SU, PNVSCA celebrate Volunteer Month with forum, symposium

Silliman University (SU), through its Office of Community Engagement and Service-Learning (OCESL), partnered with the Philippine National Volunteer Service Coordinating Agency (PNVSCA) to celebrate National Volunteer Month through an online forum and symposium, December 3 and 5-6, 2022.

SU President Betty Cernol McCann also signed a partnership with the PNVSCA during the symposium to mainstream volunteerism for development.

 

The role of volunteers

The celebration opened with an online forum focused on “The Role of the Filipino in Sparking Hope, Creating Solutions, and Responding to Pandemic Challenges.”

“The COVID-19 pandemic has stretched our abilities to endure uncertainties, infections, and changing ways of life. Yet, we have persisted. We have claimed to reclaim humanity by accepting vulnerability and embracing the capability to create conditions for human development and a sustainable future. This is the silver lining in volunteering that is much brighter as the world sets into the new normal,” said Novee Maestrecampo Jr., OIC director of the OCESL.

SU student leaders Alexandra Kaye Tuale, founder of the Gift of Hope Initiative, and Franz Jullian Sevilla, vice-president of the Renaissance Youth Leaders Forum (RYLF), shared their insights on the role of the youth in helping the community and the importance of volunteerism. They also shared their experiences as volunteers.

Kenneth Siruelo, OIC-chief of the PNVSCA Program Coordination, Monitoring & Evaluation Division, talked about the PNVSCA’s programs to encourage Filipino youth to volunteer.

 

International volunteering

SU also hosted the Symposium on International Volunteering, held December 5-6 online through Zoom and Facebook and onsite at the Silliman Hall, with the PNVSCA as part of the National Volunteer Month celebration and to celebrate International Volunteer Day.

The symposium focused on the role and contributions of international volunteers in fostering international cooperation and achieving the country’s sustainable development goals.

The symposium served as a venue for international and local volunteers, volunteer service organizations, members of the academe, non-government organizations, and government units and agencies to connect and exchange knowledge, experiences, and ideas on volunteering.

United Nations (UN) Secretary-General António Guterres; the Department of Foreign Affairs-UN International Organizations, represented by DFA Dumaguete Consular Director Joel Blas, and National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) Undersecretary Carlos Bernardo Abad Santos delivered keynote messages during the event.

The UN Volunteers-Asia and the Pacific presented highlights of the State of the World’s Volunteerism Report 2022, while the following international volunteer service organizations presented their insights on “International Volunteering in the Philippines: Past, Present, and Future”: Australian Volunteers Program, France Volontaires, Korea International Cooperation Agency, JICA Volunteer Program, Global Initiative for Exchange and Development, Inc., United States Peace Corps, and VSO.

(Photos by SU Camera Club members Gabriel Anjelo To, Dionley Claire Notarte, Craig Estrada, and Cindy Claire Telos)