bible studies, and children or youth fellowships. My role was always as a participant. I never imagined myself as a leader or a person facilitating different activities. I’ve always been a shy person and speaking in front of many people brought me nightmares. For me, being a participant was good enough. I could enjoy the activities and still be part of the church organization.
However, 2013 was a year of great changes for me. The tragedy brought by typhoon Haiyan has opened a door of opportunities to our communities. A lot of NGOs extended their helping hands to our communities, specifically Philippine Children’s Ministries Network (PCMN), Philippines Against Child Trafficking (PACT), and Lingap Pangkabataan, Inc. (LPI). These organizations partnered with our church, JCSFCC, to conduct trainings and seminars to raise new leaders in our community who would continue to spread their advocacies on children’s rights and protection.
With the help of these NGOs, a children’s and youth organization known as Children’s Association of Balangiga (CAB) and Youth4Safety (Y4S) in Balangiga, Eastern Samar was created. I am proud to be a part of establishing these children and youth-oriented organizations.
At present, I am the Children and Youth Mobilizer of these organizations in Balangiga, facilitating and organizing activities of CAB and Y4S. Our goal is to raise young leaders in our community and for these young people to develop their God-given talents and potentials and to be aware of their rights and responsibilities in our community.
My story of change could be summarized to a few words—from a Participant to a Facilitator, from a Listener to a Speaker. It was not easy transitioning from a mere member to a leader. I had to change my mindset, overcome my fear of facing crowds, strengthen my faith in God, and gain confidence in myself through Him. I taught myself to be a role model to our young people. After having been given the opportunity to conduct training and orientations, I realized one day, when someone asked who was the leader of the children and youth, and my name was given, that I’ve become someone who, back in days, look up to. I was not bestowed with a position of a leader, but my actions have led me to a place in front of many people. These experiences taught me that “Leadership is an action, not a position.”
To God be the glory! Amen!