They got involved

I decided to take the 3rd year of my Commercial Studies degree in Manila, starting in September 2010. I knew I wanted to do some voluntary work while there, and with a fairly light timetable was able to spend 2 days a week with LP4Y.

For 7 months I was in charge of Communication, with responsibility for the newsletter, the website, on-line donations, flyers, business cards, ID cards … and countless other little jobs that Jean-Marc would produce for me when I arrived at Valley Vista Village in the morning. I didn’t have time to get bored, and I really enjoyed the work!

It was immensely rewarding to feel that I was contributing something to this NGO which has so much to offer. And to participate in its growth! In 7 months the projects multiplied, the first results were more than satisfactory, and thousands of ideas were put forward. Providing that the necessary resources can be found I am sure these ideas will fast become reality.

I gave a few training sessions to the young people of Green Program: on communication, Powerpoint, and making ID cards and how to set up email accounts. It was amazing working with them; I got to know them better and we shared some wonderful moments! They have real potential and a great desire to learn and progress

I was also involved in all stages of the Green Program: calling clients, purchasing in Divisoria, packaging and delivery. These were unique experiences - among my most treasured moments in the Philippines. The young people are so impressive. They are very professional and they learn fast. At times it is hard to believe what their past lives were, or how they continue to live now, at home.

Let’s take the example of D.A. This young man, barely 18, has no father. His mother and 2 brothers are in prison. And yet he has amazing energy, a sense of humor, and a ready smile.

Another example: D, an ex-prisoner, is now the Green Program driver. He has said that his dream is to become Manager of the Green Program. He studies every evening at La Salle.

My favorite moment with LP4Y was when making deliveries with D and J. They were incredible, professional and adorable. I can still see J’s wide eyes as we arrived at the vast residences in Makati, and the clients’ smiles as he entered, greeting them with the few words of French he had learnt with the volunteers. We talked a lot that day. Spending time with them was a real life lesson, and left me with one desire: to continue helping them to make their dreams reality.

Elsa BECART, volunteer from September to March 2011

One week in the Green Program, by Helene, volunteer.

We gather round the table, and after removing their chewing gum and getting over the excitement of the first few minutes the boys are finally ready to work.

They have had to learn how to stand up straight and to shake hands properly: looking directly at the person they’re talking to. Each of them has been given an appointment diary which they place on the table, open and gradually learn to fill. This requires organizational skills – not something they acquired in prison.

The week is punctuated by the home deliveries of fruit and vegetables. On Monday they compile the orders and follow up those clients who haven’t yet submitted their order. How could one not be moved by these tattooed arms trembling for their first phone calls? As they accomplish tasks they have never accomplished before their self-confidence grows. Through role-play and practice they become accustomed to dealing with our clients, predominantly expats for the time being. “Thank you Ma’am, did you notice our special offer Ma’am?”

On Monday evening, we meet for dinner as the sales team finishes its day and hands over to the logistics team that leaves for Divisoria. This is a huge market where all the merchandise of Metro Manila turns over every night; a hotspot of dealing and petty crime, and a sanctuary forthe gangs with which our “budding entrepreneurs” may have once been affiliated. This time,their presence is driven by a quite different reason, that is to say the purchase of some 300kg of fruit and vegetables.

There is much to learn about selecting high quality produce. We talk together about why it is important for our client. For our image? Is price the only criteria? How do we best deal with fragile, perishable goods?

The following days are a mix of sales, logistics and training. The morning begins with reading the press. An entrepreneur must keep up with current affairs and learn to read between the lines.

The general debriefing of Wednesday morning is always very interesting as we are still in the early stages. Once more, it’s essential to look critically at what has been done and look for ways to improve over the coming weeks.

Then, between English lessons and computer tutorials, they launch the next week’s sales. The boys will also check prices in various supermarkets to ensure we are competitive. Logistics, IT, marketing: the tasks are distributed according to the skills demonstrated by the team in each area. It’s amazing to see how leaders emerge in different domains. And we must continue stimulating them to ensure that progress continues.

It’s awe-inspiring to see the boys, initially hesitant, gradually becoming autonomous within the program.

It’s incredible to watch as they push their limits and surprise themselves. It’s difficult to be fair to everyone. One is often tempted to neglect the pedagogy in favour of a faster performance.

We must then ask ourselves : what are the goals of the Green program? To make perfect and profitable deliveries? To create a real business? Or perhaps to give these young people the opportunity to build themselves through work?

If it is the latter we can rely on the collaboration of our customers who forgive the small inconveniences and allow us to continue to move forward. Even an imperfect delivery is a success when it develops more skills and leads to greater autonomy.

I believe strongly that the essence of Green Program lies not in the sales themselves, but in the personal development and teamwork of those involved. These young people are turning their backs on the past to become entrepreneurs, maybe, but more importantly grown men.

Let’s hope it bears fruit!

And her testimony :

Green Program faces challenges as many and as varied as the profiles of the students who work there. And this is doubtless why it such an exciting program.

The students carry some serious baggage in the way of social and family instability, the result of their time in prison. The difficulties they have encountered on either side of the bars take the form of major hurdles both today and in the future, not least because these young people lack an essential driving force : self confidence.

Our job as volunteers is to stimulate each individual in his or her chosen area of ability and interest to help them develop themselves to the full. My interest in 'Critical Pedagogy' has shown me just how incredibly complex this process is. In my own case the stages were achieved gradually through early childhood, school, and family, in an environment that is a million miles away from the streets or prisons of Manila. If these students are to become business men and women they will have to get used to thinking beyond day to day survival, and to integrating concepts of initiative and critical analysis. Students are discovering at their own speed this exciting world which opens new horizons.

All is not perfect; each individual is different with varying skills, maturity, background. The delight we feel in getting to know them is heightened by the amazing progress that is gradually made, quite apart from the simple improvements in the service we offer our clients.

In addition I am discovering the world of teaching methods, entrepreneurship and business, a world far removed from my medical studies back home.

Hélène Vanacker, volunteer

"Thanks Ate" (big sister). These 2 words coming so often from the mouths of the young people and offered with such generosity and spontaneity will remain with me for a long time to come.

I spent 3 months with LP4Y as a training coach, splitting my time between Green Program and the LPC in Old Balara. At times my patience was tested, and I had to question my teaching theory, but the lasting impression I have is one of joy: in seeing the pride on G’s face (GP Team) as he began to use the auxiliary "will" with confidence; watching as A (LPC Old Balara) confidently displayed his sales techniques; or listening as the young people talked candidly and with ease of their past, their future, their concerns and passions.

There’s a whole team of volunteers working with the young people, and they helped me feel relaxed and at ease with the youngsters and in the alien environment. You quickly come to realize that LP4Y’s slogan “I can’t, but together we can” does not only apply to disadvantaged young people! When the time came for me to bid farewell I couldn’t help wondering what I had really been able to give them in 3 months. But when I look at the group photo from the Green Program Christmas party and see the smiling faces of the young people side by side with the rather more sober but nonetheless passionate faces of the volunteers, I can say to myself – what an amazing adventure! And so it’s now my turn to say “Salamat Po” (Thank you in Tagalog)

Anne-Sophie LIZE, volunteer from October to December 2010