Librarian-Storyteller: Ann Grace Bansig

Librarian-Storyteller Ann Grace Bansig shares her answers to my questions before we had our storytelling session in Sambat Elementary School with Sambat Trust scholars.

1. What motivated me to volunteer? 

Volunteering is my passion. It was intensified during my college days where I was a member of a socio-civic organization that visit institutions. Now, this passion is being sustained by the many volunteering opportunities in La Salle through our Social Action Office, Book mobile project and other personal endeavors. So, in short, its within me. 

2. What is my personal goal as a storyteller? 

My personal goal is to foster love for reading and develop life-long readers. It is my advocacy now to spread awareness about the many benefits of storytelling to children. 

3. What is my volunteer-storyteller experience prior to this activity? 

I have a lot of storytelling experiences prior to this activity. I usually do storytelling whenever we do Bookmobile project. I also volunteered in ATD Fourth World Philippines in the previous summers. And being a Reading major, storyelling is very essential as we advocate for a literature-based reading program.

4. What are my expectations from this experience?

I don't really expect much but I do hope that the students that we catered during the small group storytelling session realized how reading can make a difference to their lives. 

Librarian-Storyteller: Martin Julius Perez

Martin Julius Perez shares his answers to my questions before we had our storytelling session in Sambat Elementary School with Sambat Trust scholars.

1. What motivated me to volunteer?

 At first I’m reluctant to join due to a busy schedule, but then I decided to volunteer. As a librarian and an advocate of reading and learning, I think I can help and contribute to this activity. I’m thankful that when I was younger, there are people who would share to me stories that inspired me and touched my life. This time, it is my chance to return the favor to the younger generation. I hope to inspire them with these little acts of mine.
 

2. What is my personal goal as a storyteller?

 When telling or sharing stories, I just want to put smiles in the faces of these children and to inculcate in their minds and hearts positive insights, values and lessons that will, in some way, have an impact in their lives. I want to promote reading for learning and for leisure, and to make them appreciate every story, whether it is short or long, simple or complicated. I want them to realize that in every story there’s something to learn and there’s an idea to capture for the development of their imagination and outlook in life.
 

3. What is my volunteer-storyteller experience prior to this activity?

I think the last time I volunteered for a storytelling activity was in an outreach program for patients of a children’s hospital in Quezon City. Also, aside from this, I love to share children’s stories to my little cousins at home.
 

4. What are my expectations from this experience?

I just wanted to have fun and to share what I have to these children. While they are learning, I think I will also learn from them and from their stories too.

Librarian- Storyteller: Gee Ahne Kathrine dL Giray

Librarian-Storyteller Gee Ahne Katherine dL Giray shares her answers to my questions before we had our storytelling session in Sambat Elementary School with Sambat Trust scholars.

1. What motivated me to volunteer? 

I was motivated to join when I saw your last bibliotheraphy for the Yolanda survivors. Ever since, I want to do a storytelling outreach not only for experience but also for the positive effects that it could do to the children. Reading/ listening stories are not only for leisure since it could instil such golden values that could hone their moral being; such values that they could keep while they are growing up.

2. What is my personal goal as a storyteller? 

My goal as a storyteller is to give food for thought and sparkling smiles. I want to touch the hearts of the listeners with the story and the way I’ll be delivering it. I also want them to realize the essence of listening to good stories that will eventually lead them to appreciate reading. I’ll feel very fulfilled if anyone of them shall become a book lover 

3. What is my volunteer-storyteller experience prior to this activity? 

I am a Grade School Librarian. We are required to have monthly Library Instructions for each grade level. We usually conduct storytelling sessions for Kinder and Grades 1 and 2.

4. What are my expectations from this experience?

A very moving experience that I could remember for the rest of my life

Librraian-Storyteller: Cocoy Pineda

Librarian-Storyteller Cocoy Pineda shares his answers to my questions before we had our storytelling session in Sambat Elementary School with Sambat Trust scholars.

What motivated me to volunteer? 
 I am fond of helping children and wanted to learn how to effectively engage them through storytelling. 

What is my personal goal as a storyteller? 
To be the best! loljk. I just want to be that person who can inspire/motivate others.

What is my volunteer-storyteller experience prior to this activity? 
No “formal” experience yet. But I’ve tried storytelling before for LIS classes and library/community outreach.

What are my expectations from this experience?
Teach, learn and have fun.

Librarian-Storyteller: Michelle Arispe

Librarian-Storyteller Michelle Arispe shares her answers to my questions before we had our storytelling session in Sambat Elementary School with Sambat Trust scholars.

What motivated me to volunteer? 
I don't get to do library/literacy related volunteering anymore so i'd love to do it again. And it's different when you get to share what you can do without getting paid for it or whatever, feels fulfilling. 

What is my personal goal as a storyteller? 
There's nothing like being able to make kids happy after a storytelling, to make them enjoy a good story, to be able to provoke thoughts, and to be able to look at things from their perspective as every child is different in how his thinking is molded by his experiences at home, in the community, etc.

What is my volunteer-storyteller experience prior to this activity? 
None. Only read-aloud storytelling at work to kids from preschool to the second grade.

What are my expectations from this experience?
Every experience is unique, so i'd just love to be surprised and learn something new.

Librarian-Storyteller: Mennie Ruth Viray

Librarian-Storyteller Mennie Ruth Viray shares her answers to my questions before we had our storytelling session in Sambat Elementary School with Sambat Trust scholars.

What motivated me to volunteer?
Love for children especially how they see and embrace the world with such innocence and amazement.

What is my personal goal as storyteler? 
With stories, I'm hoping to inspire children to continue seeing the good things in our world, to hope and believe in the power of imagination.

What is my volunteer-storyteller experience prior to this activity?
 Before, I was invited to be a storyteller in our preschool unit. When I volunteer as yaya to my neices and when there were opportunities to do outreach programs involving children.

What are my expectations from this experience? 
Love!

Librarian-Storyteller: Darrel Marco

Librarian-Storyteller Darrel Marco shares his answers to my questions before we had our storytelling session in Sambat Elementary School with Sambat Trust scholars.

What motivated me to volunteer?
I really want to share stories as I know how powerful they are. They can touch and transform lives. They can even build a nation.
. 
What is my personal goal as a storyteller?
More than the telling of stories, I want those who will be able to hear them, to share and pass on those stories. At the same time, I also want them to create and share their own stories. Stories are power that everyone has and anyone can afford.

 What is my volunteer-storyteller experience prior to this activity?
I've been telling stories to LG and EED students for 5 years now! Usually read-aloud, but now I'm trying to venture into ala-Ms Z-style and digital storytelling. I also love to do volunteer storytelling to communities especially the minorities.


What are my expectations from this experience?
 FUN!

Think of a Philippines in which children love to read ...

Sambat Trust Turns Three!

Thank you for your amazing support for the past 3 years!

Nearly 4,000 children now have access to books and a school library.

To celebrate our 3rd birthday, every new supporter who "likes" our Facebook page this September will be matched with a £1 donation- up to £500.

www.facebook.com/sambattrustuk

£1 puts a local children’s book in a library, so please Like. Share.

Thank you for making a difference to children’s lives in the Philippines.

Lots of love,
Sambat Trust

Help A School Library Grow!

Event: Sambat Trust's Second Birthday Campaign for Ambulong Primary School

Target:  £5.000: 970 children at Ambulong Primary School, Batangas, Philippines, can have a library filled with 2,000 children's books.

Raised so far: ￡695.00: 139 children.

JustGiving page: www.justgiving.com/ambulongschool

Did you know we are celebrating our 2nd birthday this September? Sambat Trust became a registered charity in September 2010.

Thanks to you, over 2,700 children now have access to books and a functional school library in the Philippines.

To celebrate our 2nd birthday this September,we are raising funds to establish a school library at Ambulong Primary School, Batangas; a school with 970 children.

Our fundraising target is ￡5,000- so we can deliver 2,000 children's books to the school.

If you break this down, it costs just ￡5.16 to give each child at the school access to books and a functional school library.

Celebrate Sambat Trust's 2nd birthday! Go to www.justgiving.com/ambulongschool and donate just £5.00 to give a child at Ambulong Primary School access to books and a library.

Another School Library Grows in Tanauan, Batangas

Sambat Trust and Trapiche Elementary School will open the newly built library in the school located at Brgy. Trapiche, Tanauan Batangas on Saturday, August 11, 2012.

It is the seventh school library in Tanauan that  Sambat Trust helped establish.

Guest for the opening is multiawarded author, Mr. Russell Molina. He will be joined by Mr. Gerard Hidalgo and Mr. Ark Buenaobra, true blue Tanauenos, in the ribbon cutting that will follow after Mr. Molina's inspirational message to children, parents and teachers of Trapiche Elementary School.

Thank you to all donors, sponsors and supporters of Sambat Trust's school library project!

School Libraries in Teaching and Learning for All

This is part two of the paper I read during the ASDAL Conference's special session for Adventist school librarians.

 

Literacy Development through School Libraries: The Sambat Trust School Library Project

Sambat Trust is a UK based charity whose project on school library development in Tanauan, Batangas has benefitted seven schools in the town. Since 2007, Sambat Trust has involved the community, barangay officials and parents, in setting up a school library for the children in seven barangays in Tanauan. School leaders speak of the impact the libraries have made in the lives of pupils and students, so far. 

Dr. Carandang (District Supervisor, North Tanauan) believes that libraries develop confidence among students. She notices that students become confident if they see that their school has a library and other facilities. She narrates that a few years ago, she could tell which kid is from the bukid (farm) or mountain by examining their appearance. The bukid (farm) kid usually looks down and has diffident eyes. But now, students from the bukid (farm) can look straight and has more confidence. She attributes this to Sambat Trust Foundation’s project of installing libraries. She also recalls that before, the students and the teachers hide during school visits, announced or unannounced. But now, they have the confidence to say that they have a new library and other facilities.

Confidence brought about by the libraries sums up her program: Read Today! Lead Tomorrow! She insists that reading contributes positively to every child’s self-esteem and confidence. To reinforce Sambat Trust library installations, she has also launched programs that promote reading such as putting up mini-libraries inside each classroom. Elementary students also have DEAR (Drop Everything and Read) time, where each student is expected to grab a book and just read. They also have DEAS (Drop Everything and Share) time, where students share to their classmates what they have read during DEAR time. It ensures that students did read and would have a meaningful learning after reading.

The former school principal of Sambat Elementary School, Mrs. Emelinda Delante, mentions that the school library is one of the many factors that contribute to the school’s high achievement scores and students’ increased confidence to compete in local, regional and national academic contests and sports competitions. She said that the donated school library of Sambat Trust has been instrumental in this endeavor. Her teachers used the books in the library on top of the required textbooks.

Teachers do a variety of reading comprehension strategies from guided reading, silent reading, read-alouds and one-on-one reading activities. Low performing pupils are given priority. Teachers would call for them at lunch break and do a fifteen to twenty minute reading intervention. This happens from Monday to Friday until exam week comes in. The books in the library are materials used for such cases. During recess and dismissal, pupils could freely go to the library for reading time. Here, they get to choose books and a reading material of their choice and simply enjoy a quiet time reading.

There is no full time librarian assigned in the school libraries set up by Sambat Trust, however, school leaders supervise their teachers closely enough to use the resources of the library.

Librarians are Teachers Too. And more!

Madeleine Rex wrote in her blog, Word Bird, an essay that explains the necessity of school libraries in high school. I thought I was reading an essay by an experienced school librarian, but no, Madeleine is a teenager who loves books, reading and libraries. She cites sources and quotes experts in the field of school librarianship to justify her belief in school libraries as essential to the development of functional literacy and the enjoyment of reading fiction. 

Below is an excerpt of her essay which I took from her blog.

...librarians are almost as important as the libraries themselves. They are teachers just like any other….By giving librarians sufficient funds, schools are also giving them the means to buy the books and tools that complement the curriculum. In my experience, the librarian has been a friend. They listen to what students have to say about specific books or series, and they work to serve the students by stocking the library with the books they know the kids like to read.

We need more students like Madeleine Rex who will rally behind us. Who will campaign for us and the important roles librarians play in the school community. We can not do it alone. We need to look at teachers and school leaders who value the benefits that school libraries bring to the teaching and learning experience because they are the immediate partners we can work with. By working together, we can actualize the library services and learning programs we have for children and young adults. We need to see how library services for children and teens make a difference in the life of the young people it serves; that what we do now for them has a stake in their future. By being aware of the impact of school libraries and the services it provide children, teens, teachers, school leaders and the learning community, librarians and school libraries are must haves.

The stories I presented are personal in nature. Let us look at what research has to say about school libraries and the impact they have to the community they serve.

Sambat Trust's Giveacar Video

Like the video in You Tube and you become a part of Sambat Trust's literacy projects and reading advocacy in Tanauan, Batangas. It is as simple as that!



But you can also make book donations for its school library project and volunteer as tutors for its scholars. Reply to this post or send me an email via zarah.gagatiga@gmail.com.

Update on My Book Donation Project

At the start of August, I began a campaign for a book donation project. I posted this in Facebook for local donations and registered in JustGiving for friends abroad. So far, I got book donation pledges from Gwenn Galvez of Anvil Publishing and Blooey Singson, book blogger superstar and true blue Potterite.

The books will go to Sambat Trust's current library project, the Pantay Bata Elementary School. I've been helping the UK based charity as library consultant. Though books come from generous donors abroad, the library must be stocked with enough books to meet the 1:10 ratio set by the DepEd School Library guidelines. Visit my JustGiving page and Sambat Trust's blog to see the development of the school library project there.

It's the end of August and I am still keeping it open. There are so many children out there who need books. Pitch in and help a bit! It will go along way!

Book Donation Project

I have registered in JustGiving for my Books for My Birthday project. Click the badge below to see what JustGiving is all about.



This fundraising is for the school library project of Sambat Trust. The UK based charity's current project is the development of the Pantay Bata Elementary School library. As of writing, the library needs more books! So I'm pitching in a book donation effort.

There are two ways to help. One, you can donate old books and we can meet for pick up. I can also send a drop box address for this purpose. Two, go to my page in JustGiving and donate a few bucks. Your donation will go along way!

Books for My Birthday

August is my birthday month. I'll be turning 37 on the 15th. To celebrate, I've decided to come up with a book donation project that will benefit Sambat Trust.

Sambat Trust is a charity based in the UK but establishes school libraries in Tanauan, Batangas. It also runs a scholarship program for grade school, high school and college students of the locality. It started in 2007 and so far, it has set up five libraries in the area.

Visit the website of Sambat Trust. I'll be posting procedures on how books can be donated beginning today until the end of the month.

My Story Our World

We are surrounded with news. Some are good. Some are bad. 

Our world is full of stories. Some are good. Some are bad.

Rachelle Escaravage and James Connolly choose to tell the good stories of this world and drum up positive news to people from Timbuktu, to Nepal, to practically all over the globe. Armed with big back packs and even bigger courage, they flew in to Manila last week to film Sambat Trust's charity-advocacy project in Tanauan, Batangas. According to the duo, this project has been the most fun and easy given the warmth and hospitality they got from their Filipino host.

They visited two libraries that Sambat Trust spear headed to establish and interviewed the people behind the project. They met Ms. Ergoe Tinio, Marketing Associate of Adarna House and talked about the status of literacy and publishing in the Philippines today. The duo learned about the book-matching grant that Scholastic Book Fairs Philippines have been organizing when they met Ms. Enoy Feriol of Scholastic Book Fairs Philippines. At the end of their four day stay, Rachelle and James had six hours of footage and taped interviews to edit and compress into a quick five minute video that would showcase Sambat Trust's journey of helping underprivileged kids have a library of that they can call their own in their school and community.  

It's been an honor to witness how these two professional journalists work! Listening to Rachelle interview the teachers, students, principals and people from the children's book publishing industry was an edifying experience. From the many travels they have made in the past years, they have been touched by so many inspiring stories. Their role is to pass it on. 

Visit their site, My Story Our World for samples of the web videos they've done so far.

The Gift of Literacy is a Gift of Love

I have written about Sambat Trust in a previous post. It now has a spankingly new website by David Millward.

The charity is on it's way to building its next school library. People around the globe are making a donation. Giving is a gift of love. Give love to literacy development. Check Sambat Trust's website for donation procedures.

Book Talks and Literacy Initiatives

The Reading Association of the Philippines' Asian Literacy Conference is on its second day of consummation. The program contained a mix of local and international teachers, practitioners, professionals and scholars in the field of education, reading instruction and library science. It has, if my memory serves me right, five to six break out sessions of paper presentations, panel discussions and poster sessions. There are also literacy categories for every paper presented, posters displayed and discussion panels.

Here's a photo of my friend, Kinchay Villafranca, who had two sessions on reading and IT instruction in the middle years. As for myself, I had a panel discussion on the literacy initiatives of the PBBY -- The Salanga and Alcala Prizes; Wan Dey Isang Araw; Salaysayan; the National Children's Book Day and the 1st National Children's Book Day.

Yesterday, I was at the National Library of the Philippines for a lecture on Reading and how it shapes the mind. It was organized by the Book Talk Society of the Philippines. It's president is Prof. Mike Cobaria who was my former professor at the Philippine Normal University.

I had the opportunity to book talk four of the books who made it to the Best Reads 2010 - 1st NCBA. I could tell that it was at that time when the participants were engaged all the more. Another highlight of the day was the inclusion of Sambat Trust's grass roots school library development project in Tanauan, Batangas. At the end of my lecture, donated books were turned over to Pathways to Higher Education for the high school libraries they help develop.

There are more library and literacy activities slated for the month of November. I'll be blogging about those I will attend and conduct. So stick around for more news on the literacy and literary scene in Manila!

The Spirit of PaperTigers Project

Seek and you shall find. Ask and it shall be given.



Many thanks to Pacific Rim Voices and the The Spirit of PaperTigers project for these books. Recipient of the donations is the Wawa Elementary School Library.