Emerging Lessons in GK Volunteerism: Voices of the Youth on the Ground

Volunteerism, like everything else in today’s society is changing. We all have busy lives. Generally, when people volunteer, they expect more than just a chance to give. Some volunteers are looking for personal satisfaction, others may want to develop job skills and contacts, gain recognition, learn new skills or improve their communities.

And then we can ask, what makes young people volunteer for Gawad Kalinga? What lessons can we learn from their engagement in working with the poor for nation building?

This study aims to document the reasons or factors that led the youth to be involved in Gawad Kalinga, what knowledge, skills and values are learned and imbibed from their involvement in GK. This study also looked into the effects of GK involvement in the lives of young people and to draw out from the GK youth volunteers the changes in how their views.

The study made use of focus group discussions involving two groups of respondents – the community respondents through the GK Balangayan Butuan volunteers, and the FSUU student volunteers. The community respondents are the GK Balangayan Butuan volunteers. They are those young people who are involved in the GK community in Pagatpatan in Butuan City. The FSUU GK volunteers comprised the FSUU graduates who were involved in GK during their college years, and the current student volunteers.

Father Saturnino Urios University strives for the full development of every member of the Urian and the greater communities. It seeks to provide a relevant education to its pupils and students based on the social realities of the communities in which FSUU is serving. The Community Extension program of Father Saturnino Urios University fleshes out the university’s vision of continuing the work of Christ for the wholeness of society through its concern for the marginalized sectors of society through the various CES programs with adopted communities including the GK communities in Butuan City.

The groups of respondents differ in the length of their involvement with GK. The difference in the length of GK engagement shows the continuum of the respondents’ journey in awareness and commitment as they shared their thoughts and experiences on why they volunteered in GK.

Why volunteer in GK?

The FSUU respondents traced their involvement in GK through their volunteer work with the Community Extension program of the University. Others heard of GK and became involved in GK Build through their relatives. After their involvement with the Build, they opted to volunteer to the University’s Community Extension program and continued their involvement with GK.

A number of the respondents cited that at the start they volunteered because they have vacant time and they want to use it by getting involved. Others got involved in GK because they want to gain friends. From just having a way to spend their vacant time and gaining friends or being influenced by friends, their involvement had grown to a level of commitment to be of service to others. As one respondent said, “At first, I am confused. It is not my cause to serve. I was just influenced by my friends to be involved and I was interested in the activities. But then my initial involvement made me realize that there are people who are in need and who experience poverty more than I do. In a world of plenty, a huge number go hungry. Hunger is more than just the result of food production and meeting demands. The causes of hunger are related to the causes of poverty. One of the major causes of hunger is poverty itself. We don’t even have to look far, we have in Butuan City a good number of poor people. The poorest of the poor of Butuan are crying for help to live with dignity befitting the wonderful creation of God.”

Another respondent shared the following reflection: “I am grateful that my parents are able to send me to school, to enjoy having enough food on the table, and to feel the comfort of having a bed to sleep on at night. But I began asking myself - are these also the experience of our poorest of the poor brothers and sisters? Can a child whose parents cannot afford to send to school even dream of a beautiful future? Can the families who live in makeshift and dilapidated houses afford the comfort of the bed I sleep on? Can the families of my brothers and sisters whose houses are built on land that they have no property right of think about security of abode? Can I who at least enjoy three meals a day, with a house to go home to at the end of the day, who enjoy the benefits of education that FSUU offers, who have at least some “baon” to spare and whose parents can afford to engage in some form of recreation turn my eyes away from the needs of my brothers and sisters who are suffering from want?”

These realizations and questions and their experiences with GK brought significant changes in themselves and how their involvement changed the way they view others, the future and the meaning of service.

GK and I: Effects of my Involvement

The respondents value the camaraderie experienced and of helping one another in every task especially during the build. One respondent said “Every time I see the house, I remember that I helped build the house.”

“I was able to discover my leadership skills” as one respondent said, they also cited the growth in their leadership skills, and that “I can serve even without enough financial resources, for as long as I can encourage others to help.”

They reported to learn to become more considerate and to adjust to the kids. They said they learned that service and commitment with passion are very important.

“We became mature in handling problems. The GK experience is a part of developing critical thinking where we help in making decisions to problems.”

The respondents also cited their learning in the construction skills. They have learned to appreciate the value of cooperation and what this can bring about, “…it is very unique because every department in the University is cooperating.”

As a result of their involvement in GK, they have learned the values of self-discipline, sacrifice, patience, being considerate, charity, respect, service, and selfless love – of “giving love, giving to others without asking anything in return. It is not important that we be recognized of our efforts because this is already recognized in the Kingdom of God. We can also build houses and communities with a future and for them to help others.”

“Before my involvement with GK, I view other people with little respect. But when I became involved in GK, my respect with other people increased.” For them, service is not just a task. It is also a privilege. The development of the community is a continuous process of reaching out to others, of knowing the problems of the people, of helping them to dream their dreams, and of facilitating that they can work to make these dreams to reality. They reported that they learned that socializing with others does not just mean getting information from them but also to make friends, that the true spirit of unity amidst cultural diversity and varied orientation is possible, that teamwork does not just mean doing the responsibilities assigned to the person but also having the same passion and learning together, that multi-tasking means being flexible and versatile for one to better respond to the needs of others and to better the journey with them.

The respondents cited that their faith in God became stronger and learned that all can be heroes. GK did not just give back to the poor their dignity but GK also brought back the consciousness of the volunteers of their own dignity.

“We as Sibol teachers persevere to help our students to be the best they can be by encouraging them to dream, and to guide them to persevere and develop their skills and talents. We are proud to see our former students in Sibol who are already in college. We hope that these kids can also do something for the country and contribute to the welfare of the nation.”

The change in the way the volunteers think of themselves and their potentials and of how they think of the world also influenced their families and their neighbors. As one respondent said “… as my whole life changed, I also invite my neighbors for change… and their views and aims became higher.”

“I see and feel the gratitude of the people. I see that development is a process. Hindi siya biglaan. I see a better future for the country because of the zero poverty effort of Gawad Kalinga.”

Conclusion

The study has shown that the youth’s engagement with Gawad Kalinga had improved the student-volunteers’ view of their studies, their relationship in the family and peers, their spirituality and their commitment to nation building. Furthermore, the showed how the volunteer-respondents view other people, their meaning of service, community development and the future of the country and how their views have changed as a result of their involvement in GK.

The Bible talks of the miracle of the multiplication of the bread, when five loaves of bread and two fish were able to feed thousands of people who came to listen to Jesus. The youth volunteers have appreciated the gifts and talents God gave to each to be used for the good of the community. These were seen as each one’s bread and fish to be shared to build liberating communities such as the GK communities. Collaboration in the mission consists in placing Christ’s hands the little that each one has in terms of talents, generosity, time, finances and expertise. The youth volunteers believe that Christ will multiply whatever is surrendered to Him into more than what they can ever foresee. They affirmed that in the process of sharing each one’s “bread and fish”, to take interest in the lives of those who have less in life, to take the courage to stand for their well being, each one personally grows together with the community.

The disciples of Jesus too were afraid in seeing the thousands of people they have to feed with only five loaves of bread and two fish. Building the GK communities seems a very big and daunting task. But the youth volunteers are not be afraid because they know it is what God wants them to do. They know however, that their involvement with GK requires from each of them a self-emptying and the generosity of heart. They have realized that in the little ways and things that each one gives when put together makes this big task surmountable. Building GK communities is an opportunity given to each of the youth volunteers to give the best of who they are as persons, as children of God and to become a BAYANI. It’s the little acts of saving their baon to support these activities, the little act of giving up the not-so-important expenses and parties and programs so they have something to share together in the spirit of BAYANIHAN.

These volunteers are among the many BAYANIs of FSUU and Butuan City to help not just in the building of houses but also in the building of the community. As the Motto of FSUU goes: Luceat Lux Vestra, or Let your Light Shine, the youth volunteers have let their light shine in this BAYANIHAN spirit of building a community through the Gawad Kalinga.