The
Big Os
The project aims
·
To
instill a love for reading among Filipino children
·
To
build a community of children who can and will read
·
To
make the Filipino children appreciate our children's literature
·
To
provide marginalized Filipino children opportunities to read authentic
Philippine children's literature
The
Mission (I'm) Possible
Project Pass-a-book is a
collective effort of literacy advocates, non-government organizations (NGOs) and
private institutions to provide children in Magsaysay, Misamis Oriental
opportunities to read and enjoy locally-published children's books.
The people backing
this project strongly believe that reading, as an important life skill, should
be developed and nurtured inside and outside the school. The proponents of this project believe in the
power of reading to tickle one's imagination, to quench a person's thirst for
knowledge and to transform people's lives. Thus, creating an opportunity to
read is a must.
The
Challenge
Project Pass-a-book aims to distribute new picture story/books
to school-aged children in a far-flung place where buying a book (and reading)
is a luxury. The picture storybooks would be coming from the different
individual or group donors. Each new picture storybook to be donated must
a.
be
covered with clear plastic to ensure its durability,
b.
have
the donor's message/dedication to the child who will receive the book to make
the experience more personal . The message could be in Cebuano, Filipino, and
English (with Filipino translation).
Other ways to make the
gift-giving more personal are highly-encouraged (e.g. attaching a picture).
The
Setting
 |
| After 14 years, I'm gonna see again this mountain. |
 |
| The heart of Cabalawan. |
Project Pass-a-book aims to distribute new picture story/books
to school-aged children in Cabalawan, Magsaysay, Misamis Oriental on the third
week of December 2011. Cabalawan is a
small barrio that is almost nine kilometres away from the main road/high-way.
It houses an elementary school that has 4 teachers and a number of students (no
sufficient data as of today). Magsaysay is a fourth class municipality. (Keep
posted for the pictures of the place and school profile written by one of the
school officials.)
The
Mission (I'm) Possible II
The project would also
like to tap volunteers from the beneficiary barangay, preferably the
teachers to facilitate "literary
circle" activities. A literary circle is an unorthodox way (for lack of a
better term) of grouping the children for book talks and other enrichment
activities. Activities include discussion about the book (e.g. plot,
illustration, genre, etc.), enrichment activities (arts and crafts, music). The
literary circle could be formed based on the reader-child's interest, reading
ability, instructional needs and the book's literary genre. Thus, generic
literary circle activities (e.g. lesson plans/ideas, graphic organizers) would
also be given to the teachers during the short project orientation. (You may also
share your 'photocopy-able' teacher resources/materials.
The said volunteers
will also smooth the progress of the ‘passing of the book’ from one child to
another. The project aims to introduce to the children the wealth of children’s
literature that this country has, in doing so, the books that they have should
be shared to other children in the literary circle. It’s the volunteer-teacher’s
job to monitor the rotation of the books in the literature circle. This
explains the need for the books to be plastic-covered.
The Possible
FAQs
1.
What
kind of books should I give?
a.
New
picture books/picture storybooks in English with a Filipino or Cebuano
translation published in the Philippines
(Know your local children's literature.)
ii.
OMF
Lit-Hiyas books
iii.
Anvilbooks
iv.
LG&M-Vibalbooks
v.
Lamparabooks
vi.
Tahananbooks
vii.
Others
2.
Where
are the 'drop-off' points?
a.
School
of Saint LaSalle of QC in North Olympus Subdivision, Zabarte Road, Novaliches.
Look for T. Jerson or leave it/them to the guard on duty.
b.
TBA.
(If you want to volunteer your office/place as a drop-off point, send an email
or SMS to brojersrc@gmail.com / 0906-204-5044)
3.
Is
there a way for me to know that the book has really reached its new owner?
a.
All
activities will be documented through photos and some written documents. A blog
post in www.misterserendipity.blogspot.com will serve as
the "State of the Donation Address' or SODA before 2011 ends.
4.
What
if I'm 'tinatamad' na 'mag-plastic cover?
a.
Think
again if you really want to donate. If the answer is still a yes, get the book,
plastic, scissors and tape. This activity doesn't happen every day, so your katamaran
(e.g. going to the bookstore, writing a message) is not a valid
excuse.
5.
What
if I want to share my old books?
a.
Sharing
your old books is good but only new books are accepted. The children in
Cabalawan are so used to receiving old textbooks from the Department of
Education. I think they deserve new ones too.
6.
What
if I want to share other stuff like bags and pencils?
a.
Great!
Then we can have another outreach activity in April or May.
7.
What
do I get from this?
a.
A
reward from God (well, if you have the right motives)
b.
A
hope for a better Philippines
c.
A
million thank-yous from the children of Cabalawan
So what are you waiting for?
a.
Go
to the bookstore. Share this very-demanding project to your friends. Make a
pledge. Start saving for that Php
70-book. Give because you have something to give.
b.
Shrug
it off. Make excuses. Wallow in apathy.
