“It seems like yesterday when my fellow girls attended the Community Mentorship Sessions. We were still shy, silent, and uncertain of what to expect. But session after session, I realized that I was slowly changing. I witnessed my transformation as each session unfolds. Who would have thought that in months’ time, I would become a better person – for myself, my family, and my community,” one of the girls delivered her success story during the culminating activity held last July 12 to 15, 2022.
The Community Mentorship Session is one of the activities under the Life Skills Plus Program of FundLife Int. in partnership with Consuelo Zobel Alger Foundation. The program introduced 18 sessions of non-academic and self-development topics to adolescent girls aged 14 to 17 years old. These topics cover Child Protection, Adolescent Reproductive Health, Self-Awareness, Leadership, and Mental Health & Physical Wellbeing.
The mentorship began last March 2022 in different areas of Lapu-Lapu City (Marigondon National High School and Sta. Rosa National High School) and Mandaue City (Tipolo and Guizo) and was facilitated by Youth Mentors Danica and Shiela, respectively. Each learning session was conducted every week for two hours to 25 adolescent girls who were pre-selected by the partner schools and communities. A total of 100 teenage girls completed the session with all 4 communities.
The Community Mentorship closed with a session on Mental Health and Physical Well-being. During the last day of the mentorship, the girls were taught how to become more responsible, and how to take care of their mental health. It was thoroughly facilitated by a life coach and mental health advocate, Mrs. Jessielou Loquias.
After which, the girls had fun and remarkable yoga session with a Cebuana Yoga Instructor, Ms. Heide Capangpangan. To cap off the day, FundLife Int. gave recognition to the Community Girl Champion, and other exemplary awards: Be Active, Be Brave, and Be Creative, to name a few.
There are four more communities that will end the Community Mentorship Sessions in the coming months. Although sessions will end, the organization and the youth mentors strongly believe that these girls will share their knowledge and skills with other girls in their community. Equipped with passion, and dedicated to reaching more girls, they will form strong ripples of change that will become impactful and useful in their respective communities.