The Manila Jaycees and the Young Focus Foundation thrive to embark on a project that is the first of its kind. Called “BUHAY KO SA SMOKEY MOUTAIN”, the project aims to teach 25 students from the Smokey Mountain community how to document and share their lives through photos, videos, and blogs.
This innovative and creative project will allow the world a peak into the hopes and dreams of the youth of Smokey Mountain. Our hope is that after the global community has been given a glimpse of these children’s lives, more attention will be given to this marginalized sector of society.
This project, BUHAY KO SA SMOKEY MOUNTAIN aims to teach kids how to use blogging to change their lives. It is a weekly session that started back in June 2010.
I’ve always been a believer that ONE person can change the world. I’m hoping that the efforts of the Junior Chamber International (JCI) and the Young Focus Foundation will lead to bigger and brighter futures for the kids involved.
WhenInManila.com and FlairCandy.com were invited as some of the first speakers. We hoped to talk to the kids in order to introduce the world of blogging to them. We tried to create excitement in the kids that would make them want to learn about the Internet and the powers it possesses. It was sort of an inspirational talk, along with basics on the technical side about blogs. We also showed them our blog (wheninmanila.com) and other blogs that could inspire them to take the same steps.
The stories behind the bloggers are as important as the blog itself. We tried to share the inspiring stories of other bloggers and other members of the online community.
Through an education in social media, Buhay Ko empowers marginalized communities to make a difference by sharing their story with the world.
It was truly very exciting and motivating for me to speak in front of those kids. They were all so eager to learn and all had big goals and dreams. I love talking to people like that, old or young, who only see possibilities. The kids learned the basics of blogging as Hannah and I spoke to them throughout the afternoon for about four hours.
This effort to help kids learn how to blog is such a unique and uplifting story and has been featured in Business World, The Manila Bulletin, The Manila Times, Philippines Star, on the Global News Network and of course, on lots of blogs.
When in Manila, help these kids achieve their dreams and do more for their lives than they ever thought possible. Contact the BuhayKo.org team and donate your used cameras or cash to this wonderful cause.
Buhay Ko
Vince Golangco and Hannah Villasis helping out the BuhayKo.org project where we teach impoverished kids how to make their voices heard through the power of social media and the internet. Vince Golangco is a radio DJ at Mellow 94.7 and blogs at https://www.wheninmanila.com and https://VinceGolangco.com. Hannah Villasis is the host of Tek Tok TV (Tech Talk TV) on the Global News Network and blogs at https://FlairCandy.com.
