Goducate … Go And Educate! – Page 75 – Helping Asians Help Themselves

2014-05-232014-05-26

Goducate in Laguna holds 5th summer workshop

Goducate in Laguna, Philippines, held its 5th summer music workshop on May 13-16. The summer music workshop is an annual event at which the musicians receive some intensive coaching, where they are assessed as to whether they join the orchestras (junior or senior), and where newcomers are taken into the program.

This year there were 86 students participants, including 10 from the Morning Star Montessori School (at which Goducate conducts music lessons), and 5 who are taking private music lessons from Goducate musicians.

19 volunteer teachers conducted the workshop. Some musicians who had attended the workshops in the past served as teachers and facilitators. This practice of Goducate beneficiaries sharing with others the skills they have acquired through us is something that Goducate encourages.

Individual and group teaching were given at the workshop. The workshop culminated with a ceremony at which students showed their skills and certificates were awarded for various achievements.

The follow-up teaching will continue every Saturday afternoon.

Sarah, a student in previous workshop, teaching the violin

The youngest participants showing how to bow on open strings

Students with awards for hard work and dedication at the workshop.

2014-05-202014-05-22

Goducate starts GMorE initiatives in Indonesia

Because of the economic, nutritional, and medicinal benefits of Moringa oleifera, Goducate has recently launched the GMorE initiatives in Indonesia. GMorE is an acronym for Goducate Moringa Explosion, which underscores the relevance of training and assisting needy Indonesians in the production, processing, and utilization of Moringa.

In the Philippines, Moringa is widely accepted as vegetable by all households. The recent declaration of Moringa as the country’s national vegetable and November as the national Moringa month by the Philippine Congress has highlighted further its importance to the Filipino diet.

In Indonesia, however, a not insignificant percentage of the whole population still remains unaware of the vegetable although it has been promoted by the World Health Organization for the past 20 years as low-cost health enhancer in developing countries.

As strategy to encourage Indonesians to grow Moringa, Goducate is putting up a Moringa Demonstration and Training Center in Medan, North Sumatra. It has also partnered with farming and business entities in Bandung, Jakarta, and Pekan Baru for Moringa production in areas ranging from two to five hectares. The resource endowments will be provided by the partner-groups while the technical assistance will come from the Goducate agricultural team.

Through GMorE, Goducate envisions to impact the lives of Indonesians by teaching them about Moringa and the numerous socio-economic benefits that can be derived from it.

Planting the first Moringa seedling in GMorE demonstration and training site

2014-05-16

Goducate team conducts lifeskills training in Government City College Hyderabad

Goducate has completed a lifeskills training program at the Government City College, Hyderabad. This 85-year-old college is one of the oldest and most famous in the city. It is a constituent college of Osmania University and offers both undergraduate and postgraduate courses. Its campus, with its architecturally magnificent and imposing building that has been declared a heritage monument by the Andhra Pradesh High Court, is situated some 40 km from Goducate’s Global LifeSkills Center.

The college authorities selected some 60 students for this program, and between November 2013 and February 2014 a team from the Global LifeSkills Center went over went over to the college every week for 14 weeks to conduct the program. The sessions were activity based, with time for questions and answers. Every session was lively and well received by the students, who responded well. Even members of the faculty attended the sessions. Some of the topic covered were: getting along with people of different behaviors, being confident, goal setting, time management, thinking out of the box, and team building.

In keeping with the aim of the Global LifeSkills Center to prepare the young for the global world, the topics covered are issues that students will face as they go through their college education and after they graduate. We hope that the participants learnt principles that will help them face challenges in life.

We will probably be returning to the college when the next academic year starts in June.

Faculty and students attending a session

With some of the students in the library