The Christian Service and Involvement Program (AJHS-CSIP) is the social involvement and formation program of the Ateneo de Manila Junior High School. It aims to form young men who have compassion for the poor, marginalized, vulnerable, and the needy in the society. It allows students to nurture their commitment to nation-building and to eradicate poverty.
Despite the absence of actual off-campus experiences this school year, the program will continue its legacy and uphold its goal of nurturing students’ Filipino and Christian identity. While the actual experience of off-campus activities may not be possible because of the pandemic, the essential experiential learning should remain and continue through the classroom sessions and alternative instructional materials curated for online learning.
For this school year, students will have five synchronous classroom sessions that will be conducted during the scheduled Non-Academic Consultation time and another five CSIP sessions during Wellness Wednesday that will be dedicated to other activities.
Students are required to do different activities incorporated in the modules and then submit journal entries and a reflection-action paper.
Classes will also actively participate in the Social Involvement Program in Action (SIPA) to complete the school year's CSIP requirements. SIPA provides students an opportunity to be engaged with their respective partners in the community through the letter cycle drive and to live out being persons for and with others by providing any assistance for them.
Each grade level's CSIP activities will carry the following themes:
Grade 7 - Dungaw Exposure focusing on "awareness."
Grade 8 - Danas Ecological Engagement focusing on "environment."
Grade 9 - Dama Christian Service focusing on "service through teaching."
Grade 10 - Damay Immersion focusing on "family and society."
Appreciate God’s love through the blessings they received.
Interact with and serve the poor in urban and rural communities and charitable institutions.
Maximize their potentials in character development.
Values all relationships in their lives.
In all these programs, students are required to submit journal entries and a reflection-action paper that is equivalent to their final exam. The classes will also have to organize their Social Involvement Program in Action (SIPA) activity to complete their assigned program.
Dungaw is the first AJHS-CSIP program offered to students as they begin Junior High School. From the word dungaw, which means “to take a look”, the program invites the students to look outside the window or outside of their comforts and open all their senses to make themselves aware of the realities in our society.
Danas is the AJHS-CSIP program offered to Grade 8 students. From the word Danas, which means “to experience,” the program encourages the students to literally experience their role as stewards of God’s creation and to promote sustainable development by enkindling their interest in agriculture.
Dama is designed for Grade 9 students. From the word Dama, which means “to feel,” the program invites the students to feel the joy of serving others through teaching. By journeying with their fellow students, it is hoped that they get to know themselves better and discover their and others’ hidden skills and talents.
Damay is the culmination of all the social involvement programs in the Junior High School. The word Damay means “to sympathize” or “to be involved.” The program aims to nurture the students’ compassion and empathy toward others. The students are given the opportunity to experience a life of simplicity and live in solidarity with their foster family for a weekend, where they eat what their foster family eats, sleep where their foster family sleeps, and do what their foster family does on a day-to-day basis.
While the actual experience of immersion may not be possible because of the pandemic, the essential experiential learning should remain and continue through the classroom sessions and alternative instructional materials curated for online learning.