OECSL staff’s paper highlights community extension amid the pandemic
Novee E. Maestrecampo Jr., assistant to the director of the Silliman University (SU) Office of Community Engagement and Service-Learning (OCESL), presented a paper on how the OECSL has maintained its commitment to respond to community needs even during the COVID-19 pandemic.
His paper, titled “Sustaining Community Extension amid the COVID-19 Global Pandemic,” was presented during the 5th Colleges and Universities Public Service Conference (CUPSCon) last October 21-22, 2021.
In his paper, he explained how some students were able to experience and learn with OCECL how they can help in community outreach activities even during the pandemic.
Voluntary participation
With the OECSL’s outreach program as an example, Maestrecampo described that a significant feature of the outreach program is the students’ voluntary participation to conduct the community extension activities amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The outreach program, said Maestrecampo, supports the students’ desire to be active in community outreach while they were not on campus.
The OCESL provided a platform for students to create and lead activities online, such as social media advocacy campaigns and fundraising for projects that were translated to action and implementation by the different government and private organizations that were partners in the project.
The students’ active and creative community outreach projects can be attributed to an enhanced sense of social responsibility and volunteerism that is a component of the Whole Person Education (WPE) being espoused by SU.
SU’s community extension projects through outreach activities serve as a learning experience for students which nurtures the spirit of volunteerism.
Partnerships as key
Maestrecampo emphasized that partnerships with the larger community are a contributory factor to success in community outreach.
He explained that the success of the outreach program was also due to partnerships with appropriate government offices, private, community-based organizations, and non-government organizations.
For its outreach program, OCESL established a partnership with the City Social Welfare and Development Office, Environmental and Natural Resources Office (ENRO), the Sectoral Desk of Dumaguete City, the Community Jail Women’s Dormitory, the Dumaguete City Youth Home, the Dumaguete Sibulan Motorcab Operators, and Drivers Association and, Brgy. Bagacay, Dapdap Day Care Center.
The Philippine Dental Association-Negros Oriental Chapter and Silliman University High School Batch 1995 were the private organizations that also supported the initiatives under the 11 Days of Sharing program. These partners assisted in organizing the beneficiaries and provided logistical support.
CUPSCon was virtually hosted by the University of the Philippines Padayon Office of Public Service and the UP Office of the Vice-President for Public Affairs.
