Building Leaders, Transforming Asia

Quezon City, Philippines

IFF Asia is a Discipleship-Mission school for young adults, professionals and lay leaders in Asia. It prepares and equips young people to exercise leadership and helps them grow in their unique vocations by nurturing and guiding them on a path of human and Christian formation. It opens up an alternative career or life path for young people, helps them to engage with the peripheries, to be in the mission of serving others through the local church and civil society.

IFF Asia was launched in May 2006 in Quezon City, Philippines, at the initiative of Fondacio, serving the churches and local communities in the region. It is currently located inside the Radio Veritas Asia complex in Fairview, Quezon City.

IFF Asia aims at the birth of disciples/apostles, project leaders or actors within the Church and in the world. This school seeks to help people to root themselves in their faith in Jesus Christ and gives them the existential basis on which they can build their future. The formation is linked to the identity, spirituality and way of life of the Fondacio community. IFF Asia seeks to facilitate the formation of young leaders with a community and missionary spirituality for the renewal of the Asian Church and society.

The program

IFF programs in Asia foster a broad and unique learning environment with diverse cross-cultural exchange. It is a 9-month home-based program and includes hands-on, experiential learning; classroom learning and field experience, such as community visits, social immersion and internships. The first semester focuses on human formation and missionary orientation while the second semester allows participants to choose either to specialize in Leadership Development or Pastoral Leadership.

At the end of the 9-month program, participants must create a Development Action Plan (DAP). This will be implemented for two years in and with their sending organizations adapted to the local context. This serves as a practical application of the knowledge, skills and attitudes they have developed in the program. In addition, as part of their education and training, they are offered a 2-month internship in their area of specialization to acquire practical learning before returning to their respective countries.

Results

IFF Asia has trained over 228 young people from 17 countries (Malaysia, Philippines, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, Brunei, Mongolia, China, Japan, Pakistan, South Korea, Indonesia, Bangladesh, East Timor).

Many of them continue to engage in their communities and dioceses to provide valuable and dynamic services such as:

  • Youth, Campus, Children,
  • Formation, BEC, Catechetics, Evangelization,
  • Community organization, social development,
  • Advice and relief efforts,
  • HIV/AIDS, migrants and refugees,
  • communications and media,
  • People with special needs, school dropouts,
  • Social services in poor urban communities, education

The team

IFF Asia is under the responsibility of the management team, namely Mrs. Florence Alexius, Sr. Nuala Gannon, IBVM and Mr. Rodrigo Babiera Jr.


Contact

Fondacio Training Institute (IFFAsia)
Composed of Radio Veritas Asia, Buick Street
Fairview Park 1118 Quezon City, Philippines

E-mail : iffasia@gmail.com
http://fondacio-asia.org/iff-asia/
Contact number: +63 (2) 967–9434, +63 (2) 428-4372

IFF Asia in pictures