TARA TRICIA MERCED and Althea Santillan get to know an adventure education advocate who made Cebu proud for being a sole passer in an international safety exam.
For Peter Jay Alera, technical engineer and security and safety officer of the Kool Adventure Camp (KAC) of the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI), his job of ensuring that campers are secure is a lot of fun. He gets to teach them the importance of safety before they climb walls, jump from a pole, and walk on a wire that is several meters from the ground, as part of KAC’s experiential education program.
“With the nature of my job, it would seem that one foot is already on the grave. That would be enough to cause fear. But for me, I believe, if one is ready, knowledgeable, and skilled, there is no cause for fear,” Alera said.
He did just that – always ready, always updated on ropes course safety trends, and always honing his skills. He was sent by RAFI last August 2011 to Project Adventure Inc. in Massachusetts, USA to take the written exam and practical skills test of the Association for Challenge Course Technology (ACCT) Practitioners Certification Standards (Level 2).
He was the only Filipino of the three takers of the very difficult exam; the two others were Americans. He was also the only one who passed.
He attributed his success to training, practice, professionalism, and learning opportunities, such as the technical training in Outward Bound Singapore on safety and management of challenge ropes course and sports climbing. He is a Wilderness Medical First Responder and a Singapore Mountaineering Federation member licensed to conduct abseiling/rappelling.
Alera recalled that when he arrived in the US, he only had one goal – to pass the examinations. He did not mind the racial discrimination by some foreigners; instead, he persevered. In the process, he earned the respect of his fellow co-exam takers.
“Being alone in the US was very challenging – new environment, new people, and different cultures. Plus I have to deal with the fact that I have to be away from my wife and daughter for about five weeks. I communicate with them via phone calls and video chats, and even in my dreams!” Alera said with a laugh. He is husband to Maybelline and father to four-year-old Yvryl Mareah.
He left for the Philippines just in time before the devastating Hurricane Irene hit the US. By coming home, bringing the bacon, KAC has advanced its challenge course proficiency and leveled up its standards.
The ACCT Practitioner Certification Standard (Level 2) is a credential held by an individual, indicating to the public and to an agency that the individual has completed certain trainings, such as adventure programming; is equipped with Challenge Course program delivery experience; and passed the accompanying knowledge and skills test that meet the standards established by the ACCT Standards, USA.
Alera is finally a holder of this credential.
Before he came to RAFI, Alera, a licensed civil engineer, worked at his father’s construction firm in Leyte. As a young boy, he was already helping his father with his company, but what he really wanted was to be a teacher like his mother who he said was his inspiration.
In August 2000, he was hired by RAFI as safety engineer for the challenge ropes course facility of the foundation. His decision to leave his father’s company led to a conflict between them.
“I’d always been with my father’s construction company and I took the course that he wanted. Now it came to a point where I need to walk my own path,” he explained.
Alera started as KAC’s safety coordinator. Today, he leads the Technical Safety Department of the camp. He has been with RAFI for 12 years.
“Being with RAFI allows me to be an engineer and a teacher at the same time,” he said. He ensures the safety of all KAC facilitators and participants.
Alera continues to count his blessings, pointing out that the reason “I landed into this job was because I am an engineer, so I thank my father, for if it were not for him I would not have gotten what I really wanted.”
When not facilitating camps, sporty Alera can be found playing basketball, swimming, paddling, scuba diving, and climbing.
When facilitating camps, Alera and his team are constantly challenged to ensure the physical and emotional safety of the campers.
“There was even a time when a young person joined a KAC adventure education program and shared that he was already discouraged from going to school. However, after the program, he went back to school and is now a professional,” Alera said.
KAC is one of the programs under RAFI’s Leadership & Citizenship focus area, one of the five focus areas of RAFI where future leaders are nurtured to prepare them to effect change. It is an organizational member of the Association for Challenge Course Technology-USA and Association for Experiential Education-USA.
KAC seeks to build character, develop competence, and inspire active citizenship through outdoor experiential education.
It is currently building its new campsite in Cansomoroy, Balamban, Cebu, targeted to open in 2012. The 10-hectare campsite will feature outdoor and indoor courses, high and low challenge ropes courses, conference halls, training rooms, trekking trails, tent area, youth bunks, and corporate cabins.
“We are currently preparing for this and with the knowledge and training that I was able to accomplish, I am sharing it with the team,” Alera said.
He stressed that KAC is not a recreational facility; it is a program that aims to touch people's lives.
“Hearing success stories from different participants and knowing that you were a part of another person’s success are very fulfilling. Not only are we able to help others, but working with RAFI's KAC has helped the team, including me, in many personal ways,” he said.