Inspiring young minds and creating hope among communities remain the core goal of the Rotaract Club of UP Baguio (RAC UPB) as it conducted its Project EmbRACe in Dontogan, Baguio City.
Young participants flocked to Breakfast Feeding for Learning Inc. (BFLI) to attend the three-part event of the opening of Project EmbRACe held last August 25, 28, and September 30, 2023.
“Project EmbRACe is a year-long flagship project of Rotaract Club of UP Baguio which aims to redefine communities through seminars, workshops, and service-oriented activities,” RAC UPB President Mikay Saballegue said.
In line with the Rotary’s focus on peacebuilding, the first session of Project EmbRACe discussed stress management and how youth could cope with stress, burnout incidences, and eventually become instruments of peacebuilding in their own little ways.
During the session, the participants made their own “tree of positivity,” where they detailed their coping mechanism strategies at times of stress and a “negativity bin” to help them contemplate and let go of the negative stressors in their lives.
After this, the students had a decision-making session followed by focus group discussions to help them understand the importance of making the right decision in their everyday lives, especially at their young age.
Meanwhile, the second session of Project EmbRACe catered to the young members of the Kalinga Community where the Club still discussed managing stress and academic burnout to further highlight the importance of creating environments where peace can happen and prosper.
“The club is thankful for the support of The Light of the World Ministries for being present during the two-part event as well as for the Rotary Club of Baguio North for the continuous support and guidance to make these events possible,” RAC UPB President Mikay said.
The third session of the RAC UPB’s Project EmbRACe highlighted the importance of developing life skills, not just for the community’s development, but also for one’s fulfillment.
During the session, the Dontogan youth learned about active listening and participative communication through the first speaker’s discussion about developing life skills titled “Kinasaririt ti Ubbing,” along with the story, “Sintia, ti Managkallong a Pusa.”
The young participants also participated in the “Create your Parol” activity about the story’s discussion.
To end the session, the second speaker discussed how adolescents can set goals through a pair-based sharing activity about their life goals and the specific ways or strategies to achieve these.
RAC UPB President Mikay noted that the BFLI is the official beneficiary of Project EmbRACe all throughout the entirety of the project which caters to elementary and high school students that belong to the Dontogan and Kalinga community.
“For a sustainable and productive Project Embrace, the club has already a calendar of events for the future programs to continuously establish safe, nurtured, and educated communities,” she said. “Stay tuned and together, let us create hope in the world.”
