Resource speakers from the culture and arts industry, as well as social services, shared their expertise and experience as volunteers in the arts and volunteering opportunities available to the arts sector/industry.
Councilor Artemio C. Andaya, Jr., a virtual artist and 2022 Search for Outstanding Volunteers Awardee, has traveled to different countries to volunteer and add color to people’s lives. He has shared his skills as an artist with indigenous people, including children, parents, out-of-school youth, and cancer patients. He shared that his most significant accomplishment is not the national and international awards he has received but the people who have benefited from his volunteer work and have learned the skills he has taught and shared. One of his initiative as an artist is Project Likha, a psychosocial intervention program that improves students’ artistic abilities and promotes mental health among students. He encourages all artists and participants to use their God-given talents as volunteers in the arts to improve the lives of others while also enhancing their own.
Mr. Mark David “MD” Cerezo, a multi-award-winning rubber artist and 2014 Search for Outstanding Volunteers Awardee, expressed that he uses his God-given talent in the arts to share, inspire, and make a difference in the lives of disadvantaged children. Dubbed as the country’s “rubber-man”, he runs his own business called “Gomang Sining na Pagyari sa Kamay,” for which 40% of the profit funds his volunteer activities. He encouraged the participants to use their God-given talents to inspire others, even in small ways.
Katoto Project, represented by its Founder and Chairman, Mr. Rowell Ybanez, is one of the 2022 Regional awardees for the Organization Category of the Search for Outstanding Volunteers. Katoto’s primary goal is to combat hunger, promote quality education, and preserve and promote Paete’s culture. They have launched projects such as “Kariton ni Katoto,” a mobile classroom, and the Jose CaanCan Memorial Sculpture Competition, which aim to unify aspiring young artists/carvers and rekindle their desire to preserve culture and the arts. Being known as the Carving Capital of the Philippines and the Arts Capital of Laguna drives them to do more to preserve and promote their rich cultural heritage.
Mr. Bely Ygot, Director of the PUP University Center for Culture and the Arts (UCCA), highlighted the importance of volunteerism in various art forms. UCCA is PUP’s primary artistic and cultural institution, promoting cultural awareness, understanding, and appreciation through cultural programs. Director Ygot highlighted that it is through volunteerism that they are able to get resource speakers, facilitators, and trainers for workshops and expose student artists to cultural activities. He closed his presentation through a phrase in their university hymn saying, “Gagamitin ang karunungan mula sa’yo, para sa Bayan.”
The Children and Youth Wellness Technical and Advocacy Center (CYWTAC), represented by its Founder, Dr. Marylendra “Neth” A. Penetrante, aims to provide equal access to mental health education and psychosocial services at the grassroots level. CYWTAC uses expressive arts, dance therapy, photography, and bibliotherapy as healing and emotional expression arts modalities and recruits and trains professional artists, counselors, psychologists, and social workers. CYWTAC also introduces creative spaces to schools and communities that do not have access to psychosocial professionals, makes art available to the community, and engages organizations and volunteers to assist and support their centers. Dr. Neth encourages participants to seize the chance to use art to heal and transform people. She ended her presentation with a quote from Confucius: “Wherever you go, go with all your heART.”
The presentations sparked much interest from the participants, who raised questions during the Open Forum. One of the issues was the difficulties that volunteer in the arts face. Dr. Penetrante of CWYTAC stated they do not experience challenges or problems with volunteers in their center. She explained that their practice is to entice and encourage volunteers to join them by involving them in every activity they do for the community and allowing them to see the impact of what they are doing. Director Ygot, on the other hand, expressed that one challenge is determining how to prioritize the interests of the school as a state university without jeopardizing the university’s vision and knowing the purpose within the community to which one belongs.
Artists interested in volunteering in the arts also sought Mr. Cerezo for advice. He responded that connecting with the other speakers and artists and learning from their experiences will give them more knowledge and ideas about volunteering. The question of how to fund the operations of the Katoto Project was also raised. Mr. Rowell emphasized that among the solutions they implement are good planning and innovativeness. He explained that the organization holds fundraising events selling various Katoto products and soliciting donations (Baryanihan).
Through Mentimer, the participants shared their perspectives on volunteerism in the arts. The majority of them consider art workshops and training in the community, as well as scholarship and outreach programs, as possible volunteer activities. On the other hand, they also shared that free weekend art classes, webinars, free training, outreach programs, and scholarships for less fortunate aspiring artists are some volunteer initiatives that can assist organizations and individuals in the growth of the arts industry.
