"THIS is not just about drawing and coloring, this is about caring for the environment," a young boy said during the culmination of the art workshop spearheaded by Kinaiyahan Foundation Inc. (KFI) in Sibulan village, Davao City, a predominantly Bagobo-Tagabawa settlement.
That the boy said this just shows that the groups and artists with KFI, Ric Obenza of Kalapati Art Group, Philip Somozo of Lunhaw Dabaw Artists, and Dodo Karani of Tambara Group were successful in their pilot workshop of inculcating care for the environment through art for children.
The Saturday workshops started last March 18 after the idea was presented to the village council headed by chair Rosita Abalayan, and the Bagobo-Tagabawa tribal council as well.
In between learning how to draw and being allowed to play with colors, the children were given inputs on proper waste disposal, waste segregation, as well as learning the importance of trees and the environment.
It culminated with an exhibit of the children's works at the village center last April 22, in time for Earth Day. The villagers brought food, potluck style, and enjoyed the feast after the ritual and culmination program.
The residents and village officials were all excited about the exhibit as it was the first time that the villagefolk celebrated Earth Day right in their barangay.
Both child participants and the adults who attended the culmination program were asked to stamp their fingerprints on a mounted piece of paper that Obenza turned into a painting of a tree to symbolize the residents' commitment to care for the environment.
As the series of workshop ended, there was a loud clamor for more. KFI through its chair Mila Teves and executive director Betty Cabazares are looking forward to holding more, especially in the other sitios of Sibulan village in order to reach more children.