About Me

I belong to the Education Component where I have participated in planning of the program by ensuring that the strategic objectives have coincided with our goals, vision, and mission. From this, I have learned the importance of consistency and having a common goal, understanding or a picture of how we all wanted our program to be. This is important so that implementation would flow naturally and that we would achieve desired outcomes for the good of the children. And so, I tried my best to communicate with the group and ask questions to clarify any misunderstanding or concern. Designing a program would entail specifics – meaning outlining the course of the program from the start until the end inclusive of the participants, how things would look like, preparing program materials and acquiring them, assigning committee and tasks for each, and more. As a part of the program committee, I helped in creating an activity schedule and worked with the tech team to ensure all needed media are set and that the program has a set schedule per section that must be observed and followed through. In instances where activities exceed, plan Bs are made such as doing follow ups, double time, and creating suitable adjustments with the team and other committees. I also helped make the script for the hosts and slides to remind participants of the ground rules. I’ve realized that it is essential to know who the point people are in order to address matters to them immediately and be able to do problem solving. In addition, everyone is very busy performing their roles, and so it is important to have trust in yourself and confidence that you have the ability to troubleshoot problems with your own initiative, but at the same time be ethical and practical by reporting the matters still to the committee head and work on it together whichever is deemed necessary or most appropriate. The most life-changing and exciting part was the implementation. I volunteered to come as an on-site facilitator not only to ensure that the program will go smoothly as planned to perform my responsibility as a program committee member but most importantly because I wanted to meet the children. I wanted to ensure that the program benefited them and is meaningful to them. Maybe also because I wanted to see their smiles and learn from them and the staff. It has been a long time since I danced for others to see and so I had fun. I’ve learned how they valued their parents more than ever as their ‘kasangga’ especially in their most difficult times that a participant with a similar name to a very close friend of mine chose to draw her parents on her t-shirt while a little girl named, Sam, reminded me how fun it was being a child hence these moments must be cherished. Overall, CBR&H program planning and implementation was a wonderful learning experience that taught me to stay grounded and remain humble.

In the Education Component, I took part in facilitating the interview to gather information for the SWOT analysis and Objective Tree and helped input and analyze the information gathered in correlation with the survey my groupmates and I had made. From there, I was able to determine the stakeholder’s strengths, weaknesses, threats, and opportunities that are points used as basis in analyzing what our respondents have which we can maximize and enhance that would help in the development and introduction of new skill sets and knowledge not only for the children but for the staff and parents as well. Looking back, when making the survey, it was a challenge for me how to be more objective and less subjective in making questions as it was essential to be able to generate a brief yet substantial question where answers would be more than enough to guide the course of the program given also that there is a limit to the number of questions that must be asked. I remember trying my best to combine all the previous questions Nicole and I made into one, big, essential question to give space for other categories of the questionnaire. There was even a moment that it might be canceled, but I insisted because I believe that in some way it would be helpful for us. In planning programs for education, my groupmates and I shared our ideas.

I’ve seen how the parents have explicitly expressed their concerns financially and so we came up with a collaboration with the Livelihood Component. I’m glad that they were successful in implementing “It’s the Tote that Counts” and were able to bring hope to the families. Their interests were opened and were very participative as shown through several questions and follow ups. Moreover, designing a program requires more analysis plus creativity than planning because there are restrictions and precautions that must be adhered. It is essential to be careful at all times. I have learned to put myself in their shoes in order to center the details and activities on what is meaningful for them as well as what they need. By doing so, it will be easier to identify which activities are likely to lead to the goal. Communication is key in a committee or team. I have learned to be open-minded in what others have to say and be accepting of constructive criticism because this will help you grow and improve not only skill-based but even as a person. Being a program committee member helped me practice identifying and preparing for situational constraints and appropriate instructional strategies.

I am beyond grateful for the experience, for I have witnessed and first handedly experience how implementing a program beginning from the mind into action entails great responsibility, effort, time, and hardwork. With that, I would like to extend my gratitude to my groupmates, the entire class, my classmates, for their contribution that led to the success of our programs. It was so fulfilling to have seen how we were able to create a positive impact on others’ lives that now we are rooting for their recovery and the sustainability of the knowledge and training we have imparted or shared with them. I do hope that they will be able to carry it out in their daily lives. It is indeed important to be able to help ourselves so that we can help our loved ones in need. Furthermore, the children must be allowed to play and learn from or through it. Lastly, we can make use of what we have and challenge the creativity of our minds and not be afraid to try new things. Being an onsite facilitator for program implementation, I have one takeaway – and that is, our role as Occupational therapists in community-based health and rehabilitation is to shape a better society to live in.