Sixth months after the super typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda ripped through Palompon in the Visayas region, a special group of local and international students participating in the 8th Global Youth Exchange got first-hand experience of the resilience and transformation of the Philippine region hit by last year’s natural disaster.

The 8th Global Youth Exchange (GYE) that ran from July 13-22 was held in partnership with the Global Peace Youth Philippines (GPY Philippines), GPF Asia-Pacific, the local government of Palompon, Leyte, and the Palompon Institute of Technology (PIT). Volunteers taught in local classrooms, inaugurated an All-Lights village and built lasting relationship with each other with a common commitment to service and global leadership.