‘Education’ is a buzzword, but access to a relevant and enabling education is not. Let us raise our children’s voices by enabling them BE THE CHANGE! Come with us in a day of learning, and a night of empowerment! Tara na’t maki-#Pahiraya2019
We have been told that education is the key to success and that we should invest in our education. But have we ever thought about the current state of our children in our education system? The former was greatly discussed, but the latter is discreetly ignored. Most of us even romanticize how our youth are the “future of our country” but how can our future be desirable if we ignore the children of TODAY?
I volunteered in Design for Change Philippines’ catalyst labs and have witnessed new things I wouldn’t have known otherwise. I have learned that the children and youth can come up with innovative solutions, not through pure analysis, but creativity. It struck me that the foundation of all innovation can be found in education. This is what I learned from the Design for Change movement:
Children can feel and observe
“Some of our classmates drop out of school because of bullying and emotional stress,” one of them said. Being able to empathize with their peers was apparent to these children and empathy is the heart of positive social changes.
Children can plan and implement
I was pleasantly surprised that this group of youth had the idea to propose the creation of an organization by the students and for the students whose main aim was to reach out to bullied students who are either experiencing bullying or who have chosen to leave school in fear of them.
Children can inspire us
It is through my experiences with them that I have learned not to disregard the opinions of the children and that, despite their age, there are many things I can learn from them. Through volunteer work, I have seen how students can do great things given the time, care, and attention they need. I know that this inspiring ingenuity of the students should be heard by more people.
We can do something!
My role now will involve helping to enable and empower the children for them to become the beacons we need for the future. I was glad when I found out that Design for Change Philippines will hold a conference that will give a platform for students to showcase the potential of their generation.
The Be the Change conference is the first-ever children-led national conference where children and youth will display their creative community-oriented projects through presentations that will show how they helped improve the lives of the people in their respective communities.
Artists and groups such as Joey Ayala, Johnoy Danao, Josh Villena, Shirebound and Busking, and Musicians for Peace will also showcase their talents as DFC champions in the #Pahiraya2019. Finally, one of the main highlights of the event will be the announcement of the delegates of the I Can Children’s Global Summit (ICCGS) to be held in the last week of November in the Vatican, Rome. The event will also kick-off the fundraising campaign to send the Filipino delegates to the summit in Vatican.
The #Pahiraya2019 will be held at St. Scholastica’s College at 9 am and will have a concert at 4:00 pm. The conference will be participated by educators, children, youth, social organizations, and artists. With this event, I hope that everyone will become more involved in the empowerment of all and help ensure that children become the beacons of hope NOW for a better tomorrow! We hope to see you there!
