M.A.D. invades Iligan City
Joining the fiesta celebration of Iligan City, M.A.D. (Making a Difference), a nationwide volunteer youth organization, touched down the City of Majestic Waterfalls for the I am M.A.D. Camp, a three-day outreach project for youth volunteers engaging learners to become passionate in championing love for others, love for the environment, love of country, love of parents, and love of God.
Host school Doña Juana Actub Lluch Memorial Central School (DJALMCS) in Pala-o, Iligan City, gathered 50 Grade 5 and 6 learners as participants. Parents witnessed how 21 volunteers provided the learners with valuable lessons in various activities such as teambuilding, activities promoting self-awareness, arts workshops, games with emphasis on discipline and collaboration,
dialogues with parents. The participants received bags of school supplies sponsored by the University of Canberra, Australia.
Aside from the learners, more than a hundred youth leaders attended the M.A.D talks, a threehour sharing of anecdotal experiences of the volunteers with the theme: Nagmahal. Nasaktan. Nagvolunteer.
Mark Conrad Ravanzo, founder of MAD, shared his story on engaging his heart through volunteerism. Since 2009, the group has reached 31 areas across the Philippines, mobilizing more than 250 volunteers and involving almost 1,400 learners.
“It’s always fulfilling to speak in front of the Mindanaoan youth to inspire them more to make a difference,” said Ravanzo.
With these milestones, the group was named one of the Ten Accomplished Youth Organizations (TAYO) in Malacañang Palace and received the 2016 CSR Youth Awards for Community Service, Sustainability and Responsible Citizenship of Benita and Catalino Yap Foundation and Deloitte.
For MADventure, the team went to Tinago Falls and Mimbalut Falls including the Macaraeg-Macapagal ancestral house. Also, the group donated some school supplies to 148 Internally Displaced Pupils or IDPs from Marawi City. IDPs are learners from Marawi City who were victims of the siege and have enrolled at DJALMCS.
The activity was a huge success because of the concerted efforts of the 52 school teachers of DJALMCS, the LGU-Iligan, the AFP security taskforce, DepEd Iligan, and the private sector which gave their commitment to the group.