by Leander Palalon | March 23, 2021
The Silliman University Senior High School Council (SUSHSC) hosted the “Break the Stigma,” a week-long advocacy event that aims to raise awareness on Online Distance Learning (ODL) issues that the youth are facing today.
The event was in partnership with the SUSG High School Affairs Committee and the Teen Advocates for Gender Awareness in Dumaguete (TAGAD).
The event’s guest speakers included the 73rd Miss Silliman, Alexandra Tuale, the 5th Miss Senior High, Leira Ronato, the former SUSG President and Vice President, Aprille Vince Juanillo and Rhyn Anthony Esolana, and as well as the current SUSG President, Jose Paolo Echavez.
According to SUSHSC Governor, Enrica Marian Dinopol, the preparations began during the first semester, wherein the entire student body was still “testing the waters” of online distance learning.
Throughout the week, the council initiated “check-ups” on their constituents, held webinars and online talks on several topics regarding mental health awareness, gender equality, and bystander prevention.
The event’s co-chairperson, Ashley Simone Teves shared that the council was challenged on setting up the event using the online platform and that they were “hindered by the fact that the topics presented were ‘taboo’ and did not fit in the Filipino traditionalist society.”
“The event was made not only for those undergoing severe trauma and mental health issues, but it was also designed to accommodate all and to reach out to those carrying their pain without any outlet to vent out,” said Teves.
According to both Dinopol and Teves, the event has been a success in helping the senior high school students realize “someone was there for them and were always ready to help.”
“The event has sparked and revitalized the student body in continuing to tread the path that they want to take. It serves as a reminder that you are not alone in this world, and that there is always someone that cares about you,” Dinopol added.
The event has been lauded as a success by both the speakers and the student body. The council also expressed their gratitude towards the speakers, their partner organizations, and the SHS Infomedia team, which, according to Dinopol, “had played a vital role in getting the word out” for this event.
