by Caroline Veronilla

There’s more to celebrate this month of love as Xavier University’s Development Communication (DevCom) Department holds its annual DevCom Week on Feb 15 to 21.

This year’s theme, Out of the Box, emphasizes the DevCom Society’s aim to encourage its members to extend themselves and to think beyond the ordinary. Some of the highlights of this week-long celebration are ECHO, the first Mindanao Young Communicators Congress, Operation: Shoebox 2014 and the DC Night.

ECHO to be held on Feb 15 at SM Cinema 3, aims to convene communication students to discuss about “Strategic Communication for Peace and Development in Mindanao.” The speakers include Fr. Alberto E. Alejo SJ of Ateneo de Zamboanga University and Ms. Samira A. Gutoc-Tomawis, a former assemblywoman of the Women Sector and Regional Legislative Assembly in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

Another highlight of the celebration is the Operation: Shoebox 2014 which will be on Feb 18 to 19, 2014 at the XU Peace Park. This project aims to accumulate schooling materials for the students of a school in Talakag, Bukidnon. To make the gift giving more personal, students, not just of DevCom, will be asked to prepare the gifts themselves.

Capping the week-long celebration is a night of reminiscing and of making new memories at the DC Night. This event hopes to build a strong sense of camaraderie and friendship among the DevCom students amidst varying year levels.

Everyone’s invited to join in on the celebration of DC WEEK 2014: Out of the Box.