SUGPAT gets good review from UNICEF

SUGPAT Arts for Youth Development Project under the Ateneo Center for Culture and the Arts underwent its first Project Implementation Review today, October 11, 2016.

Marlon Viejo, Focal Person for Adolescent Development And Participation (ADAP) UNICEF Mindanao Field Office, conducted the review. He cited ACCA’s detailed documentation of the SUGPAT project being one of the strengths of the implementation. He also commends the Ateneo for its excellent reception of the beneficiaries of the program. That the SUGPAT students, apart from what they get out of the program, were also given free meal stubs and were allowed free use of student lockers and other school facilities speak greatly about how open is the Ateneo in welcoming them into the community.

Also present during the review were Rachaelyn Castor, Monique Eijansantos, and Marcelina Carpizo of the Life Skills for Peace Project under the Western Mindanao State University Peace and Human Security Institute. The project implementation review is done periodically by UNICEF as part of monitoring its various projects. The next review will be conducted sometime in December.

SUGPAT Alternative School for Peacebuilding and the Arts (SUGPAT-ALSPA) is a special alternative learning center for artistically inclined and talented out-of-school adolescents . The 8-month scholarship program will cover the beneficiaries’ food, training, uniform, art supplies, and learning materials. Learners who complete the program are eligible to take the Acceleration and Equivalency (A&E) exam of DepEd. When they pass the A&E exam, they will be awarded a Certificate of Completion for Junior High School.

SUGPAT-ALSPA implements a special secondary alternative learning system curriculum integrating the DepEd ALS curriculum and the ADZU Peace Education Curriculum through two major art tracks: Visual Arts (Painting) and Theatre Arts. The program, on its first month, was officially launched September 7, 2016 at the Ateneo de Zamboanga University Carlos Dominguez Conference Hall. During the launch, the pioneer batch of 30 art scholars was presented.

Prior to launch, the ACCA underwent an Alternative Learning System (ALS) training from the Department of Education last August 15-17, 2016. Master trainers from the Department of Education Alternative Learning Systems Program conducted a 3-day Trainer’s Training to the SUGPAT team which focused on understanding the Alternative Learning System (ALS) of DepEd, the approaches in teaching ALS, the ALS curriculum, Baranggay Mapping of prospective learners, methodology of conducting ALS, monitoring and evaluation procedures of ALS, counselling, roles and functions of an implementing manager (IM), and a Demo Teaching session.

“For the first time the ALS division of the DepEd of Zamboanga City has tied up with a partner that came up with an idea that not only develops one aspect of the child, which is education, but aims to develop the child’s total personality,” Engr Eulalyn R Fernandez (Focal person for ALS Division, DepEd Zamboanga) told the SUGPAT team during the last day of the training. She further shared, “We would like to say our end product here is to come up with leaders of the community and you being the person responsible for giving them an avenue or opportunity, that’s something big.”

The 30 art scholars, prior to being chosen to be a recipient of the scholarship grant, took and passed a Functional Literacy Test (FLT) administered to prospective beneficiaries of the program last August 20, 2016 at the Campion Lecture Hall.  Having passed the exam, they then proceeded to the talent test and background check before officially making it to the roster of the pioneer batch of the program.

“ACCA is beyond grateful to UNICEF, DepEd and ADZU for trusting us to create and spearhead this pioneering model in Zamboanga City.” says ACCA Director Kiko Miranda.

“This
is an ambitious project for ACCA, UNICEF, and DepEd. An art school plus
ALS plus Peacebuilding for our OSY who dropped out of high school.“

–Kiko Miranda
Director, Ateneo Center for Culture and the Arts
Artist-mentor for the Theatre Arts track-SUGPAT-ALSPA