The First Meeting with the Kids

I really don't know where to begin... Right now, I have mixed emotions.

When I first went to the orphanage, I saw the kids waving at me. That made me very excited to work with them. We had a little introduction on the second floor of the first house, and then we started our activities. The options were to either play sports or to make artworks. All of the men in the group played basketball and soccer with the boys. Being the only art student in the group, I chose to help the women teach the girls how to make art. I thought I'd be able to share my knowledge to my team mates and the children. 

I felt a sense of responsibility when I taught them art even though I was not that successful because of the problems of cutting. 

In the middle of the activity, Jana Ong, Mr. Jonathan Chandler and I were invited to go to the main house where the other kids stayed. 

This is the part where I became emotionally moved. I learned so much about the current status of the institution. There are not a lot of volunteers that would help keep the security of the orphanage, but some of them stayed for a very long time. This story inspired me.  They aren't doing this for money, but only to whole heartedly serve and take care of the unfortunate children. I give my deepest respect to them because not a lot of people are willing to do this. 

When I went inside this second house, I saw the unfortunate truth. Even at a very young age, some of the kids were left by their parents. I honestly wanted to hug the kids one by one.

This was the youngest child I saw on the orphanage, and I don’t know what I felt that time, but I was speechless. I believe that these kids need proper care from their real parents, and they are too young to be left behind.

We went around the house to see more children. I was not brave enough to actually take a picture of the next one I saw. There were two disabled children in one room, and their story was a shocker. I felt really worried about their condition especially because one of them had a seizure before we came.

This first time experience was a real eye opener. Before, I was very negative about everything that happens to me. I thought I had the worst problems in the world, but when I learned about the situation of the orphans, I saw reality. I realized how blessed I am because I am very much privileged compared to them.

The social worker who takes care of The Philippine Outreach Centre Ministries (POCM) told me that they were orphaned largely because the parents are in jail. There are other reasons for their orphanhood such as negligence and their need of education. 

I am just relived for the fact that there are people who care about the kids. They’ve been doing this wonderful work for more than 20 years. I just hope that the Philippine government cooperates with them, so they can keep up with their financial needs. All of the help mainly comes from England, and other countries. Some good hearted families are sponsoring the kids’ education and overall living, but the companies that the orphanage asked for help refused.

When we went back to the other house, we had little more time to continue making art with the children...and I was surprised that most of them knew our names perfectly. I found the inner connection with them, and I definitely felt proud that we made them happy for that one precious day.

I saw that we were successful in making the children comfortable with us. All of us were able to enjoy our time.

I noticed that everybody was exhausted, but it was all worth it.

We are planning so many things for the children before the holidays, and we are hoping that we’d be able to raise some funds to buy them gifts or cooperate with the Brent community to help the orphanage.

I am looking forward to our next journey to the orphanage to meet them all again. I am so EXCITED! 

-Thanks To Ramona Kabigting for sharing the Photos! :)

Giving up to the Orphanage Proposal

FORM #1: CAS Activity Proposal

This form must be submitted to and approved by the CAS Coordinator BEFORE you begin your work.

Full Name *

Bryan Jim C. Bala

Grade *

•  11
•  12

Activity Name *Give your activity a title

Giving up to the Orphanage

Activity Description *Describe the activity you wish to undertake. Identify your role and responsibilities. If your activity is collaborative in nature, list down your collaborators.

I personally didn't have the best childhood, and I had a lot of frustrations. However, I know that many other kids are far more unfortunate than I am. When my friend, Kayla Nee, thought of the idea of going to an orphanage, I found a way of reaching out to kids living without their real parents. It must be very difficult to live without the presence of family, but I want to make them happy and support them like a big brother. The aim of this project is to spend some time with the orphans, make simple artworks and play games with them. If possible, our group could do some fund raising to buy them gifts before the holidays. The leader of the team is Kay Nee, and my other team mates are Jana Ong, Jimmy Bala Jr, Mitchell Porter, Ramona Kabigting, Ahniyah-Hiwot, Eunhoi Kim, Young Hoi Kim, Abbas Cook and Kairen Lee.

Activity Status *Is this a new activity or an ongoing project?

•  New
•  Ongoing

Activity Core Value *Which core value does your activity address? (Select all that apply.)

•  Creativity
•  Action
•  Service

Goals *What is/are your personal goal/s for this activity? What do you hope to achieve?

This is going to be a new challenge for me. I have never been to an orphanage before, and it's been a while since I played with younger kids. Through working and collaborating with a lot of people, I am hoping to execute all of the creative recreational activities for the children. I want the kids to have a better outlook for the future.

Impact *Who will benefit from this activity? How?

This activity is going to benefit both the students and the children in the orphanage. We are hoping that the kids will have a feeling that many other people care about them, and that they are not alone. For once, I want the kids to be more comfortable around other people, and actually have fun. As for the students, I am hoping that we'll all learn how to work with little kids, and share our knowledge to each other. This is going to require a lot of patient, but I we are sure that the activities are going to work. After all the activities, the character that we want to have is the sense of responsibility.

Timeline *Where, how often, and for how long will the activity take place? (specific dates if possible)

This is hopefully going to happen once to twice a month. The activity will last with the maximum time of four hours. The first meeting on the orphanage will be on the 29th of November.

Name of Supervisor *

Mr. Tolentino/ Mr. Chandler

Supervisor's Organization *

Brent International School Subic

Supervisor's Information (if not from Brent Int'l. School Subic)Contact Address, Email, Contact Number(s)

Eric Tolentino: etolentino@brentsubic.edu.ph Jonathan Chandler: jchandler@brentusbic.edu.ph

Student Agreement

I will commit to the activity at the above-stated time/s and given duration to the best of my ability. I understand that it is my responsibility to see this activity to its completion, and once approved, can only be cancelled through negotiation with the supervisor and the CAS Coordinator. (Click the SUBMIT button to signify your agreement.)

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IB CAS Proposal: International Coastal Clean-up

FORM #1: CAS Activity Proposal

This form must be submitted to and approved by the CAS Coordinator BEFORE you begin your work.

Full Name *

Bryan Jim Credo Bala

Grade *

•  11
•  12

Activity Name *Give your activity a title

International Coastal Clean-up

Activity Description *Describe the activity you wish to undertake. Identify your role and responsibilities. Indicate if your activity is individual in nature or collaborative. (If collaborative, list down your collaborators.)

The world is a very beautiful place, but humans seem to take it for granted. I believe that as an educated person, I should take responsibility of cleaning up our own mess. I would like to be a part of the organizing committee for an international project named International Coastal Clean-up. Our beaches are seriously full with garbage and it ruins the home of marine animals. I would like to gain support from Brentonians to help the us clean up the beach and to represent the school. I want to get as many people as possible in order to assure the success of the project. This project is collaborative and the possible members of the organizing committee include Jana Ong, Ramona Kabigting, Akber Cook and Kayla Nee.

Activity Status *Is this a new activity or an ongoing project?

•  New
•  Ongoing

Activity Core Value *Which core value does your activity address? (Select all that apply.)

•  Creativity
•  Action
•  Service

Learning Outcomes *Which Learning Outcomes will this activity touch on? (Check all that apply.)

•  Increase my awareness of my strengths & areas for growth
•  Undertake new challenges
•  Plan & Initiate activities
•  Work collaboratively with others
•  Show perseverance & commitment
•  Engage in issues of global importance
•  Consider the ethical implications of my actions
•  Develop new skills

Goals *What are your personal goals for this activity? How do these goals relate to the Learning Outcomes you selected above?

I want to successfully invite a lot of people from Brent Subic and assure that we will be able to represent our school properly in an international event like this. I would like to help the committee in promoting the cause. Pollution is a big issue in the world and I believe that as an individual, I should do my part. Pushing myself to do an earth friendly activity would not only lessen the pollution that our waters are suffering from but it can also help me grow up as a person.

Impact *Who will benefit from this activity? How?

Everyone will absolutely benefit from this activity. Many of us rely on the food that we obtain from the seas, and it is true that making the beach clean would be very helpful to everyone. Nobody would want to acquire disease from a dirty beach, and so doing this activity will avoid it. Marine animals would also be healthier if we do this all together. In short, this will save our natural resources.

Timeline *Where, how often, and for how long will the activity take place? (specific dates if possible)

This will happen in front of the Lighthouse. This will take place once on the 25th of September.

Name of Supervisor *

Mr. Enrico Tolentino

Supervisor's Organization *

Brent International School, Subic

Supervisor's Information (if not from Brent Int'l. School Subic)Contact Address, Email, Contact Number(s)

Student Agreement

I will commit to the activity at the above-stated time/s and given duration to the best of my ability. I understand that it is my responsibility to see this activity to its completion, and once approved, can only be cancelled through negotiation with the supervisor and the CAS Coordinator. (Click the SUBMIT button to signify your agreement.)