Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health (ASMPH) recently held the YL7 Service Learning Presentation, where students who were assigned to collaborate with various organizations and communities shared their accomplishments and activities. The event was attended by representatives from 12 partner organizations, faculty members, and ASMPH students. The venue provided an opportunity to witness the outputs of their work, analyze them, and provide recommendations on how to implement the proposed projects.
The Lingap program had two groups of student partners. One group was assigned to work with the child leaders of Lingap through the ECCAP program, while the other group collaborated with La Loma Wesleyan Church and Barangay NS Amoranto to address violence against women and their children. The students presented their actions and studies, highlighting their experiences with partner children and communities, as well as how they developed their project proposals.
The ECCAP group, led by Doc Jamie, proposed the pilot implementation of a “Youth Hub.” This hub will serve as a venue for training sessions with young leaders and will be instrumental in developing standards and performance indicators for training modules aimed at empowering these youth leaders. Throughout their engagement, the students consulted the child leaders, as Lingap and the ASMPH student group view the children as equal partners in program design, implementation, and evaluation. Together, they formulated important recommendations in the Strategic Plan, focusing on building the capabilities of children and youth leaders, strengthening partnerships and involvement of community-based child protection networks (CBCAs), and providing regular assembly and technical support to CBCAs.
The capability-building aspect involves reviewing and standardizing training modules, conducting pre and post-tests to measure target skills and knowledge, and continuously evaluating the effectiveness of the training modules. Partnership and involvement efforts include engaging other churches, NGOs, and school organizations, reviewing and updating policies, and monitoring the progress of advocacy initiatives through quarterly assessments and formal reporting. Assembly and technical support activities involve organizing regular fundraising projects and utilizing technology such as social media, cloud technology, and databases.
To serve as a pilot project for the capability-building strategy, a specific initiative will be facilitated through a Youth Hub—a community-based children’s resource center in Barangay E. Rodriguez, Sr. The ASMPH students will collaborate with the youth leaders of the Empower, Protect, and Include Children (EPIC) Advocacy Group.
Another group, led by Doc Dave, partnered with La Loma Wesleyan Church and Barangay NS Amoranto to strengthen the prevention and response to violence against women and their children. They proposed the “NO VAWC! Project,” which aims to amplify anti-VAWC messages through an online campaign. Additionally, they seek to formalize partnerships between the church, the barangay local government unit, and the community. Furthermore, the group simplified the intake and assessment form for VAWC survivors to facilitate documentation and referral of cases.
During the YL7 Service Learning Presentation, the groups elaborated on their proposals and addressed queries from a panel of preceptors from the field and ASMPH faculty members. With a solid understanding of the values, programs, and context of their community partners, the students confidently responded to each query. They are eagerly looking forward to commencing the project proposals in July, after a well-deserved break scheduled for next week.
Congratulations to all the students! We are proud of your achievements and wish you the best as you embark on these meaningful projects.