First Week Jitters and Happiness
This summer I am having a practicum, along with my classmate and friends Kaye Ouano and Krystel Engcoy, under the social movement Youth for Livable Cebu (YLC). It is a social movement for like-minded people who aim for promoting healthy, sustainable and stable Cebu guided under the 5 Pillars of Livability: Health and Cultural Preservation, Socially Responsible Wealth Creation, Urban Revitalization, Personal and Community Well-being and Good Governance. Our coordinator is Mr. Francis Sollano, a UP alumnus and an artist.
Mr. Sollano gave an orientation last April 24 at Kenneth Cobonpue's showroom. He admittedly said that YLC does not have any office, so we met on the showroom instead. Although we came there on a serious note for the orientation, we can't help ourselves but feel giddy and excited as we walked around the place. There are a lot of cool furniture designs, some I've already seen in magazines and on TV. I really had a wonderful time there because the works were really great and I am sort of into interior designing so it was really fun. However we must talk about our business first. Mr. Sollano oriented us about how YLC started, branching out from the Movement for Livable Cebu, providing an opportunity to reach out to the younger generation. He also discussed about its objectives, their guiding principles and some anecdotes from their experiences.
Mr. Sollano specifically noted that our main objective for our internship is to make a research and to come up with a proper guideline or a manual for barangays of Cebu to follow in order to have a more productive and progressive communities. We are going to have Barangay Tinago and a Barangay in Batayan Island as samples barangays to The research paper and guideline is aimed to be presented on the upcoming World Economic Forum if opportunity arises. It was a bit pressuring but exciting knowing that what we will do may really contribute and be efficient and helpful for the society. Afterwards, Mr. Sollano also stated that we must help him in some of the projects that YLC will organize and should volunteer for events. When the orientation concluded we were allowed to look around the showroom and take photos. It was really awesome. Our first ended shortly but I had a lot of fun and was really ecstatic about what will the course of my summer be this year.
On the second day, April 25, Mr. Sollano asked us to help him on a little project on using garbage as medium for artistic works. Krystel and I, being the nearest to UP, went to Handuraw to get some used straw for the project. Afterwards we went to the place where we will do the project. We were instructed to use the straws to make a design for lamps that can be utilized as a source of income for people in Barangay Tinago. Of course the straws should be cleaned so that it can be hygenic and will not cause any complications. Scraps of plastic from container covers of beverages can also be shredded and melted together and be creatively used as designs for bags and other stuff. I enjoyed the activity because somehow it involves some artsy aspect which interests me the most. The finished products will be presented to the communities as samples. Although we basically sat all afternoon doing our task, it was quite tiring, but not in a bad way. I got to have a productive afternoon doing something I enjoyed. Somehow the products we've made were promising, and I hope that other people would like it too.
We also joined, SOAK, a music and arts festival showcasing the talents of local artists. Although it is not organized by YLC, some of its members participated and also supported the event. We were also invited so that we can see and listen to some works of local artist in Cebu. Held in Family Park in Talamban, my friends and I had some good time listening to the music and looking on some art installations showcased at SOAK. We also came to meet with Carla, one of our classmates, in the event. Although I admit there was a perk that convinced me to go there *winkwink* the SOAK was fun and I was able to chill with my friends on a Saturday night.
I was so nervous because it is a new experience for me, interacting with more people and doing a lot of stuff to help the organization reach its goals as well as to help the communities for a more sustainable and a better state of living. However it doesn't mean that one have an opportunity to work and not have fun doing it. Doing something that seems to be hard and required can also be (surprisingly) enjoying. I do really hope I can sustain this kind of happiness as well as focus on the main paper so that my summer practicum can be both educating and exhilarating. ☮
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