Pursuing Persephone: School Library Advocacies That Keep Me Alive (2 of 2)

 This pushed me to seek what is out there to further my advocacies. What I discovered are an abundance of blessings and miracles big and small. I have learned to take the good with bad and which ever came my way, there is always grace. Allow me to tell you three short stories of recent advocacy activities and campaigns I pursued before the pandemic and during the pandemic.

For this part of my presentation, I will use the ROADS as framework. I invite you to listen and to think with me. Let’s do this together.

Advocacy Campaign 1 – Storytelling Festival @ the Children’s Book Summit 2017

Proponent: Zarah Gagatiga, PBBY Board Member Representing Librarians

Goal: To promote children’s literature, reading and literacy skills development

Objective: To gather volunteer storytellers who will tell stories to children

Partners: PBBY and NBDB, Publishers of Children’s Books, the UP Diliman Community

Readers	School aged children in K-6; public school students; volunteer storytellers
Opportunities	Build a community of readers and storytellers
Advocacy	Promote children’s literature, reading and literacy skills development
Development	Contributes to the growth of the book industry; the readership of PH children’s literature and the support needed by teachers and parents through the participation of storytellers
Sustainability (human capacity)	Long term investments on children’s literacy through partnerships with PBBY, NBDB, publishers and learning communities

 

Advocacy Campaign 2 – Storytelling for Growth and Healing Workshop for Volunteers of the Taal Evacuees

Proponent: Zarah Gagatiga, member PLAI-STRLC

Goal: To aid and assist first responders helping evacuees of the Taal volcanic disaster

Objective: To instruct and facilitate basic skills and know-how in the conduct of a developmental bibliotherapy session

Partners: PLAI-STRLC (Dr. Lindie M and Ma’am Rose V), DLS Zobel Librarians, The Nook, Co-working Space

Readers	Families with young children (K-6)
Opportunities	Learn basic developmental bibliotherapy; partake in community and empathy building
Advocacy	Promote children’s literature, reading and literacy skills development; Developmental Bibliotherapy
Development	Skills in developmental bibliotherapy; the readership of PH children’s literature; pakikipagkapwa tao
Sustainability (human capacity)	Strengthen skills and competencies of librarians and allied professionals in storytelling and bibliotherapy

 

Advocacy Campaign 2 – Reading Gives Hope! Books Bring Sunshine

Proponents: Zarah Gagatiga, Triccie Cantero, Enoy Ferriol

Goals: To promote and uplift the book industry especially the creators of children’s literature and to spread the message of BTS and what they stand for: inclusivity; hope; diversity and loving oneself

Objective: To conduct a book drive and book donation campaign for Ayta children of Sapang Uwak, Pampanga

Partners: Pearl ARMY; Peace Kamp; Dear Books; Volunteers from the PH Children’s Book Industry

Readers	Ayta Families with young children (K-6)
Opportunities	Learn about the culture of the Aytas; partake in community and empathy building; break the prejudice on ARMYs as 15-year-old screaming fan girls
Advocacy	Promote children’s literature, reading and literacy skills development; Understand an IG, marginalized groups as well as ARMYs
Development	Readership of PH children’s literature; growth of the PH children’s book industry; pakikipagkapwa tao
Sustainability (human capacity)	Spirit of volunteerism

 

These advocacy activities and campaigns are not perfect but I learn many things from the process and the people I meet and work with. Planning and implementing them is exciting and yes, labor intensive. Evaluation is essential especially in an operational or logistics level. Financing such advocacies are crucial too. Amazingly, when you work among and with like-minded groups, the money is enough but the gains in terms of relationships is limitless. My number one take away from all these experiences is that, the causes I believe in never grows old. They are always new and fresh but I consider them as constants.

I now have my eyes set on mentoring young school librarians or at least inspiring them to advocate for children’s books, reading, storytelling for growth and healing towards peace that is nurtured internally. Please wish me luck and do pray for me as I do same to you.

 

Maraming salamat! Borahae!

Source: What is Advocacy? American Association of School Librarians: Transforming Learners. https://www.ala.org/aasl/advocacy/definitions. Retrieved November 3, 2021.