The NEW iVolunteer Monthly Community News Roundup is here! Let’s catch up on the latest news within the iVolunteer Philippines community and see what our fellow volunteers are up to.
iVolunteer staff visits 2KK
Smokey Mountain, Manila (September 15) — the iVolunteer staff, along with a couple of volunteers recently visited Tulong sa Kapwa Kapatid Foundation (2KK) to spend time with 2KK grade school students and teach them the importance of listening to their elders, especially their parents and grandparents.
Despite the heavy downpour all morning, 2KK welcomed sixteen (16) of our volunteer staff to their Smokey Mountain chapter led by Maria, a young 2KK volunteer who gladly and patiently introduced everyone to her class. Also joining us that day was Erika, a Japanese exchange student who eagerly assisted our staff in teaching and taking care of the kids. To close the day, the volunteers got to leave a brief message to their students before everyone shared a quick lunch together.
About 2KK: Tulong sa Kapwa Kapatid is 2KK in short and translates to “To help our fellow brothers and sisters” is a nonprofit, founded in 2003, made by the youth for the youth. The organization creates sustainable communities through education and empowerment of underprivileged children (2KK, official website). To join their weekly activities, you may sign-up here: iVolunteer for 2KK.
Bel Padlan talks about the purpose of technology for nonprofits
UP Diliman, Quezon City (September 21) — Bel Padlan of iVolunteer Philippines was invited as one of the guests by the Jesse M. Robredo Foundation at the Young Leaders for Good Governance III forum to speak on the topic of technology and development.
Our Director for Technology got to speak about how iVolunteer was able to leverage our platform to promote volunteerism in the country. Bel briefly touched on how iVolunteer started and how it continues to match ‘would be’ volunteers with nonprofits who are in need of their skills and talents. He then shared how the organization eventually grew and extended its services into educating and training nonprofits as well as volunteers.
Later, Bel left a food for thought for the fellows of JMRF, emphasizing how technology is just an enabler of iVolunteer’s core purpose, “We learned that purpose will drive the technology need or technology development, not the other way around. Kasi, people will always think that, bigyan mo ng app, bigyan mo ng website (yung NGO) — gaganda na yung mundo. […] We challenged ourselves (iVolunteer), can we run this service without the tool (website)? Mas mahirap lang, mas matagal lang. But if we can imagine the service without the technology, then there is a legit service. The tool will just make it easier and more efficient.”
About JMRF: A few months after the sudden passing of Jesse M. Robredo in 2012, his family and friends established this foundation to continue and perpetuate his legacy of genuine public service and good governance. The foundation primarily conducts activities geared towards empowering the youth and local government officials (JMRF, official website).
Start Your Adventure makes successful return
Ortigas Park, Pasig City (September 28) — iVolunteer’s Start Your Adventure talk for those who are interested in volunteering made a successful return last Saturday. iVolunteer Philippines in partnership with The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf hosted 37 guests over the weekend, most of which were professionals looking to find their way into the volunteering community.
iVolunteer staff Judith Apolinario, Angelo Salandanan, Teonel Tungala, Jasmine Salem and Dani Pesayco of PARC Foundation led the talks, while Joie Ann Balaong took charge in facilitating the session and energizing the new breed of ‘would be’ volunteers. The speakers eagerly shared how they got into volunteering and along the way, gave their personal takes on what it means to be a volunteer. Some of the guests also stayed past the event to engage with the iVolunteer staff who were there to accommodate questions and guide our new Everyday Heroes.
About iVolunteer Philippines: iVolunteer is the country’s most trusted volunteering platform that is made by volunteers for volunteers. Our website and social media channels are dedicated to helping nonprofits and volunteers find the perfect match, and in making sure that every Filipino who are looking to contribute will find a home through us or our partners. We are a group of passionate individuals working towards one dream: Every Filipino volunteering towards nation building.
What to expect in October
Filipino Youth Volunteer Convention 2019
SMX Convention Center, Pasay City (October 6) — iVolunteer Philippines is coming to the Filipino Youth Volunteer Convention 2019. Come visit us at our booth between 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Sunday at the SMX Convention Center function rooms 1 & 2 in Mall of Asia, Pasay City.
The FYVC is a collaboration by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and student volunteers. It’s a 1-day even that aims to inform attendees about the current situations in the country, promote actions they can do as youth volunteers and network with different sectors to instill a holistic collaboration within the community.
This year’s theme is “Youth at the forefront in unifying for children’s rights,” which focuses on the empowerment of the youth to advocate and take actions in fulfilling the core principles of the convention on the rights of the children.
iVolunteer’s Community Meetup
Community Meetup, Makati (October 12) — iVolunteer Philippines will host a community meetup for volunteers in Metro Manila this coming October 12th. The Saturday session will feature the innovators from our Social Innovation Challenge as speakers. This event is another joint effort by iVolunteer Philippines and The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf.
About Caring Cup by CBTL — The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf believes it is not enough to do well and that they must also do good. Their social responsibility efforts all over the world, through their Caring Cup program, blend commitment and community by responding to the needs of local communities served by their stores and the needs of communities where their products are grown.
iVolunteer Philippines 