November 30, 2021
by Justin John Dulogin
Restrictions from the pandemic did not hinder the students of AVI 413 of Asian International School of Aeronautics and Technology when groups decided to create webinars for the community. One way of making a safe and hazard free community outreach is through “Webinars”. Embedded from the words “web” and “seminar,” a webinar is a combination of the two that allows live and pre-recorded seminars to take place online between lecturers, teachers, or employees and a group of students, fellow employees, or potential customers. A webinar is a seminar that takes place online. Sir Jose Iñosa believed that students would benefit from organizing an event since it allows them to extend their capacity as well as awareness of their topic of interest. This also allows students to gain new information and abilities that may be used to their primary subject of study or to complement it in some way. It is the primary goal of hosting webinars to assist the audience in expanding knowledge and updating their abilities by providing them with the most recent techniques and approaches applicable to the communities.
One of the webinars held was indeed a rare topic for all, especially in Mindanao. “Understanding People under the Spectrum” was an outreach webinar that happened last November 13, 2021 led by Moon Jeung Baek with her team. Their objective was to raise autism awareness within the community and help people with autism through donations. The autism spectrum is incredibly broad, and it can have an influence on people of diverse ages, abilities, and personalities. “Even though there is no cure for autism spectrum disorder, individuals who receive the appropriate support and intervention can reach their full potential. Furthermore, there have been cases where people have made fun of those who have autism.” stated by Baek from her action plan. “We have frequently misconstrued them, which has resulted in harassment on our part. As a result, they deserved to be heard, to be supported, and to be recognized by society.” she added. Because autism is such a difficult subject, the group took a risk by taking this move. The institution that supported them was the Autism Society Philippines – Davao Chapter. Hopefully, a program similar to this will be developed in the future to go more into this type of community and to gradually build an inclusive community from scratch.
Another webinar covered a popular issue, but it served as a reminder for everyone because the cases are still present and prominent. Padayon is a mental health awareness webinar that went live last November 27, 2021 via Zoom. The activity aimed to raise awareness with regard to mental and emotional health in the facilitators’ Higher Education Institution (HEI), Asian International School of Aeronautics and Technology, and the members’ corresponding Barangays. This event was prepared by Krizza Rivas and Justin John Dulogin and the speakers were truly professional, namely, Ms Kathlynn Keith J. Abaquita, RPM, RGC and Dr. Homer J. Yabut, RPSY. The speakers responded with the coping strategies while being isolated due to the pandemic and explained enough the validation of one’s own feelings and experiences. Due to a long-standing stigma, mental illness is rarely discussed in many communities, particularly in remote barangays and cities. “This stigma stems mostly from a lack of knowledge, which mental health awareness webinar are trying to alleviate. As more individuals choose to educate themselves through these opportunities, we want to see a shift in how the topic is discussed in the community. Mental health issues have their own set of symptoms and risk factors.” statements from their team’s accomplishment report. Understanding what these symptoms are and how they vary from person to person is critical to ensure that individuals who are affected receive the assistance they require. “We will be better able to recognize symptoms and warning signals in the people around us if we become more aware of them, allowing us to provide help if necessary.” said by Rivas. The Padayon webinar was indeed a successful one as they received a lot of positive feedback.
Environmental Sanitation Amidst Covid-19 Webinar is the subject of the third webinar. Their goal is to educate people about reducing and eliminating adverse impacts of waste materials on human health and the environment to support economic development and superior quality of life. The Covid-19 pandemic was one for the record books, and a new normal has been formed very instantly as a result. For the outcome of the excellent monitoring of vaccination rollouts, the virus appears to be slowing down as a global menace. Solid waste management and good environmental sanitation, on the other hand, are continuing to deteriorate as a result of the pandemic. As everyone joins forces to fight the Coronavirus, it is important to remember that we must also consider the environment in which we live. The webinar expects students as well as the adapted barangay will realize the importance of the RA 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management to our daily lives and how important it is to keep us safe and protected from the Covid-19 virus and its variants. “Everyone in the group learned to value community sanitation more especially, on the existing laws that are mandated by Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) regarding the sanitation” statement by Yasser Tawantawan, leader of the group.