Embedded Files
CSIP truly believes that our responsibility to serve others should not stop and should continue in any way we can depending on our willingness and capabilities.
As part of the Ateneo de Manila Junior High School's Self Development Program, CSIP invites you to reflect on the situations of the marginalized people in the society and be challenged to practice being a man for and with others through volunteerism.
Gratitude Exercise
Journal writing has been one of the activities in CSIP programs and we hope you find it as a good opportunity to put your experiences and random thoughts into writing.
At this point, we invite you to do this exercise of writing 2-3 things you are grateful for in you journal (if you have one) or on a piece of paper and put them in a gratitude jar or box everyday. You may also reflect on things you’re grateful for about yourself through your God-given talents and gifts as well as through the love and blessings you received.
You may refer to other gratitude exercises through these links:
God's calling
After doing the gratitude exercise and having a grateful heart, you are invited to reflect on how you can share the love and blessings received and how you can find meaning in life. It will start by responding to the call to be aware of the situations of the underprivileged and vulnerable sectors in the society.
Watch this video ‘Panlipunang Turo ng Simbahan” to get a glimpse of the situation of our fellow Filipinos. This may be an old video but it still depicts the current situations and realities of our country today.
Here are other videos that describe the situation of the country during this pandemic:
How Philippines’ poor struggle under the lockdown
Philippine schools struggle to educate poor children
Shift to distance learning shows barriers for poorest students
Our Mission
As companions of Jesus, we are called to take part in the mission by being in solidarity with the poor and marginalized. We are called to strive to accompany and offer help to whom society has excluded. Thus, after becoming more aware of the situations of the marginalized and vulnerable sectors of the society, you are invited to take part and be involved in the social change and development. While societal issues and concerns are overwhelming, it is important to note that we can contribute and take part in the solution in our own unique ways. One of the concrete and tangible ways is to volunteer or offer our service to others.
Doing your part in your class' SIPA project is an excellent example of volunteerism but how far can you go?
V O L U N T E E R I S M
What does volunteerism mean to you?
Think of a word or phrase that defines volunteerism.
Let’s find out more about volunteerism through these videos:
Understanding Volunteerism
Volunteerism means:
the policy or practice of volunteering one’s time or talents for charitable, educational, or other worthwhile activities especially in one’s community
the principle of donating time and energy for the benefit of other people in the community as a social responsibility rather than for any financial reward
Why do people volunteer?
These are pictures of our volunteers from different areas during the SIP Mass 2021.
By its very nature, volunteerism is an important vehicle for sustainable development. Volunteerism lets people and communities participate in their own growth. Through volunteering, citizens build their resilience, enhance their knowledge base and gain a sense of responsibility for their own community. Social cohesion and trust is strengthened through individual and collective volunteer action, leading to sustainable outcomes for people, by people.
Volunteerism strengthens civic engagement, safeguards social inclusion, deepens solidarity and solidifies ownership of development results. Importantly, volunteering has a ripple effect. It inspires others and advances the transformations required for the social development goals to take root in communities.
People over the world engage in volunteerism for a great variety of reasons: to help eliminate poverty and to improve basic health and education, to tackle environmental issues, to reduce the risk of disasters or to combat social exclusion and violent conflict. In all of these fields, volunteerism makes a specific contribution by generating well-being for people and their communities.
Volunteerism is a basic expression of human relationships. It is about people’s need to participate in their societies and to feel that they matter to others. We strongly believe that the social relationships intrinsic to volunteer work are critical to individual and community well-being.
Role of volunteerism in the promotion of social development
Voluntary activities must complement and support national development goals and policies in order to touch the lives of those communities they wished to target, the representative of the Philippines told the Commission for Social Development this afternoon. As the Commission began its general discussion “The role of volunteerism in the promotion of social development”, the speaker from the Philippines went on to say
that beyond the delivery of services and training, volunteers served as catalysts encouraging people to discover their potential and capabilities, and thus leading to empowerment. Voluntary workers also encouraged the communities they worked with to manage their resources in response to their needs, thereby bolstering their confidence to decide for themselves and manage their destinies.
In the Philippines, volunteer service was rooted in national culture with the traditional spirit of “Bayanihan”, meaning mutual help among members of a community. It had evolved in time, influenced by cultural and environmental changes to become what it was today –- a tool for development and nation-building. Individuals, organizations, youth, students, professionals, public servants and retirees had all become part of a ready pool of human resources for volunteer activity to assist in attaining its development goals.
Volunteers served as catalysts who encouraged the people they worked with to discover their potential and capabilities. That led to empowerment. Volunteers encouraged the communities they worked with to manage their resources in response to their needs, thereby bolstering their confidence to make their own decision and manage their destinies. Volunteerism must, therefore, be welcomed and supported, as its role in development was clearly mapped out and the benefits derived were evident.
Here’s an article and video that cite the importance of volunteerism for the youth as well as it’s hidden benefits:
To be a volunteer is to take part in social change by using our God given talents and skills and in deepening our personal relationship with Christ by following His life of loving service to others especially those in need.
REFLECTION
Let us reflect on the following questions:
What does service mean to me?
Given the current situation, does my heart recognize the joy in serving others?
Important Points on Service
To serve God means first of all to be available to God’s direction and grace. It is a disposition of openness and faith in the Lord in which we surrender to His plan and will for us. By deciding to volunteer, you have made yourselves available to the Lord. For some of us, maybe thoughts like: “may magagawa ba ako eh nag-aaral pa lang ako? May maiiwan ba akong magagamit nila at makakatulong sa kanila kahit wala na ako'' may haunt us. While these thoughts show us how serious and sincere we are with our work, it is also important not to underestimate what our presence means to the community, more so, the fruits of our combined work with God.
To follow is to serve, to be available is to serve, to believe and to trust is to serve, to accompany is to serve, to forgive and to be compassionate is to serve, and to celebrate the Eucharist is to serve. We also learn that to serve is always to share what we have been given. That is why serving always follows upon loving —because lovers share their gifts.
Service is humble. Ignatius spoke of being helpful–not something that conjures up “great deeds and great accomplishments,” Fleming notes. It’s not about who is serving, but how God’s love is revealed through service. Each accomplishment – great or small – is God’s work through the volunteers. We are grateful for the chance to be used as His instrument.
Love is the foundation of service. Serving is an act, which can only be done in love. Anything else is not serving – it is completing a task or a job at best. This becomes service with the intention to radiate and reflect Christ to everyone you meet.
Service is expressed in deeds more than words. Service is faith in action – not from empty words but from concrete deeds. It is using all our talents and gifts for the greater good. When God calls, we are invited to respond. He invites us to work alongside him. He will always be present in every high and more so in every low in our life of service. The more we cultivate this relationship, our response to God also grows and matures and deepens over time. Our timid and shy ‘Yes’ at the start may now be a louder and more determined commitment to follow Christ and reflect His love in our thoughts, words and deeds.
Here are some testimonials from people who volunteered and those who are recipients of their volunteer service as well as a song to remind us to take responsibility in loving and taking care for each other the way God took care and showed His love for us.
Walang sinuman ang nabubuhay, para sa sarili lamang
Walang sinuman ang namamatay, para sa sarili lamang
Tayong lahat ay may pananagutan sa isa't isa
Tayong lahat ay tinipon ng Diyos, na kapiling Niya...
Volunteerism in the eyes of the volunteers:
“In my desire to serve the Lord, He has formed me. In my willingness to share my gifts to the people in my area, I realize that it is I whom they serve. There were times when loving is not so tempting. But when those times arise, God would always remind me to constantly say YES to this call...to see Him in every person I meet. I have come to understand profoundly the meaning of service. Yes, there is no money in being a volunteer but I never feel empty. The more I live simply, the happier I become.”
-Volunteer, Manila
“Nothing in this world could ever replace my volunteer experience in the area. By letting myself be open no matter how painful the process had been, enabled me to become an instrument and the solution at some point for the needs of my community. All that I have learned could not fit in a box but it could in one word. LOVE.
– Volunteer, Naga City
Volunteers in the eyes of people served:
“Nang dahil sa mga taong nagvovolunteer para sa amin, pakiramdam namin, hindi pa kami nalilimutan ng lipunan…at may pag-asa pa kaming umahon sa kahirapan.”
-Mangyan Elder, Oriental Mindoro
“…if not for the encouragement of my volunteer teacher, I would have quit on my 4th year in high school and I would not have finished my course in midwifery…”
-FLMS Lumad Mission Scholar, Cabanglasan, Bukidnon
CONCRETE ACTIONS
Explore the possibilities of doing a volunteer service by using your God-given talents and skills. Think of what will be your advocacies or what you’re passionate about. You don’t need to have everything or to be in a position to help and volunteer. You can always do something as a high school student or even at the confines of your homes. This pandemic will not hinder us from helping the vulnerable sectors of our community and our society. Let us remember that social development and nation-building is not an act of a single person, it entails unity and cooperation or doing our so-called “Bayanihan”. Every act of service no matter how small can create a difference and impact.
Here are stories of volunteerism that may inspire or encourage you to respond to the call of loving service to the poor.
First is a story shared by a public school teacher, Tr. Sabrina Ongkiko from her social media account about one of her students who volunteered to tutor her classmates:
Meron akong student na nagsimula ng rebolusyon sa klase ko - nag volunteer siya mag tutor sa mga kaklase niyang naghahabol. Ngayon, tatlo na silang tutor. At...nag improve ang attendance, dumami ang nagpapasa. What a revolution di ba?!
Walang extra grade. Hindi required mag tutor. Hirap din minsan sa load. Madami rin siyang kailangan sagutan at aralin. Naisip lang niya gawin kasi sabi niya, "para makagraduate po kami sabay sabay." Finofollow up pa niya kung nag-iimprove na daw ba yung mga tinuturuan niya. At nung sobra akong nagpapasalamat, sabi lang niya, "wala po yun maam gagalingan ko pa po sa pag aaral at sa pag tutor "
Sa lahat ng sinubukan naming intervention sa klase...ito pinaka nag work. Yung merong kaklaseng may pakialam sa kaklase niya. At pakiramdam ko rin tuloy bilang teacher, di ako nag-iisa.
Salamat salamat, Ella.
p.s. Grade 6 si Ella at gusto daw niya maging teacher paglaki...e teacher na natin siya sa buhay ngayon pa lang.
p.p.s Shoutout din sa dalawa pang Super Tutors - Julia and Jasmin! Ibang klase yung concern nila sa iba Amaaaaazing
Second are stories of Jesuit Volunteers serving in indigenous communities:
MOVING FORWARD
Assuming you participated in a volunteer work in your community, try to reflect on these questions:
What is my greatest joy and greatest challenge in my service as a youth volunteer?
How did I use my God given talents and skills in my loving service for others?
How do I find joy and meaning in my volunteer service?
Let's try sharing your volunteer experience through this padlet activity!
ALIGNING VOLUNTEERISM TO JESUIT EDUCATION
Ignatius begins his Principle and Foundation statement with the catechism-like answer to the unspoken question “why did God make us?” Ignatius writes: God created human beings to praise, reverence, and serve God, and thereby save their souls. Ignatius goes on to say that God gifts human beings with all their personal talents and presents everything in creation as gifts to help them to come to know, love, and serve God. Our human response is to choose among the many gifts which ones help us in our direction towards life-with-God forever. God is the first to serve us by gifting us with an abundance of gifts so that we can make the choice among them which ones better help us seek and find God.
The First Principle and Foundation
(St. Ignatius of Loyola, as paraphrased by David L. Fleming, S.J.)
The Goal of our life is to live with God forever.
God, who loves us, gave us life.
Our own response of love allows God’s life
to flow into us without limit.
All the things in this world are gifts from God,
Presented to us so that we can know God more easily and make a return of love more readily.
As a result, we appreciate and use all these gifts of God
Insofar as they help us to develop as loving persons.
But if any of these gifts become the center of our lives,
They displace God
And so hinder our growth toward our goal.
In everyday life, then, we must hold ourselves in balance
Before all of these created gifts insofar as we have a choice
And are not bound by some obligation.
We should not fix our desires on health or sickness,
Wealth or poverty, success or failure, a long life or a short one.
For everything has the potential of calling forth in us
A deeper response to our life in God.
Our only desire and our one choice should be this:
I want and I choose what better leads
To God deepening his life in me.
Be a volunteer and start your quest to find the joy and meaning through serving others!
Be a volunteer and start your quest to find the joy and meaning through serving others!
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