“Anak, galingan mo sa pag-aaral ah, para maka-pasok ka sa paaralan na ito.” A mother said to her daughter while we
were having a short tour at the University of the Philippines for our Community
Engagment Project. This may
sound so simple coming from a mother whose dream for
her daughter was to study in
the well known university in the Philippines. But this mother’s advice touches my heart. And I could not
contained it when she replied, “Opo ma!” with all the optimism
in her eyes, then she looked at the three of us and smiled. Although she utter no words, but those
eyes were telling us how grateful she was for giving her the opportunity to explore
the other possibilities outside the school.
As part of our COMET in
Kalawaan Elementary School, the focus of our project was about Disaster Risk and Reduction Management.
Our group thought of how can we lay our project with elementary pupils, then we have come
up with an idea of having a “student led participatory mapping”. The aim of
this project is to involve the students in creating a resilient community when
it comes to disaster preparedness.
We had a series of training and workshops. From there, we saw how
engaged students were and how participative they were during our sessions. We
also taught them different life skills that will help them become a resilient-youth
in their respective community and to be eventually become successful and
productive member of our society. They had likewise developed their
interpersonal skills that allow them to develop meaningful relations among
their peers, as well as more reflective skills that allow them to see their
actions and response responsively and become happier citizen. At the end of the
series of workshops they had, the students were able to formulate a land use
and hazard map. The team were also planning to submit the map with the
different local institutions such the Barangay, Department of Education
Division of Pasig, the Local Government of Pasig, the Department of Education -
Central Office.
Then came the part when we have to choose among our participants who
will share what they have learned from our training and workshops. And among
them, Ella who was a grade five student was chosen to represent the group. From
the help of one of our co-fellow, Carlos Ortiz, who is an alumnus of UP - Diliman,
we were able to share our project to two of the classes in the said university.
There, Ella had shared all the experience they had and what learnings she
gained from our COMET project.
On a personal note, as one of the facilitators of the program, I have
seen how students were able to discover their potential and it allow them to
dream more. It only not helped them to become a productive member of our
society but they had also serve as a role model in their school community.
Lastly, it was also an enriching experience for us. I was grateful that
we were able to share our skills and knowledge that will be beneficial for them
and the community from these moment forward. Leaving the school community,
maybe heart-breaking but we know that we left something valuable that despite
not being present physically in the school we know and are confident that these
kids can stand on their own. And with that, I am thankful.
