Story by Aimee Malingan | M&E Officer | Heifer Philippines
Photo courtesy of Agriculture Training Institute Staff
A workshop reflection by Aimee Malingan, Heifer Philippines M&E Officer, who joined the Heifer team just recently and attended the Cornerstones Workshop with Agriculture Training Institute (ATI) staff.
The Cornerstones Workshop (CSW) is aptly titled for it truly is a foundation in setting a mission and even a vision, not only from the perspective of a development worker but also as an individual and a social being that seeks change and development.
Heifer Philippines was invited by ATI, the training arm of the Department of Agriculture, to conduct a Cornerstones Workshop (covering Heifer’s 12 Cornerstones for Just and Sustainable Development) for 4-H Club coordinators. Natividad C. Oandasan, a training specialist and the Rural-Based Organizations (RBO) focal person for the Cagayan Valley Region, initiated this endeavor after attending a similar workshop for various regions of the Philippines.
A three-day workshop designed for the 4-H Club coordinators in the five provinces of the region was held March 13-15, 2013, in the training center of ATI Cagayan Valley Region (Region 2) in San Mateo, Isabela. The participants were a mix of veteran and new coordinators, but were in agreement on their impression that the Cornerstones Workshop is an enlightening experience. Many of them had been working in development for a long time, but learning about the Cornerstones, Heifer’s development work and Personal Leadership Development either confirmed their commitments as coordinators or made them evaluate their individual capacities to deal with their commitments.
A 4-H Club is an organization of young people ages 15-30 involved in agriculture programs and livelihood projects. 4-H stands for head, heart, hands and health. The 4-H coordinators basically facilitate the involvement of the youth sector in their respective communities in productive agricultural and economic activities. The workshop made them realize that in the process, they are actually Passing on the Gift®?a Heifer Cornerstone?of their commitment to help in pushing the youth in the right direction.
One participant said, “As a 4-H coordinator working with the youth, if only our young clients also will be able to Pass on the Gifts we try to pass on to them, then there will be a much more friendly world for the youth to thrive on instead of a cruel one they try to survive in. That would be the best legacy for the next generations to come.”
