“I AM grateful for this opportunity to contribute to the community and I look forward to be inspired by these children. I believe we should always do whatever we can to make the world a better place regardless of our countries, religions and other differences. At this moment, I am fortunate to be living here in The Philippines, so I’m doing my part here.”
These are the words of Javier Alcazar, an Information Technology professional who recently migrated from Mexico to the Philippines and is currently the newest member of the KA•T•ON Barangay Junior Public High School Tutorial Program with Entrepreneurship Exposure. He is part of the 12th batch of volunteer tutors who joined the IMPACT Volunteer Tutor Certification Workshop, which took place at the City Sports Club Cebu during a full day event.
At this comprehensive workshop, it was a platform for new volunteer tutors to learn about the intention as well as the mechanics of the program. Marivi San Juan, a semi-entrepreneur in her 60s who is new to the program but has been a long-term volunteer for other youth organizations, says: “I see a clear system for the tutorials, a structure that I can easily follow. I also figured that it was time for me to get involved with the young ones again.”
The program also has fresh graduates such as Arianwen Ledesma. “Through KA•T•ON, I want to challenge myself by taking on the role of a mentor, capable of nurturing and honing the potentials of our country’s future,” says the 17-year-old. Arianwen is a recent senior high graduate and the only Filipino who was awarded in the Science and Engineering Fair in Arizona in 2016 for her work with moringa (malunggay) seeds.