Waiting on the world to change

Sometimes volunteering can be as fun as hanging out with kids while teaching them the basics of 1-2-3 and A-B-C.

MANILA, Philippines - It’s hard to be young. For one, most of us haven’t really figured out what we want to do yet. There are so many things we can become and what scares most of us is we don’t know if it’s the right path to tread.

But being young also means that we have time to figure it out. We can explore our interests and discover what we can possibly do to affect change. And sometimes, changing the world doesn’t mean doing something groundbreaking like finding the cure for Ebola virus or finally abolishing corruption. Sometimes, it can begin with something as small as a learning center.

In its own way, this is what A-HA Learning Center is trying to do. Every week, the organization calls out young volunteers who can help teach kids from first grade to fourth year high school. Since the organization started in 2009, they have held classes for over 150 public school children in Makati. Aside from traditional subjects such as english, math, and science, the center also guides their students’ emotional and spiritual growth through catechism classes.

The learning in A-HA is not a one-way street; even the volunteers discover something about themselves through their interaction with the kids. Take it from Elise Montinola, A-HA’s center manager.

Elise graduated from University of the Philippines Diliman with a degree in Comparative Literature in 2013. At 23 years old, she has dabbled in various writing pursuits until a common friend recommended her to Jaton Zulueta, owner of A-HA Learning Center.

Elise says that she was immediately infected by Jaton’s passion and joy for A-HA, which intensified when she finally visited the learning center. “My instincts were cemented when I came to the place and talked with the community — sons, daughters, nanays, tatays, and volunteers, old members and new — who all have an equal place at the center’s table and had come to call it home,” says Elise.

After a few weeks of volunteering, she found a place in A-HA as their center manager. Even without any formal teaching background, her desire to help out and seeing the kids develop and grow made her stay. “They come out so much stronger than you could have ever taught them to be,” she says. Even though A-HA only offers a couple of three-hour classes every week, the affection and care of the volunteers touch the kids’ lives in more ways than a typical classroom setting could.

Just like most of us, Elise is still trying to find her purpose and how she can possibly affect change. “I think keeping an open, discursive, and humble mind when volunteering can lead to a wealth of self-discoveries,” she says. Maybe the first step in changing the world is understanding one’s self and the only way to do that is to explore the possibilities.

***

A-HA Learning Center is located at 9708 C Pililia St, Rizal Village, Makati. They are currently looking for volunteer teachers for their Monday, Wednesday and Friday classes. For inquiries, e-mail them at ahalearningcenter@gmail.com. For more information, visit their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ahalearning