PolSci Sophie is Youngest GSP Disaster Preparedness Facilitator

A Political Science sophomore is the youngest member of the Girl Scouts of the Philippines (GSP) pool of facilitators that spearheaded the workshop for women on disaster preparedness held October 27 to 29 in Cebu.

Shamah Bulangis, who is a volunteer cadet girl scout, was one of the facilitators of the workshop on “Disaster Preparedness, Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Services”. She helped manage 42 participants from the Visayas, majority were victims of two recent disasters: typhoon Yolanda in Northern Cebu and the 7.2 magnitude earthquake in Bohol.

A first of its kind, the workshop was designed to process the participants' experiences, equip them to cope successfully with trauma, and empower them in retelling their stories. It was also aimed at empowering the participants to better prepare as a community for a disaster before, during and after its occurrence.

Shamah, along with the rest of the facilitators of the workshop, underwent psychosocial response training in Manila a week before the workshop in Cebu.