In a rural state university in South La Union in Northern Philippines, the Communication Society (CommSoc) is reinventing the methodology of community development. An organization I co-founded in 2022 with a cohort of student leaders who share my whims for community change, CommSoc has been the fruition of my PhD scholarship at the University of the Philippines Los Baños.
With the awards conferred by Raniag ken Boses ti Agtutubo (RBA) – La Union Chapter, a local organization in the Province of La Union, CommSoc recognizes the values it holds dear and lives by its mantra “ripple the power to empower.” The ripples we (re)produce began in grand ideas raised in classroom discussions transformed into humble, locally grounded projects that respond to socio-political and environmental issues surrounding our community.
Socio-political projects. With CommSoc’s collaboration with the Agoo Youth Development Office and the local government, we pioneered TAPATAN 2023: The Agoo SK Debate to promote civic engagement and critical voter education. Our humble community has also steered the Rehistro Don Mariano, performing community theater to counter dis/mal/misinformation and barnstorming classrooms to increase voter registration.
Eco-diversity projects. Other than our commitment in socio-political advocacies, CommSoc has held campus rallies and produced communication materials to bring science closer to the consciousness of every Filipino student. Our partnership with Lupon ng mga Indibidwal na Nangangalaga sa Kalikasan, Inc. (LINK) has paved the way for meaningful community dialogues for environmental stewardship. This synergy enabled CommSoc to participate in eco-educational tours and visit community schools for Green Lectures and pakikipagkuwentuhan sa kanayunan (community storytelling and socialization).
Project ideation for development. As our civic duty to community change and development, we have mounted a series of leadership training within and beyond the campus as our form of knowledge-sharing. Our signature project, the Sinagtala Leadership Training, has trained hundreds of high school and college students from community organizing to project implementation through special lectures, group workshops, interactive presentations and eventual project implementation.
As I always emphasize in my everyday classroom pedagogy, as guided by Freire’s (1970) participatory communication and education, with knowledge comes the beautiful burden to give back to our community. I say that the more knowledgeable we become, the less burdened we should be, especially that we have the power to make change one step at a time. Echoing Freire’s (1970, pp. 71-88) philosophy and methodology in community work, “…the true word…is to transform the world” through genuine development projects that aim “for the emergence of consciousness and critical intervention in reality.”
With these humble practices that continue to guide the trajectory of our shared futures, we aspire as a community to “ripple the power to empower.”
To know more about the Communication Society, scan the QR code below or click here.
Reference:
Freire, P. (1970). Pedagogy of the oppressed. The Continuum International Publishing Group Inc.
Blog contributed by Ernesto C. Collo, Jr., PhD, chair of the BA Communication program and adviser of the Communication Society of Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University, Philippines.
Dr. Collo finished his Doctor of Philosophy in Development Communication at the University of the Philippines Los Baños. He teaches and publishes research in the areas of development communication, community development, and science communication. He has contributed opinion pieces for Rappler and Regional News Group (RNG) Luzon as a community journalist. He strives to be a community builder and wishes to pass on this passion to his community in the province.
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