Last Ten Hours at PAWS

…BECAUSE THIS IS MORE THAN JUST BEING A C.W.T.S CLASS

The hardest word to say, goodbye: My last Ten Hours in CWTS 2

Aldrin O. Soriano, CWTS 2- MRU| Prof. Arminda Santiago, Ph. D.

…A YEAR-ROUND JOURNEY TOWARDS CITIZENSHIP

            It seems like it was just yesterday when our CWTS Professor Ma’am Armi lectured the meaning of citizenship. She stated in her presentation what citizenship means, “[t]he philosophy that citizens should work towards the betterment of their community” (Santiago, 2010, in her notes presented to class).

            Surely, my Citizens Welfare Training Service 1 class last semester is an enlightening course, with the gazillions of readings that will surely equip you become a better citizen. Maybe, having embodying the knowledge that I have learned in class, I have been chosen by our organization the Order of DeMolay in our chapter, to talk about citizenship and about being Filipino. They said that my being in UP qualifies me to speak about the topic. But that reason didn’t come into my mind immediately because all I thought at first are the lessons I learned in my CWTS class, and that of Ma’am Armi. I can’t thank her enough for all the inspirations, motivations, and love that she gave to our class. Cheers to you ma’am!

…APPLICATION OF THE BASICS

            I got excite for another semester full of fun and laughter in Ma’am Armi’s class. This time, almost same faces were sat in the same room. Some were just added. Ma’am Armi said that this CWTS course will be on the application and that being a Mass Communication course; we should come up with a communication product for our selected NGO.  Nobody got to search for more NGO so ma’am said she will just contact those whom she knows.  I actually got excited for the NGOs where we will get our internship-like excursion. And when Ma’am Armi disclosed what NGO will we go and render service, I got excited because I have pets at home, and that I used to love them so much but when my favourite dog died, it was like I became less passionate about pets anymore. Thanks to this NGO I was able revive my love for pets and even their place!

…BEING ON A TEAM FOR ONE CAUSE

            I have to admit my group dynamics lessen if the people do not participate or coordinate that much. But I am very thankful to my groupmates, for understanding everyone in the team. We were tasked to create posters for the publicity materials of PAWS.

            Our group divided the tasks according to what each of us knows. Like for example, JP who is a Fine Arts major and also Katria who knows how to work in Adobe programs, that they know visual and graphic designs.  Natalie took over everything from the management and even the conceptualization of the designs. I really appreciate her because of this project. I was the one who wrote letters, and went to different offices just to get signatures from various people needed for our posters to be posted in different buildings within the campus.

             …OUR CALL FOR ACTION

                        Our group came up with two powerful posters which I personally believe can help students and individuals in the University to know more about PAWS. It is evident to people who I saw reading and smiling as they look at the posters.  It is also becoming a talk-of-the mouth wherein people whom I do not know and just got to walk with them are talking about the posters. I just wish that we can have another set of posters more for PAWS for them to have financial help for the pets in the shelter. The posters are located at the Vinson’s Hall and at the College of Music.

…A DERIVATIVE AND COLLABORATIVE ACTION

            It was great to know that my advertising professor Ma’am Eleanor Agulto is also a sponsor at PAWS and that she asked the class to create a publicity material, too for PAWS instead of just having a written examination. I told the class that my CWTS class under Dr. Santiago is also doing a project for the said NGO. It was a chance to narrate my fun and memorable moments with the pets at PAWS. I also shared what Ma’am Anna likes as a topic for the poster to be made since our group was the one who is in-charged for making the posters.

            The class was excited in doing their own publicity materials, too for PAWS and we were required to submit a PSD and JPEG files of our posters as the final requirement in that advertising class.  The poster below is my revised edition of what I was supposed to propose to my CWTS teammates but they already assigned people to layout so I kept this poster for my blog site. However, since our Journalism 151 class required us to create a pubmat, too. I will submit this one to that class.

…BECAUSE REAL PEOPLE HAVE FEELINGS TO HELP OTHERS

            I will always be grateful for this chance to be part a CWTS class which does not only go camping and wall climbing, but a class which embodies the real definition of citizenship training.

            To my classmates, and to Ma’am Armi, thank you very much for a year-round of learning and understanding ourselves for us to delve more into helping others. This CWTS class has helped me know myself more and helped me realize how big the world really is and that it needs more people working together as one for its community.

             This is more than just a CWTS class. This is the real world of real people serving.