The home of writing: Journalism Workshop

Elizabeth Gilbert, author of the best-selling "Eat, Pray, Love" gave us a hint on where our home is: that something you love more than you love yourself. Just like Elizabeth, writing has always been my home, and I am more than willing to share my writing to anyone who's willing to learn. I have been requested to conduct a five-day workshop on Journalism writing to both teachers and students in my alma mater Mercedarian School, which started last Friday. I was honored to give something back to my elementary school and was more than willing to teach the teachers and students there.

I was informed that the writing skills of both the teachers and students should be honed better for them to develop critical thinking and apt writing and comprehension skills, and so I started with the basics of writing and composition and paragraph writing. It was good enough that the teachers were very inquisitive and proved that they want to improve their writing skills by volunteering their answers every time I gave them an activity on writing. The school's guidance counselor, Mr. Ted asked very good questions that went beyond critical thinking. Other teachers raised questions and gave good answers whenever I asked them to prove their answers to my questions. 

The third leg of the workshop will be on letter writing which is very essential for the students for they shall write request letters, business letters and the like all through out high school and college. Finally for the Journalism club, the fourth and fifth lectures will be on Article writing which includes news, features, sports and editorial writing, and lay-outing and designing of a mini newspaper or newsletter.

I would not have shared this knowledge to my alma mater and to the teachers and students if not for my good foundation and training under Ms. Josephine Bonsol, school paper adviser of LHS Courier in Lagro High School who also graduated at UP Diliman and continues to write in her blog www.jobonsol.net. She has been my mentor since second year high school and I keep coming back to sit in her classes in Journalism every now and then.

Bayan Mo Ipatrol Mo Tayo Na: Be aware. Be informed. #BMPMTayoNa

While most of us, especially the younger generation are virtually living in the overwhelming realm of the social network I can't help but ask: just how many of us are informed with news and current events? Just how many of us inform ourselves with such relevant information? And most importantly, while I often see a lot of Avengers Alliance and Diamond Dash application requests in my Facebook account from friends and a trending #SirChief1stHUGtoMaya and other endless rants on Twitter, I can't help but wonder: just how many of us use these social media networks to properly educate ourselves?

From Ako ang Simula and Boto Mo Ipatrol Mo, ABS-CBN News and Current Affairs launched their new  campaign for clean and orderly elections this coming 2013 as Bayan Mo Ipatrol Mo: Tayo Na #BMPMTayoNa with media and bloggers. Hosted by Ms. Jing Castaneda, the campaign promotes a new application for IOS and Android phones that helps patrollers to easily report any campaign-and-election-incident to ABS-CBN and more importantly to help them secure their identities as patrollers. One can also be updated with the latest events about election and be informed about Halalan 101 through the application. 

As a Linguistics student and a blogger, I truly learned a lot  from the conference especially from blogger-journalist Inday Varona who discussed about citizen journalism. I also had the chance to ask their method of information dissemination about this campaign especially to the younger generation who, even though are very much exposed to the social network and are only one click away to relevant information seem to be not too aware about such current events. She said that there is no "shortcut" to this problem and ABS-CBN and the BMPMTayoNa team are currently improving and developing their campaign to be able to reach out to the youth.

I also learned about the experiences of other bloggers about the campaign period especially from my mentor Ms. Josephine Bonsol who for seven years has been assigned as BEI during barangay elections. I realized how much such teachers sacrifice their lives being hostaged and kidnapped because of the endless political "wars" that seem to be more evident in barangay elections. I also learned a lot from head of ABS-CBN News and Current Affairs Ging Reyes, blogger Flow Galindez of www.angsawariko.com and Richard Paglicawan of www.lionheartv.net.

As my mentor Josephine Bonsol always say: the change should always start with us, and we should start by being aware and by being informed with relevant facts. The campaign truly made me more aware about the election system in our country and made me realize that even though I am still young I also have the power to change the system.  I may not be able to show it by marching on the streets, but I can definitely write and share these kinds of advocacy and campaigns through social media networks and pass on to every one of my 1 039 friends this message that may change our lives forever.

2010 Journalism Summer Training at Ciudad Christhia from June 4-6: A Refresher Course

I have to deeply thank Ms. Josephine Bonsol (now a famous food and lifestyle blogger) for letting me experience and join the summer training for campus journalists at the Ciudad Christhia 9 Waves Resort last June 4-6. I did learn a lot of new things and boost my confidence in my writing skills.

June 4

My mom accompanied me to San Francisco High School, where the delegates would be fetched by the vans and school yellow cabs to Ciudad Christhia. At around 4pm, we were all gathered at the Eucalyptus session hall for registration. At the opening ceremonies, Mrs. Ligaya A. Regis, Education Supervisor I in Journalism for Public and Prviate high schools, welcomed the 71 campus journalists and shared reflections about the training.

"You get what you expect," started Mrs. Regis, and told the young journalists to have open minds to learn more. She also stressed the reflection that "life asks of every individual a contribution and it is up to that individual what it should be."

"Affirmation of success." Mrs. Ligaya specially inspired the campus journalists to keep on repeating a positive thought, "because what one thinks will always be a reality."

At 6pm after the students were given their respetive rooms, they had dinner, and Ms. Josephine Bonsol and Ms. Christina Feliciano distributed night tickets for those who wanted to swim at the 9 Waves Resort from 7pm-8:30pm.

June 5
Ms.Josephine Bonsol earlier reminded us that breakfast would be from 6-7am, then the seminar would start at 8am.

Bagong Silangan school paper adviser Mrs. Marissa Ruca first taught Pagwawasto at Pag-uulo ng Balita. She reminded us that copyreading seriously needs a lot of concentration and carefulness. She practiced us with a few articles and later gave us copies to copyread in one hour. I definitely learned a lot from Filipino copyreading especially about the symbols to be used.

After a snack at about 10am, Mr. Moises L. Tarrobal, E. Rodriguez Jr. High School paper adviser, taught us Pagsulat ng Lathalain. He gave us a start by teaching the basics in feature writing , and introduced the different lead styles to start a good article. He made the journalists write a lathalain about the new president of the Philippines.

After lunch, Mrs. Ligaya Regis trained the young writers in editorial writing (also her principal field in journalism). She taught the step-by-step process of drafting, starting and ending a good editorial, with the kinds of lead styles. She also instructed the journalists to write an editorial about sex education.

At around 4:30pm after another snack, Mr. Moises Tarrobal returned to discuss Pagsulat ng Editoryal. He introduced the different kind of editorials (persuasuve, criticism, and argumentative), and cited articles of each kind, identifying their differences in structure and style.

June 6
Ms. Josephine Bonsol shook the journalists' cranky bones and muscles first thing in the morning by teaching them basic yoga exercises.

Mrs. Marissa Ruca first gave her evaluation in our work in Pagwawasto at Pag-uulo ng balita and also gave oral exercises. A North Fairview High School journlalist got the highest score.

Mr. Moises Tarrobal also gave his evaluation, giving only three words: Sawimpalad, Bukaspalad, and Mapalad.

Dr. Elizabeth Meneses, DepEd NCR Supervisor, next gave her lesson in feature writing.She discussed the types of feature articles and stressed that emotion with vivid descriptions is the key to a good story.

She also shared the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing article: The Girl in the Window: The Feral Child, and let the journalists ask questions about it.

She also made them write a feature about the Pinoy Big Brother Teen Clash of Channel 2, and later, declared a Quezon City Science High School student to be the best.

After the 10am snack, Carlos P.Albert High School paper adviser Ms. Milet Alcala discussed Copyreading and Headline writing, and gave refresher exercises.. She mentioned facts, grammar and correct figures are the important factors in editing a copy.

Quezon City Superintendent Dr. Victoria Fuentes visited the seminar during lunch. Mr. Eulogio Pebres, school paper adviser of Balingasa HS then lectured about Pagsulat ng Balita. He reminded the journalists the importance of structure and objectivity. He also let the writers evaluate his student's winning articles in the 2010 National Schools Press Conference in Tagum City, Davao del Norte.

Mrs. Ligaya Regis first evaluated the writers' editorial articles, then food blogger and Lagro High School paper adviser Ms. Josephine Bonsol discussed Newswriting. She stressed the importance of gaining authority when reporting or writing a news article, and also knowing the latest events and current affairs through reading.

At around 4:30pm, Ms. Christina Feliciano called for the closing ceremonies, where Mrs. Ligaya Regis, Mr. Eulogio Pebres and Edbert of the School of Saint Anthony gave their final words of inspiration and evaluations on the training.

It was all worth it. The accomodation in Ciudad Christhia was amazing, especially their service of food and the food itself. I enjoyed swimming in the resort, and watching Travel and Living in their cable television all night made me learn new and more wonderful things.All the mentors in the training really gave inspiration and new lessons in my journalism class.

All thanks to Ms. Josephine Bonsol!