Philippines: Sanfran secondary schools spearhead on leadership-DRR training
San Francisco, Cebu, Philippines - In response with the Deped memorandum issued encouraging schools to organize Red Cross Youth (RCY) which objectives focus on environment related activities and saving lives of the students in times of disaster, Marianila C. Barral, SSG (Supreme Student Gov’t) adviser that time was eager to answer and created the said organization in Camotes National High School (CNHS) where she molded Andre Bryle Soon and Tricia Mae Pleños presented to Global Platform, Switzerland, Geneva last May 2011. These two young students are product of this RCY organization.
With Plan International, there were 56 interested students from Camotes National High School San Francisco, Cebu, Philippines participated in the Child Centered DRR Training on September 2008. The said training gave and developed young environmentalists whose actions were taken into an account in the school and in the community since October 2009 like tree planting once in a month, mangrove planting, coastal clean-up, documentary film showing (Signos) in the community to educate the people on global warming and the negative effect of climate change.
This year, another set of 53 RCY and SSG officers from six different high schools have undergone similar training, Leadership integrated with DRR on August 28-30, 2011 at Santiago, San Francisco, Cebu, Philippines. Marianila Barral conducted the preliminary activities like grouping and Team Building. Roger Caminos facilitated on “How to Handle a Meeting” with an actual demonstration and critiquing. Romer Ranoco discussed “Qualities of a Good Leader”. He touched the lives of young people and their relationships towards their society. Another session was handled efficiently by Romeo N. Formentera on Leadership perspective.
The next sessions were focused on Basic First Aid and Water Saving Techniques facilitated by Renato Sampan assisted by Toto handled on Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), Hindley Capao and company demonstrated splinting, Romer Ranoco with son Jebjeb Ranoco on choking, Linton Capao together with Linton Jr showed mastery on bandaging, Roger Caminos back to back with Danny focused on carrying. Their mastery on the skills caught participants’ attention that made them eager to do in the actual return demonstration.
Monica Tan’s monk’s meal was another challenge for the participants to evaluate the kind of person he/she is in his real life practice. This activity tests the capacity of the participants to be conditioned on how sensitive they are when people need help in times of emergency.
Facilitators demonstrated their expertise in dealing the sessions that they were able to go deeply in the lives of the young participants and that made them see life’s perspective.
From participants’ feedback after the training, they said it was very tiresome yet challenging. Their experiences were new to them and worth to share not only with friends but to those in times of needs. They said their attendance and participation was not in vain; they want to capture the hearts of those who don’t understand the reality of global warming by their simple examples.
The said training was made possible through the support of barangays Southern Poblacion, Western Poblacion, Cabonga-an, Union and Santiago supported by the Local Government Unit of San Francisco in collaboration with the Camotes Islands Emergency Response Team (CiERT). What we hope is: May these young minds bring light and lead actions in their own little way for a gradual solution of global problem.
by: Marianila Barral-CiERT Treasurer & Romer Ranuco-CiERT Vice President