By Allianah Junnice Bolotaulo | February 16, 2024
Silliman University’s (SU) School of Public Affairs and Governance (SPAG) Society conducted its outreach program, SPAG Bigayan, last Jan. 31 at Poblacion, Amlan, Negros Oriental.
The program included the distribution of school materials and snacks to daycare learners and a narration of the “Three Little Pigs” story.
Jeyah Culanag, SPAG Society Vice Governor, said that the program was inspired by a similar movement in the country where stories were read to children who experienced trauma.
“They really saw a positive change in how the children lived their day-to-day lives [so] we wanted to emulate that kind of impact on a smaller scale,” she said.
She also added that it was the “appropriate” story for children from economically challenged backgrounds.
The characters from the story “serve as conduits for valuable life lessons” that would teach children life values, said SPAG Society Governor EJ Catan.
“These adorable minds, ignited by narratives, will someday wield pens, policies, and purpose […] they’ll shape a brighter, more compassionate country—one story at a time,” he said.
SPAG Bigayan Chairperson Trisha Silorio said that the “help and support” of their partners and sponsors allowed them to exceed their expectations and provide more than anticipated.
“All the organizations who collaborated with us donated school materials and supported our social media posts; our co-organizers which are CESO (College of Education Student Organization) and SUPASA (SU Producing and Songwriting Artists) added magic to the program; and our sponsors donated monetarily to support the program,” she said.
Culanag said that community events such as the SPAG Bigayan help SPAG students “build a sense of empathy towards the community,” emphasizing that “authority without empathy could lead to a lot of issues.”
“Immersing ourselves in different demographics of [a] community allows for a range of skills to be learned when dealing with people from different backgrounds,” she said.
SPAG partnered with the SUPASA and Early Childhood Society, who donated the storybooks and led the storytelling portion, respectively.
