Manila, 5 August 2017 – It was a big day for iVolunteer Philippines. A crowd of enthusiastic volunteers came together to take part in a community meet-up in Manila North Cemetery.
Community meet-up (CMU) is a volunteer-partner meet-and-greet activity that iVolunteer conducts quarterly. It is an opportunity for iVolunteer and partner NGOs to work together in facilitating volunteering events.
In this CMU, iVolunteer and ATD Fourth World Philippines welcomed volunteers to the educational program called “Ang Galing”. Ang Galing is a tutoring program that enables ATD students to learn through the marungko approach.
ATD’s Mae Ann Hao Reginaldo started the event with a briefing and introduction of the organisation to volunteers. She familiarised everyone with what ATD does and the mission and vision the organisation has. She emphasised the importance of hearing out the marginalised poor. Mae Ann also introduced their unique learning system: marungko. It follows a structure different from formal schools.
The tutorial session lasted for about two hours. An open forum was then initiated by the organiser, iVolunteer’s Jen Redublo, to get feedback from volunteers. A handful of participants expressed their thoughts about their experience. Comments were generally positive. In summary, the event was a fruitful activity. Volunteers described it as challenging but enjoyable, heartwarming, fulfilling, and meaningful. Everyone wished to join again.
The closing activity was highlighted by the induction of two volunteers into the list of iVolunteer’s official staff. Danalyne Dumaliang joined Internals and Organisation Development while Kei joined Marketing.
Mae Ann thanked iVolunteer Philippines for choosing ATD for the CMU. She also showed courtesy to the volunteers who joined the event. iVolunteer founders, Bel Padlan and JB Tan closed the event by giving their insights and thanking everyone who attended.
Nenia Dulom, iVolunteer Philippines
iVolunteer Philippines 