WORKING TOGETHER. Xavier Ateneo Service Learning Program seals partnerships with local communities, civil society, and government units. Supplied photo.
Inspired by Pope Francis’ words, “Immersing Oneself in the World's Joys and Sufferings,” Xavier University - Ateneo de Cagayan, through the Service Learning Program (SLP) of the Social Development cluster, gives its students and faculty members opportunities to engage with communities outside the academic confines.
To seal these partnerships with various communities, a ceremonial memorandum of understanding (MOU) signing was held on Thursday, August 9 at Xavier Ateneo.
SLP is a curriculum-based service learning experience for XU students from various academic disciplines. As part of its dynamics, the program will take the participants to partner communities and institutions in pursuit of constructive and transformative learning — an engagement that brings theoretical premise into proactive social relevance.
Partners from Northern Mindanao came to the event and among them were representatives from the local government units (LGUs) of Alubijid, Cabanglasan, and Talakag, barangays of Indahag, Canitoan, and Tablon, as well as from St Therese School of Miarayon, Department of Education of Malaybalay and Cagayan de Oro.
Deans, administrators, faculty, staff, and students of the university were also present in the said MOU signing.
BEYOND THE CLASSROOM. Xavier Ateneo president Fr Roberto C Yap SJ tells the crowd that SLP enables students to interact with the communities where they (students) can apply academic concepts toward for the development of the communities. Supplied photo.
In his message, XU president Fr Roberto Yap SJ explained how service learning has been facilitating “contact with communities, allowing space for students to serve the peripheries through their disciplines or expertise” since the inception of the program.
Yap also encouraged the students to "process their experiences with depth."
Last year alone, SLP was able to involve nearly 2,200 students, over 50 faculty members, and 45 partners in its 46 projects in various areas.
The following SLP projects will take off this semester:
1. Biology and Chemistry, respectively (College of Arts and Sciences) and LGU Alubijid: (1) Monitoring and Analysis of the Drinking Water and (2) Study and Inventory of Plankton to Assess Water Quality, Productivity, and Ecological Potentials in the Coastal Waters in Barangay Baybay, Alubijid, Misamis Oriental
2. Development Communication (College of Agriculture) and LGU Cabanglasan: Humans of Cabanglasan - The Life and Stories of the Umayamnen Indigenous Peoples of Cabanglasan, Bukidnon
3. School of Education and DepEd Malaybalay: Community Immersion with Participation and Focus on (1) Development of Classroom Instruction Action Plan and (2) Development of Practical Innovation of Instructional Materials
4. School of Education and DepEd CDO: (1) Conduct of Collaborative Action Research for Curriculum Enhancement following the KUMILOS Framework (SOE Students) and Assessing and Proposing Strategic Approaches in Enhancing High School Students’ Performance in Mathematics in the Regional Science High School in Gusa, Cagayan de Oro (Math Students)
5. College of Agriculture and Greenminds Inc: Feasibility Study on the Viability of Higaonon Organic Farmers’ Agribusiness Enterprise in Malitbog, Bukidnon
6. College of Nursing and BLGU Indahag: Health Promotion Awareness with Emphasis on Acute Biologic Crisis, Emergency, and Disaster.
7. College of Computer Studies and BLGU Canitoan: (1) Development of Database System for BLGU Canitoan; (2) Website Development for BLGU Canitoan; (3) Analysis and Design of IT System for Process Improvement in the following Sections/Departments, (a) Health, (b) Nutrition, (c) Peace and Order, (d) Administrative Dept, (e) Anti-Violence Against Women and their Children, (f) Barangay Council for the Protection of Children, and (g) Day Care
8. School of Education and St Therese School of Miarayon: Community Immersion with Participation with focus on (1) Development of Classroom Instruction Action Plan and (2) Development of Practical Innovation of Instructional Materials
9. College of Engineering, College of Agriculture, and LGU Tablon: (1) Prototype Development of a Microprocessor System - Portable Soil Analyzer for Soil Health Quality Assessment; (2) Ergonomic Assessment of the Sewing Community of the Higaonon Tribe in Sitio Palalan; (3) Developing Systems Solution for the Sewing Community of Higaonons in Sitio Palalan; (4) Socio-economic Profiling of the Higaonon Community
10. Economics (College of Arts and Sciences) and LGU Talakag: (1) Development of an Organizational Development Program for Rural Farmers’ Association and (2) Conduct of Inventory of Environmental and Natural Resource Management Practices in Farming (with CARP United Beneficiaries Farmers’ Association and Santo Niño Women’s Association)
OPENNESS TO COLLABORATE. On behalf of the SLP team, VP for social development Roel Ravanera thanks all the partners of the program for their openness to collaborate with Xavier Ateneo. Supplied photo.
The MOU signing culminated with the speech of XU’s VP for social development Roel Ravanera, saying, that SLP is an enabler for students to hone and apply their competence and contribute to social development at the same time.
On behalf of the SLP team, Ravanera expressed his gratitude to all the partners of the program — civil society, government agencies, and the academe — for their openness to collaborate with Xavier Ateneo.
The SLP stakeholders also aim to foster more collaborative efforts and explore more possibilities for development and in general, nation-building.∎
SLP FIGURES. Program director Engr Gail de la Rita says that last year SLP was able to involve nearly 2,200 students, over 50 faculty members, and 45 partners in its 46 projects in various areas. Supplied photo.