Sitting around a table, they could talk just about anything.
Like many young people today, this group of friends is brimming with idealism, energy and potential.
Welkin Gem Galindez, Epifanio Yulin Jr., Michael Angelo Abarcar, Lara Hyacynth Ballado and Jackielyn Marie Alo call themselves the GaBarkada. They call each other ‘Ga.’
Doing community work is a special bonding activity of the group. Instead of staying at home during summer or semestral breaks, they devote their time doing community works.
“Doing community projects, especially in rural areas, make us more productive and useful. Instead of staying at home, we dedicate our time helping others,” the 20-year-old Abarcar said.
In 2010, the Colgate Fresh U TV commercial opened its doors for the group to realize their plans for their community. The commercial advertised for submission of project proposals with a grant of P50,000.
“The tagline of the advertisement which was ‘Make A Difference’ left us an impression that we should use the opportunity to help others and widen our advocacies,” Yulin recalled, adding they promptly “enrolled” in the project.
While others were going for vacation or trips, the group had community immersion in the small barangay of barangay Pangan-on in Olango Island, Cebu. They tried to find out the problems the residents are facing.
From their immersion, they came up with Pag-asa sa Pagbasa: “Flickering Hope of the Pangan-an Island Youth through a Functional Public School Library,” an adopt-a-library project.
“The students and teachers of Pangan-an Elementary and High Schools both share the same problem. They did not have a formal library. Also, they had limited access to reference materials and information sources,” Galindez said.
The group saw how responsive the locals were towards their project proposal.
After submitting their five-minute video production, the group patiently waited for the result of the competition.
“We were hopeful to win the contest. This is not only for us but also for the beneficiaries of our project,” Ballado said.
When the day of the announcement of winners came, they learned that their entry was disqualified because the contest was only for Manila-based students.
“We were quite dismayed but we were still happy because we reached that far,” Ballado said.
Fortunately, the organizers of the competition saw the project’s potential and gave the GaBarkada the same amount of grant with four other chosen entries.
Their first project led led to many more plans.
They joined another competition, “I Am A Change Maker,” organized by the British Council where they won for the Central Visayas region.
Their project was named “Gasa sa Guso: An Integrated Education and Entrepreneurship Program” in Bantayan Island. They partnered with the SECAFEE Integrated Development Cooperative, which is composed of seaweed farming experts.
In 2011, the group joined the Young Minds Academy (YMA), a youth leadership program of Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc., to hone their leadership and research skills.
“YMA provided us a venue to learn new things, especially community work,” Abarcar said.
With the help of Mag-uugmad Foundation, a non-government organization for sustainable upland development, the group introduced organic farming through their project proposal “GREEN L.E.A.F: An Ecologized Livelihood Enhancement Approach in Farming” in barangay Canbantug, Argao.
For soft-spoken Galindez, her passion for community work was inspired by her father, a doctor then in a public hospital in Cebu.
“When I was young, I often saw my father giving fruits to his patients. I always wondered why he did that without getting in return. Now, I realized how fulfilling it is to help others,” she said.
Even if they come from different schools, they still find time to meet and hang out with one another. During their free time, they watched TV series and talked about anything.
“We plan to continue what we have started. I do not think of our projects as merely an act of goodwill. I see it as a relationship that meant to be fostered,” the 22-year-old Alo said.
“I have become a better person. I am more giving and selfless. In the past, I did outreach programs only for school compliance. Now, I help out of passion. It’s a different feeling. It is now pure volunteerism,” Yulin shared.
GaBarkada is a testament of how the Filipino youth, armed with skills, talent, and passion for service, can bring positive change. /Chrisley Ann Hinayas/Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc.