Photos by Western Bicutan Facebook Page
“The littlest of things could actually mean a lot.”
Lyra Jazmin, Entrepreneurial Management student, realized this when she and other MINT students got the chance to teach kids in a workshop last March 3, at Western Bicutan, Taguig City. This affair served as their fieldwork for their National Service Training Program (NSTP) class.
For a day, the students became teachers for singing, dancing, and arts and crafts. Jazmin and the arts and crafts team that taught baseball cap designing and drawing, while some taught basic vocal lessons and hip-hop. “The children are naturally artistic. We don’t really have to teach them. They have so much in their minds. You just have to give them something to work with.”
“Sobrang nakakatuwa kasi kahit bata palang sila, makikita mo na kung para sa kanila talaga iyon,” shared EJ De Perio, Music Business Management (MBM) student and one of the mentors of the vocal lessons.
“Nakita ko sa kanila yung passion—na kahit ‘di man nila magawa agad yung mga tinuturo namin, gusto pa rin nilang matutunan,” he added.
Also with EJ is Meg Mangoba, a fellow MBM student and musician. She observed that despite the apparent “language barrier” between her schoolmates and the kids, she saw how they went out of their comfort zones to connect with the young people. “They were the ones pa nga who talked to them the most,” she amusingly recalled.
“I wouldn't be able to know how much of an impact we've given to the lives of the kids, but I'd like to think that we gave them a day full of fun and learning,” she shared.
For Vaughn Lazaro, Film student and one of the mentors of the dance class, their encounter with the kids reminded them of having fun in doing things, no matter how trivial it is. “We got reminded on how it is to be young again,” he said. “Wala silang ibang iniisip kung hindi mag-enjoy lang. Sometimes, maglalaro sila, then aalis, medyo makulit. But it’s fine, they’re still young. We’re more than happy to teach them what we know.”
“What we taught them was just scratching the surface of what we've been learning here at MINT. Being able to share moments with them is such a nice feeling,” as Meg puts it. EJ added that the kids are akin to “sponges,” as he realized how they easily pick up whatever they do. “Kaya there’s this pressure din to act accordingly to set a good example.”
This NSTP class gave MINT students a first-hand experience on how they can make a change, and one thing that they could do is to share their talents to their younger counterparts. “Who knows? Maybe this child that we taught how to sing would become the next OPM icon. I'm so excited to see that happening,” Meg said. W