TWENTY-FIVE youth under the care of the City Social Services and Development Office (CSSDO) in Davao City were given the opportunity to undergo a values formation program by Davao Light and Power Co.
The program is patterned after the ropes course model done in a camp setting where values on openness in communication, teamwork, respect and trust for others, and leadership are being inculcated. It was implemented for Davao Light by the Project Challenge Foundation. The various activities were conducted at the Outland Adventure Camp located in Barangay Langub, Davao City from February 24 to 26, 2011.
The program is designed in close coordination with the CSSDO under Ma. Luisa Bermudo. The CSSDO is the department at the local government of Davao City that handles social programs such as those aimed at reducing the number of young individuals committing offenses, and bringing them back to the right path.
The ropes course activities allowed the participating youth to discover themselves, the potentials in them, their weaknesses, the role that the environment plays in the molding of their character.
The 3-day live-in camp included an experiential learning process that will involve every participant in low and high element exercises that create opportunity for them to conquer their own fear. Another innovation in the program module is the participation of the social workers handling them during the second day, and the actual involvement of the youths’ parents on the third day of the camp.
The social workers’ presence and participation encouraged the youth to open up and let out things harbored deep inside themselves. The social workers were there not only as social workers but as peers as well.
The parents, who came to the camp on the third day while the youth participants were out for a three hours hike and devotional, also underwent their own “immersion”. Their program was geared towards giving them models of ideal environment appropriate for their kids back home and in their communities. Their presence was also a manifestation of family support to a member seeking positive behavioral rehabilitation.
