Reflection: With all the optimism in her eyes

“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.