31/10/2026
NWU PHILFORESIGHT INSPIRES ASEAN YOUTH TO REIMAGINE FAILURE AND CREATE NEW FUTURES
| AYO Alumni Talk Webinar Series #8
On October 31, 2026, Jezreel Larry R. Caunca, Director of the Northwestern University PhilForesight Institute, participated as a speaker in the ASEAN Youth Organization (AYO) Alumni Talk Webinar Series #8, themed “Learning from Failure: When Things Don’t Go as Planned.” The international webinar was conducted via Zoom in collaboration with the AYO Singapore Chapter.
In his presentation, “The Future I Never Planned,” Caunca shared his journey of navigating missed opportunities, financial limitations, unexpected responsibilities, and changing aspirations while pursuing education, academic leadership, and international youth engagement.
Drawing from the principles of Futures Thinking, he emphasized that the future is not a single predetermined destination but a landscape of possibilities that individuals can continue to explore, even when their original plans do not materialize.
He highlighted people, purpose, and a new plan as essential sources of resilience, encouraging ASEAN youth to recognize that setbacks do not necessarily reflect personal failure and that every individual moves forward under different circumstances and timelines.
“Your future is not defined by the plans that failed, but by the possibilities you continue to create.”
The engagement contributed to the Institute's international knowledge-sharing and youth empowerment efforts, supporting SDG 4 (Quality Education) and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).
The NWU PhilForesight Institute extends its appreciation to the ASEAN Youth Organization, AYO Singapore Chapter, and fellow speakers Ria Iselle Leynes and Anusha Fatima for providing a platform for meaningful conversations on resilience, leadership, and the futures of young people across ASEAN.
When plans change, our purpose can remain—and new futures can still be created.
