The Links of Volunteerism: Alay Ni Ignacio 2018

"Ngayon na naranasan nating mabigyan ng pagkakataon na magkaroon ng angat na edukasyon at mga bagay na higit pa sa isang pabaon. Mga ‘pips’ magpatuloy tayo dahil may dapat pang baguhin sa nayon. Nandito tayo para pag dumating ang oras na tayo na ang bagong alas, ‘Pips’ tayo ang magbabago sa lipunang kumupas; na tayo naman ang hinihintay ng magandang bukas."
— ANI 2018 Valedictorian Jedidiah Abraham in his graduation speech
 

 

Alay Ni Ignacio (ANI) is a community of high potential college student volunteers who strongly believe in the ability of the Filipino youth to work for positive change. With the passion to give public school students a fighting chance at a brighter future through education, ANI embarks to provide academic and leadership formation to equally high potential public school students. 

 

 

It started in the year 2000 when a group of Ateneo college sophomores responded to the call of being “men and women for others.” What began as a simple summer school offering advanced classes in English, Math and Science has since led to a comprehensive program called Pathways to Higher Education that has since nurtured over three hundred high potential public school students from high school to college graduation - students like Jedidiah who dreams not only for himself but also for the country.

 

Youth Helping Youth 

ANI has also become a vibrant volunteer initiative that has embraced college student volunteers from other colleges and universities. Now, you find college volunteers everywhere forgoing their summers to share their time and talent with public high school students. 
 

 

For Raven Ico, the Marketing & Communications Head of the ANI Executive Board 2017-2018 and an ANI Tutor-Adviser, what she thought would be a one-summer deal has today made an impact in her life. “Back in 2016, I had no idea what ANI was and a friend of mine just invited us to teach a class for the summer. I joined my friends but I had a lot of apprehensions back then. Despite this, I  continued because I really felt something special about this org [organization] and had a gut feeling that I’ll miss a chance of a lifetime if I didn’t join. Two years later, I am still in ANI and really believe in its advocacy of providing the youth with quality education,” she says. “ANI taught me how to love selflessly. ANI showed me that as a youth, it is never too late to create ripples of change for other people. You should not put a measurement on whatever you give to others as long as it is sincere. It showed me that you can do some things on your own but it becomes easier when you have a supportive community with you that shares the same values and principles that you have.”
 

Raven isn’t alone. All ANI volunteer tutors and advisers share the same passion and come together to help educate tomorrow’s leaders. Although they come from different backgrounds they are united by their energy and desire to make a difference. In efforts to supplement what the kids learn during the regular school year in their own public schools, the Academics Unit of ANI tirelessley prepares the modules to be used for the summer classes. These are then reviewed and approved by faculty consultants in the Math and English departments of the Loyola Schools of the Ateneo to make sure that what they produce are effective and in line with the education curriculum of the Philippines. 
 

From April until May this year, ANI organized its 18th summer school teaching incoming grade 11 public high school students. This year’s ANI “kids” are the first to undergo ANI’s newly-designed curriculum, where they were able to develop 21st-century skills through integrated activities in the main subjects. The students learned English and Communication to hone their written and verbal communication skills while they were taught Math—Research Statistics, so they may develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills. All these in efforts to have these students be on equal footing with their private school counterparts in terms of readiness for college. 

 

Inside Classrooms 

 

There are so many tiny yet treasured moments that the tutors and advisers remember when recalling their summer experience with ANI. Tristan Lazo, ANI Volunteer Adviser, speaks fondly about his time in ANI as a homeroom adviser. “I had a lot of fun spending time with the kids, getting to know other volunteers, tutors, and other ANI personnel and eventually becoming friends with them and that was one of the best experiences I had this summer. And of course your [my] relationship with the kids, these kids are really special, there is a certain energy to them... and that one hour you spent with them you realize it’s not enough because you know, you’re just having a great time with the kids. And another thing that surprised me, that there’s something, there’s a lesson or there’s a lot of things that you can get from being an ANI adviser,” he says. “The experience wasn’t just fun, it was also a learning experience for me because I got to experience to be a ‘Kuya’ for these 23 kids and I learned a lot [about myself] from being their ‘Kuya’ for the summer— lessons that I will surely bring as I grow old and will definitely pass it on to my kids or who knows to the next  batch of ANI kids and I’m very thankful for that.”

 

More than the treasured moments filled with passion in educating the students, it is Tristan’s and more than 60 ANI officers, volunteer tutors and advisers’ goal to make sure that the youth they teach don’t just understand basic statistics or know how to write academic papers. ANI also works to bridge the gap between the students and becoming a well-rounded member of society. Inspiringly, such efforts are being realized in the lives of students nurtured by the program. For students like Willy Santos, ANI 2018 Leadership Awardee, more than the academic formation from ANI, the organization has also molded them to become better individuals. “The most important outcome that I can think of is that ANI changed me to become a better person. To become a person with values. To become a person that is committed to excel; has the affinity to learn; has integrity; has solidarity, and can serve the society. ANI influenced me to shine in times of darkness, Lux in Domino,”  he says.  

 

Family Culture
 

From being a small summer school program, ANI has now grown wide, producing a far-reaching impact on the lives of the people involved. More than just being an organization with the advocacy to educate and hone tomorrow’s leaders, ANI has also become a home— a family for people with dreams and passion in making a difference. As Rovalie Tamayao, ANI President, shares, “The culture of being a family in ANI is what makes us stick together until now. Despite the challenges in the organization and our personal hardships on top of that, this family never failed to make us feel loved. ANI is composed of lots of students with diverse backgrounds. For sure, you’ll find someone who shares a common interest or two. Apart from our vision of forming young Filipino leaders, these meaningful relationships formed within the organization fuel us to continue serving our advocacies. It is very fulfilling to see how these relationships developed from being mere ‘org mates’ to deeper and more meaningful ones. For me, this strong bond within the organization contributes greatly to the success of every effort we do....[But] what makes me very proud of being my org mates’ ‘Ate’ or ‘Nanay’ is their growth as they took part in the organization's efforts. I have witnessed so much growth in the EB, core and even new volunteers and members. EB and core members really became effective mentors of the younger volunteers,” she adds.
 

 

Moving Forward 
 

Eighteen years ago, that first group of ANI volunteers created a ripple that to this day, we see and feel the effects. Now, more and more students are inspired by the cause of empowering the underprivileged Filipino youth through education to bring positive change to our nation. 
 

“Within a term, there are very young members who stepped up and became project heads. Ultimately, I have seen more and more people appreciating the organization, and are willing to invest time, effort and love for our cause,” Rovalie shares. 
 

ANI has also inspired most of its students to pay it forward. Carrying with them the values and learning in their ANI journey, ANI students like Jedidiah and Willy are looking forward to serving for a greater cause and become part of ANI as volunteers in the future. 
 

“I am hoping that one day, with all the equipping that I had and would have, I would be able to serve the greater society, that even PHE-ANI is part of, not just as a way of giving back but of paying it forward," said 17-year old Jedidiah.

 

"What I look forward to is to share what ANI gave me. I remember a saying that 'knowledge not shared is nothing,' and this to me is important. I look forward to being a volunteer for the organization—a tutor, an adviser, an educator. I want others to feel what I felt in ANI. I want them to be moved as moved as me. I want them to share the same feeling of love, care, and satisfaction. I look forward to sharing and inspiring," added Willy, also 17 years old. 

 

Today, Alay Ni Ignacio with Pathways to Higher Education is as committed to sowing and nurturing the seeds of leadership in the Filipino youth today. 
 

To learn more about Pathways to Higher Education and Alay Ni Ignacio, visit us on Facebook @pathwaystohighereducation, Instagram and Twitter @pathways_ph or visit http://www.ateneo.edu/socdev/pathways.