So it’s our 20th update since the longest lockdown in the world started last March. It’s been a challenging time, a rollercoaster of events, guidelines, and government recommendations.
Our biggest news for October is that our kids are back to school! Sort of. In this update we go into some of the details of how that’s been processed and managed given the pandemic and government curfews.
He Said, she said… Then He Said. And She Said again. And Then Someone’s Cousin Said. And Their Step-Sister’s Uncle Said…
The first challenge was knowing what would happen. With different guidelines and announcements from different government departments, the situation can kindly be described as ‘a total mess’. Government announcements stated that kids weren’t allowed outside their homes (for over half a year now), and yet other government guidelines expected the students to go pick up their modules, possibly a tablet, or join online classes – despite the obvious fact most students in areas like Payatas have no internet connection in their 9m2 house.
This has meant that students are trying to attend their online classes with only a medium level of stress, inconvenience, and anxiety about whether local officials will scold them or even arrest them for it. Yes, kids have been detained here, and families fined 2-3 days’ wages for it.
Back to School. Sort of.
In the first week of October, classes began. While some students receiving a whole semester’s worth of modules and lesson plans, others have online classes all morning and some afternoon. So it’s been a challenging adjustment for everyone. Teachers seem somewhat confused as to the rules, so everyone’s just figuring things out at this stage. It would be a lie to say it’s all going really well. It really isn’t.
But we have to adjust to the situation and try our best to support our scholars. One silver lining throughout this pandemic is that our older scholars have really stepped up to help. Now a group of our older scholars each advise a group of 7 or 8 younger scholars to help make this transition a little bit easier. For some that means practical support in getting online, while for others it means extra tutoring to help with their modules.
With our EQ Club and Youth Group able to restart on weekday evenings (5:30pm-7:30pm), we do have the social and emotional support for our kids extended. Run by one of our College scholars, assisted by one of the younger advisers each weekday, more and more of our programs are being run by our first generation of graduates.
Payatas FC Supporters Club
And now for those in the Philippines, there’s an exciting development with the Payatas FC Supporters Club! You can get your own welcome pack including your own jersey and more Payatas FC merch. At the same time, you support one of our players’ family hampers this Christmas and helping our older kids learn to coach instead of scavenge.
We are working on our PayPal for monthly subscriptions (Philippine banking has extra requirements), so we do hope to have this set up soon. In the meantime, enjoy a teaser for our Payatas FC comics above and if you’d like to join the Payatas FC Supporters Club, you can join using the google form below! Those within the Philippines can sign up for the full pack, while those outside can get the digital welcome including the English translation of the comics, and more.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1OkBzs0IFmGcI4SEdCqygOULCUgL53zJRMLX5XWu8xRk/
As always if there’s anything you’d like to know more about comment below or Contact Us for more specific inquiries.
But for now, that’s all folks!
Fairplay For All Foundation 