Reaching out through storytelling

by: Mrs. Maria Cristina Cadiz

The Outreach Committee of Xavier School Parent’s Auxiliary of Nuvali (XSPA-N) headed by Mr. Jun Gamo III, launched a Daily Milk Feeding and Dental Hygiene Program for the children of Vesta Plains Day Care Center. There are 38 children with an average age of 4 years old. This program was launched on July 1, 2019 and just a month after, based on our monitoring there are no underweight children anymore. The community is so grateful that the parents, especially the moms of these children are so involved in ensuring the daily implementation.

Inspired by the success, the XSPA-N Parent Volunteers initiated a Story Telling session to enhance the program which started last Aug. 16, 2019 in conjunction to the Feeding Program as a way of giving back to this community not only in terms of nutritional benefits but also strengthening their mental and emotional well- being. The Story Telling will take place 2 Fridays a month and will run until the end of the school year. The objective of this Outreach Program is not just to keep these children healthy by strengthening milk drinking regularly, but also instilling the moral values that they need to learn through Story Telling. And of course, to make them happy even just for a short period of time.

Last August 16, I had the opportunity to meet these wonderful angels. I was very excited to volunteer first and my love for children brought me to this activity. It is truly a blessing to be part of this group. Before I started my story telling, I gave them a warm-up activity to liven their mood, you could really see the excitement on their faces. My story was entitled “Naaay! Taaay!” by Kristine Canon. The story is all about the never-ending pleas and requests of the children to their mommies and daddies, who just couldn’t say no. As I began my story, everyone was quiet and had a pensive look. You can really tell that they were participating as the kids were listening attentively and actively engaging by asking questions until the end of the story. Even some of the kids’ parents were there and listened to my story telling as well. For me, just seeing the smiles on the children’s faces and their eagerness to learn means a lot to me. It is truly an unforgettable experience.

After the story, I gave a post activity to the children. I told them to make a card or a letter, which they will give to their mommies and daddies when they get home. Everyone showed their talents in drawing and at their young age, I witnessed so much creativity from these children. Everyone did a really great job!

Through this Story- Telling activity, we do hope that we will leave an impact to all these children. I hope that they will apply and absorb all the values that they will learn from all the stories. I would also like to thank the English Department, headed by Mrs. Domingo, her team conducted a workshop on Effective Story Telling to ensure that the volunteer moms will be successful with their story-telling. Through this orientation, I have learned a lot of tips, especially on handling small children.

Special shout out to Malou Soyland and Jun Gamo III, who acted as my mommy and daddy to the role playing that we did. Thank you also to all the parents who came with me to assist me and the children in doing the post activity.

Great job, everyone, and on to the next Story Telling session!

Reaching out through storytelling

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