One of our core values in Kalikasan Educational Center along with love, peace, wisdom, and freedom is harmony with nature. Living with these values embodies our passion to mold and produce individuals who are not just globally competent but are also active participants of social and environmental development. This makes community services a big part of Kalikasan life.
In Kalikasan, we do a lot of community services. Aside from learning English, our students participate vigorously in different activities outside Kalikasan. Our students know how important it is to be part of nature, preserving and maintaining the beauty of it.
“Helping your Community” is one of our elective classes in Kalikasan for first year students offering services to the community. This class, which is handled by Larissa Gutch and Richard James Hartland, is required for all first year students. Other year levels are also encouraged if they are interested. This semester, the students focused on helping Batang Calabnogan, an orphanage in Sibulan. They play, had fun and build friendship with the kids. They also helped in maintaining and improving the facilities there such as painting the gate and cleaning the surroundings. Last semester, Cristina, a first year students, did storytelling and acted as the kids’ teacher during the weekends. Mandy, another first year, is planning to do mural painting at the orphanage for her project this semester.
Another community program that we have in Kalikasan is “Homestay”. Every semester, all first year and second year students participate in this unique and unforgettable five-day experience. They do household chores, help in traditional work like fishing or farming, eat Filipino food, sleep with their families and make meaningful connections. This program gave chances for our students to have individuals whom they can call “families” in the Philippines. Now, our students already have many foster families from different fishing or farming villages, from Bais to Valencia, to Siaton, to Bayawan, to Malabo and to other different places around Negros. From the point of view of our students, the experience is profound. It may be a difficult experience, away from comfort, but the happiness and love they felt during these days are priceless. Kalikasan looks forward to strengthening links and connections among different communities around Negros.
“Term Trip” is another activity we have related to working with the community. This is a three-day closing activity developed to give our students time to relax, to be exposed to the community, and to be with nature after working so hard in their classes for more than two months. For the past term trips, we had built comfort rooms, did clean-up drives and other community work. This semester, our first term trip will be at Apo Island. We also plan to have a short homestay at Apo Island to connect more lives. We will do village and beach clean-up drive, do mangrove/ tree planting, meet other high school students, and create beautiful memories.
Community services are not only limited to classes and programs by the school. A number of our students are also working on projects related to community work. Frodo, a 3rd year student is planning to build a mobile library for Valencia to provide everyone a chance to read. Another 3rd year students, Ailee and Genie, are selling “ukay-ukay” during Sunday market and use the proceeds to support some community services. Baxter, another 3rd year students is working on a project about film making and will spearhead the school’s plan to have a monthly film showing here at Bong-ao, Valencia. It is our pride and pleasure having these students who are not just willing but are also eager to extend help to the community.
However, it is not only the students who have the heart to help and serve other people but their parents as well. Last 2013, Koreans’ parents also take part up in our passion to help and serve others with a scholarship program for 10 deserving high school students. Currently, we have 15 scholars who are studying in different schools around Valencia. We hope that our scholars will also take part in community work and nation-building, making this world a better one.
As one community, let us do more, achieve more, and be more. (Windie Claire Avenido)
