Written By Kevin Jake M. Angyab, ECOS Coordinator
Last March 17, the Grade 12 students from the Humanities and Social Sciences (HUMSS) and Accountancy, Business, and Management strand (ABM) strands of the University of Baguio-Science High School (UBSHS) organized and implemented an academic outreach program themed, “The Child Can: Calibrating the Children to Count, Connect, Create, and Cope” for its partner school, Adiwang Elementary School (AES). The student volunteers were supervised by Mr. Kevin Jake Angyab, ECOS Coordinator, and Mr. Jojo Inuguidan, ABM teacher. The whole-day event involved storytelling sessions with 35 kindergarten pupils, a campus journalism workshop with 40 Grade 4 pupils, and a financial literacy seminar with 51 Grade 6 pupils. The event culminated with a book drive where textbooks from UBSHS Library were donated to the partner school.
Story-Telling: Echoing Realities Through Powerful Narratives
“Hi, Piglet! Hi Minnie!”– Here is how the storytelling sessions with the kindergarten pupils unfolded as the student-facilitators passionately shared stories that had a powerful impact on these young minds. While engaging the kids, the facilitators used the stories to stress the Sustainable and Development Goals (SDGs) such as SDG 13 (Climate Action) and SDG 14 (Life Below Water) as well as the value of human connections. The story-telling sessions were made fun and memorable through puppet shows, role-plays, and games. The kindergarten pupils not only gained narratives but also learned the importance of environmental conservation and being eco-guardians through responsible waste segregation as manifested by the characters and events of the stories they listened to.
Campus Journalism: Discerning the Truth and Debunking the Lies
Aimed to teach young minds about campus journalism and being responsible creators and consumers of media and information, the volunteers discussed the importance of being able to spot fake news that is prevalent in different social media platforms. The session became interactive when the pupils participated in traditional Filipino games such as “Newspaper Dance” and “Bring Me.” Consequently, some of the pupils were guided in writing truthful articles by following the 5W’s and 1H format while others created their editorial cartoons to present and address various social issues. Anchored on SDGs 4 (Quality Education) and 16 (Peace, Justice, and Strong Institution), the student volunteers inspired the pupils to become responsible citizens by being advocates of truthful information and predators of fake news.
Financial Literacy: Being Excellent Financial Stewards
Responsive to SDGs 1 (No Poverty), 4 (Quality Education), and 8 (decent Work and Economic Growth), the student-facilitators relished the moments in educating the Grade 6 pupils about responsible financial management. With engaging visuals and practical examples, the team introduced the concept of budgeting through the 50/30/20 rule which serves as a guideline in effectively spending and saving monetary resources. Through this insightful seminar, the young minds were made financially cautious, informed, and disciplined to freely let go of their endless wants for their indispensable needs. All the more this financial venture was pushed when these volunteers gifted the participants with piggy banks so that, in their small and simple ways, the value of responsible financial management would be habitually practiced.
Book Drive: Fostering Knowledge in Every Page
Through the generous book donation of UBSHS Library, the team was able to hand over different textbooks and other educational resources to the partner school. Lilybeth Balutoc, Principal, expressed the school’s gratitude for the books received. Accordingly, the donations are timely and beneficial for the school since it is stepping into becoming an integrated school in the coming school year. Hence, they are welcoming more students until the junior high school level.
Because the Child Finally Can
Hats-off to these student-volunteers for not only showcasing their expertise but also for equipping the young minds with literacy skills that will assist them in navigating themselves to the challenging demands of the real world. Their noble efforts poured in this academic outreach are testaments of their earnest desire to build a legacy, that is, to inspire and impact the future builders of the nation, the children. Certainly, tomorrow promises a community of future-proof individuals who can count on, connect, create, and cope.
