BACKGROUND

SPECIAL PROJECT LOCALE

Bicol Presbyterian Joy Church, Tandang Sora Street, Pinaric, Old Albay, Legazpi City, Albay

DESCRIPTION

The project locale of this special project is Bicol Presbyterian Joy Church, a religious institution located at Tandang Sora Street, Pinaric, Old Albay, Legazpi City.  The author chose this project locale since she’s one of its active members.  In particular, the special project is meant to be installed to one of the institution’s ministries, the Youth Leaders’ Training Program.

METHODOLOGY

A needs assessment, conducted through interviews and on-site observations with the guidance of the gatekeeper, was carried out to gather information on how I can contribute to creating more effective training materials for the program. I initially received feedback from previous batches who completed the course, expressing the need for materials in their native language. Since I am an experienced translator—particularly of documents, such as English sermons into Tagalog for Korean missionaries—I thought of offering my skills to translate their materials into Filipino for a more effective and engaging training experience. However, my priority is to address any gaps or needs that must be attended to first, ensuring that I can contribute effectively to the program.
An interview with the gatekeeper and some trainees was conducted to analyze the trainees’ needs, as well as the mentors who are in charge of training them.

Needs Assessment and Analysis

One of the main focuses of the church is to raise up future leaders not only in the church but in their communities. That is why the Youth Leaders’ Training Program was launched which aims to train young people in high school and college to become future leaders, not only in the church, but in their respective communities as well.  Scheduled every Saturday from 9:30 to 11:00 a.m., this training program focuses on the basic doctrines of faith, and how to apply faith growth in their daily lives as youth leaders.

Slots for trainees are limited for each batch, which usually undergo training for an entire year.  As of writing, there have been five batches already.  This special project was conducted for the fifth and latest batch.

The composition of trainees are rather heterogenous.  Not everyone is a member of Joy Church.  Ages range from 13 to 20 years old.  Socioeconomic standings range from poor to upper middle class.  Academic performances range from below average to perpetual achievers.

The training materials they are using were created by the senior pastor’s wife, who is the church education directress. These materials consist of 13 parts that make up the Youth Leaders’ Training Program, all in English.

Vision of Youth Leaders Training:

Bicol Presbyterian Joy Church will continue to be devoted to shaping and training Youth Leaders, who know the lives of the people of God, live the standard life of Christians, and have the characteristics of Jesus Christ through personal and spiritual experience.

Purpose/Goal of Youth Leaders Training:

Youth Leaders Training is the process of teaching the younger generation—who have great potential—the word of God that will bring forward change and growth leading to maturity in Jesus Christ.

1. Faith Growth: allows youth leaders to experience spiritual change and growth that will lead them to become mature Christians.

2. Defining Christian Success: allows youth leaders to know success is aligned with God’s will and results in God’s glory.

3. Service and Commitment: leads youth leaders to the place of service for the world, the church, and the Kingdom of God through growth and maturity of faith.

  Training Program Schedule:  

TIME ACTIVITY

9:30 AM Opening (altogether) 

• Greeting

• Prayer

• Praise & Worship Songs

• Announcement

9:45 AM Groupings Training Lessons

10:45 AM Clean-up

10:55 AM Snacks fellowship (altogether)

11:15 AM Dismissal

Training Teaching Style/Approach: 

The trainers are called mentors, and there are eight of them. They are volunteers with professional jobs during the weekdays and serve in the ministry on Saturdays as youth leader training mentors. Their teaching approach is traditional, where the trainees listen while the mentors discuss the chapter lesson. Review questions are included during and after the lesson to ensure comprehension and understanding. A reward system is used for correct answers. B.F. Skinner’s Operant Conditioning in Behaviorism Theory (EDS 103 – Theories of Learning) is typically applied in a learning environment through positive reinforcement, such as rewarding correct answers with praise, small incentives, or tokens to strengthen learning.

The mentors also give written quizzes and reflections to evaluate the overall understanding of trainees. In Assessment Theory (EDS 113 – Methods of Assessment), Robert Stake emphasizes formative assessments (quizzes, reflections) as a way to track student progress before final evaluations.

Learner Analysis:

There are twenty-six trainees, aged 13 to 20 years old. They are all students from different schools and are grouped by age. Trainees will be considered graduates and completers of the training program after successfully completing the training sessions, provided they do not exceed three absences and attend the scheduled church worship services.

 During an informal interview with some of the mentors, it was mentioned that usually two or three trainees are unable to finish until graduation due to personal reasons or changes in their class schedules.

Observation

During the group discussions for the chapter lesson, not all trainees are consistently responsive throughout the training. Some easily answer when the mentor asks about what was just discussed, while others need additional explanations from the mentors. In some cases, a Filipino translation of terms or sentences is provided to aid understanding.

The reading skills and comprehension of trainees, especially those in grades 7 and 8, are somewhat slow, particularly because the training material is in English.

Conclusion

The observation suggests that the language of instruction significantly impacts comprehension and engagement. Customizing learning materials to meet learners’ needs is essential for success. According to Cognitive Load Theory (EDS 112), when students are unfamiliar with the language of instruction, they must process both the subject matter and the language itself, increasing cognitive load and making learning more challenging.