"Buhay Ko sa Smokey Mountain" aims to teach 25 scholars from the Smokey Mountain Community how to document and share their lives via prose, photos, videos through personal blogs. The workshops will be taught by prominent Bloggers, Photographers, Writers and Directors. The Manila Jaycees, together with Young Focus Foundation, are working together to empower these kids with the tools and skills to tell their story.
Tags: Mobile Lifestyle
By Marjorie Gorospe
MANILA CITY, METRO MANILA – Children living in the infamous Smokey Mountain dumpsite can now share their everyday lives and likewise their dreams through blogging.
Through the initiative of the Young Focus Foundation and the Junior Chamber International (JCI), a project called “Buhay Ko sa Smokey Mountain” was initiated to teach select Smokey Mountain children to write blogs.
“One of the most effective therapies for children is to let them express their feelings. Teaching Smokey Mountain kids to blog is also one way of giving them equal opportunity to be connected to the World Wide Web despite their status in life,” says Alvin Tsoi, co-founder of the BuhayKo.Org
Aside from writing blogs, some 25 Smokey Mountain children were also taught how to take photos and videos to add to their blogs.
Tsoi says the project taps professionals like photographers, cinematographers and writers to conduct seminars for the 25 Smokey Mountain “scholars.”
“Our aim is to empower these marginalized kids through blogging. It is sort of a therapy for them and they were all excited when we introduced the project,” Tsoi says.
He adds that the project also aims to tell kids that there is also a future in blogging as a profession. “They get exposed to these kinds of professions and this can be their alternative profession someday if they want to,” he adds.
As part of the project, a special Young Focus Center was put up in Smokey Mountain where the scholars can use computers and cameras.
Seventeen-year-old Jovelyn Andia, one of the Smokey Mountain scholars, says she is thankful for being selected as one of the students taught to use the computer and camera.
“Pinakapaborito ko po itong blogging seminar namin kasi natutunan ko hindi lang pagsusulat pero pati pag-eexpress ng feelings ko at natuto pa ko na gumamit ng camera (The blogging seminar is one of my favorite sessions because I get to express myself and learn how to use a camera),” she says.
She says she can even visit the center to do research or assignments in school. Through this project, she says she now has an alternative career, like putting up a small photo studio in their area someday.
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