491 Ate Mikel's Acting Workshop with Metro World Child

Written by Secretary, Glenn Costales

It was shaping up to be a grand celebration at the Volleyball court inside the Quezon City Memorial Circle. Our very own Core member, Ate Mikel Jacinto, was celebrating her 21st birthday so she had 84 kids from Metro World Child in Marikina City come over to spend her special day with her.

Ate Mikel wasn’t planning on being alone in the event though. Her entire family (all wearing bright pink, mind you) showed their love by joining the merry affair. Ate Mikel’s entourage of friends likewise came to support our birthday girl.

The kids got to the venue early and they were already organized into groups when the volunteers started to arrive. Ate Mikel’s friends did eventually gather and they soon took the stage, literally.

Despite being crammed in a small platform, the volunteers ‘bravely’ danced in front of everyone. The kids were thrilled to see their kuyas and ates for the day being game about the whole thing and it was a great way to break the ice between them.

The volunteers finally joined the kids in their respective groups and they soon got comfortable through the getting-to-know activity. Aside from asking questions about each other, they also shared a very hearty snack from the food stalls around the venue. These included French fries, fish ball, ice cream and some cold drinks.

After getting acquainted (and full), the volunteers and kids gathered even closer for a very entertaining puppet show. Popular magician and ventriloquist, Kuya Ruther Urquia (Pilipinas Got Talent finalist) graced the U! stage for his famous comical acts. Kuya Ruther soon introduced everyone to 2 of his friends, Tango (a monkey) and Titoy. The 3 of them up stage made for some really hilarious conversation and both the volunteers and kids (even the U! Core Team) enjoyed some great laughs.

Next up for everyone was the event’s main activity – the Acting Workshop! Ate Mica Pineda, a teacher and professional theater actress, led the whole group during this part of the program. Together with her students from UP, Ate Mica first had everyone do some simple expressive exercises to get any sort of inhibition out of the way. It included some interpretative gestures, highlighted by an invisible ball.

As the groups were in their own circles, they passed around an invisible ball which they imagined was hot, cold, smelly, or even extremely tiny. It was a great activity to spur the kids’ ability to express as well as their visual thinking.

The final part of the workshop saw a couple of games testing not only the teams’ competitive juice, but more so the emotions they had already channeled by this time. These were Pass-The-Message and Paint-Me-A-Picture. The games were relatively simple but they were definitely perked up by the creative expressions everyone put into the rounds they played. The games really had some close contest but in the end, a couple of teams came out on top.

After the games, the teams settled down for some even more nourishment. By this time though, they needed it with all the exhilarating activities they had. The volunteers and kids shared some more stories during this part of the event while munching through the generous meal in front of them.

Before concluding the event with a group photo, the volunteers and kids offered their sincerest appreciation to Ate Mikel for putting the event together. They sang to her a joyful ‘Happy Birthday’ with a candle-blowing to boot. Ate Mikel then gave the kids a heartfelt message to cap it all off.

The kids then lined up to receive their parting gifts from our birthday sponsor and her friends. They finally bid their kuyas and ates goodbye with their tummies satisfied, their hands full of gifts, and their hearts brimming with happiness for the day that was.

Our thanks to Metro World Child for accommodating us again. Thank U! to Ate Mikel and her family, and to all those who joined this festive occasion. We hope U too will share your birthday with us as we reach out to more children in the future.

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