Goducate … Go And Educate! – Page 113 – Helping Asians Help Themselves

2013-04-162013-04-16

Goducate’s staff in China undergo training at Goducate Training Center in Philippines

Recently, four members of Goducate’s staff in China were sent to Goducate Training Center (GTC) in Philippines to be trained for 6 weeks. At Goducate, we believe that we should equip our workers with the best training so that they will be prepared for and be effective in their respective fields. We felt that the best way for the Chinese members of staff to do this was to be submerged in GTC culture.

Over the 6 weeks, the Chinese team worked on improving their English. Some of them spoke little English at the start, but by the end of their stay they were confident speaking English. The Chinese team also shared their skills with the other trainees in GTC. They taught Mandarin to the other trainees at night and even held a dumpling- making session, teaching the trainees more about Chinese culture and cuisine. The Chinese team attended a few classes and discussions on how to organise activities and camps for university students. More importantly, they had the opportunity to practise what they had learned by conducting games and activities for the children in the community and during the English camp that was held in GTC.

During their stay in GTC, the Chinese team were able to spend time with the local people, to learn how to be cross-cultural and to interact with people from different cultures. We believe that there is a need to be global, and this was beneficial to them because China is growing so fast and there will be many foreign students going to China to study and many students going out of China into different countries. The team went into university campuses and were able to spend time with the students, sharing about their culture and learning about another culture. They also had the chance to spend time with families in the community, visiting homes surrounding GTC, learning the needs of the people there, and sharing part of their lives with the locals.

The trip has been very beneficial to the Chinese team. They have returned to China and have already started planning activities and camps, excited to apply what they have learned. We are looking forward to sending more of our workers from China to be trained in GTC in the near future.

Talking about dumplings in Chinese culture

2013-04-122013-04-13

Children in Sabah learn cultural appreciation

Although the main focus of the training at the Goducate learning centers in Sabah is literacy, we try to give the children an all-round education, which includes character building, livelihood skills, sports, and the arts.

Three years ago the children at the main Goducate learning center in Sabah started to learn Pakiring, a traditional dance popular in the southern Philippines and Sabah. They were taught by one of the mothers, who had been a Pakiring dancer in the southern Philippines before she moved to Sabah several decades ago. Her classes were held at her house and attended by the students at our center and by some other children attending the government school. In 2011, 4 of this teacher’s teenage pupils won first prize in a Pakiring contest in town. This year, we plan to have Pakiring contests during Hari Raya Aidil Fitri at our learning centers, and the winners from the various centers will compete at our main center.

Pakiring is variant of Pangalay, a traditional dance of the Tausug tribe in Sulu Archipelago and the Badjao tribe in Zamboanga del Sur, Philippines. Pakiring is commonly performed at weddings and other festive gatherings. Dancing Pakiring emphasizes the agility of the upper body and rhythmic bounce of the shoulder with simultaneous alternating waving of arms. It also emphasizes the movement of the hips (Kiring- Kiring), and it requires flexibility of the shoulders, elbows and wrists, all of which make it a very distinctive Asian dance.

Dancing comes naturally for most children, and it can help them develop cognitive, social, and creative skills. Learning their traditional dance helps them to appreciate their own culture. It will also divert their attention from some of the unhealthy activities that youngsters at a loose end get into. Besides, it’s fun.

2013-04-092013-04-10

Goducate Training Center welcomes first corporate guests from abroad

Goducate’s tagline is “Helping needy Asians help themselves”. Since Goducate expects the people we help to help themselves, it ought to practise what it preaches. Hence the Goducate Training Center in Iloilo was designed such that it could be made as self-sustaining as possible. To feed the staff and trainees rice, vegetables, and fruit are planted, and egg-laying hens are reared. On top of that, the center has several recreational facilities, to encourage visits by paying guests. It is one of the places that people in the province—mostly families, schools, companies, and individuals—enjoying going to, either on day trips or for short stays, for relaxation, recreation, and retreats.

At the end of last month, Goducate Training Center welcomed its first corporate guests from abroad. MHC Asia, Singapore, one of Goducate’s strong supporters, chose the center as the place to bring its employees to for an incentive trip. The group of 20 spent 2 nights at the center, staying either in the holiday villas or in the center’s “Sky City”..

The guests had fun harvesting vegetables and collecting eggs. They savored Filipino dishes as well as the mangoes and coconuts. They enjoyed boating, whizzing down the zipline, rock-wall climbing, fishing, and horseback riding. They delighted in hotdogs and marshmallows over a campfire with new Filipino friends. And they loved watching the stars under the cool night sky.

One of the highlights of the trip was the visit to the communities Goducate is helping. They were able to mingle with the locals and learn some of their culture. They were touched by what they saw and were moved to want to help these people in the future.

One thing lacking at the Goducate Training Center is good access to wifi. But this was actually a plus point for corporate types who spend most of their time glued to computers or smartphone. What a relief it was to be able to really get away from work.