Upon reaching our senior year in high school, we are required to take part in a learning program called SCALE, which stands for Service, Creativity, Action, and Leadership. The SCALE program is essentially a skill enhancement program that allows us to discover and learn new hobbies and interests, and to improve on skills and competencies we already have. On my part, I decided to take part in two activities.

Having learned from my early years the lifestyle of the young people of the Focolare Movement who live the Golden Rule, “Do unto others what you would like others to do to you” (Mt 7:12), it became spontaneous for me to throw myself into joining activities that would benefit those who are most in need.

The first activity I joined is called Project Seed. It is a youth-led initiative and a fundraising project that aims to promote the culture of the Bagobo Tagabawa tribe in our province.

This initiative uses different social media platforms to raise awareness so as to help the tribe have a sustainable food source in the area by equipping them with tools they need to boost their agriculture. One of the concrete proposals towards our aim of helping raise funds was to hold an online concert. For an added boost to our concert, we needed a theme song. So my friends and I decided to put our heads together to make our concert’s theme song. I took part in the production as well as the conceptualization, planning, arrangement, and mixing of the song.

The concert turned out to be a success! We were able to raise 47,558 pesos! Although I felt I did not contribute much to the project, I was happy to have been a part of it. Furthermore, I know that our beneficiaries were incredibly happy with the amount we managed to raise for them.

The continuous lockdown due to this pandemic poses various challenges to our learning abilities. Some experience physical and mental fatigue. Instead, others take advantage of this occasion to learn diverse skills and discover talents that have not been enhanced in a regular classroom setting.

So, for my second activity, I chose baking. I was not well-versed in this culinary art, but a friend of mine told me to try it with her, so we did, but separately. Both of us tried baking an assortment of pastries and other delicacies for about six weeks. We struggled a lot on the way, but to say the least, what we managed to make was particularly good.

Pushed by the desire to live the culture of giving, we shared the fruits of our labor with our family and friends, and in the end, we got a lot of kind words and appreciation for what we were able to produce.

More than the high marks that I usually get from my teachers at school, the smiles from the faces of my parents filled me with joy! One remarkable lesson I got from this recent experience is this: that little acts do count if they are done out of love for the people around us. I am sure that these acts of love for my family, friends, and people in need will multiply if I continue daring to care for others!

Gian Paolo Plariza