Written by: Ate Charmain Tan, Vice President – External
It was great seeing the kids of Young Focus once again as they arrived at Kidzania for a fun morning with the volunteers from a financial institution based in Taguig. Located in Tondo, Young Focus provides educational support for the children living around the communities in Smokey Mountain. Most of these kids are out of school and they have to scavenge at the dumpsite to earn a living. It is one of the poorest communities in Metro Manila and Young Focus aims to help these children who are unable to break the cycle of poverty. It also runs a day care center for toddlers up to two years old. We visited Young Focus a couple of weeks back and they were all excited to see us once again for this great opportunity.
As we partnered the kids and volunteers each person was tagged with a Kidzania bracelet. The first stop was Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) as the kids withdrew their initial cash. The kids then excitedly went around the place to check out what they wanted to do next. They tried the fire department, where they were trained to be fire fighters for the day. The kids got to wear a fireman outfit and rode in a firetruck. They also got to extinguish a fire that was happening at a nearby hotel. The kids got to work in a gas station and also learned how to service a race car. In the LBC Store they learned to deliver and sort packages. The kids were so adorable as they pushed the carts of boxes to other stores to make deliveries. In the second floor they got in an airplane cabin and got to try to be a tv newscaster. They learned to bottle soft drinks in a plant, learned to bake cakes and Yellow Cab pizza. They got to to bring home the items they made like the coke drink from Coca Cola, Cream O cookies, Yellow Cab Pizza, and cake from Goldilocks. The kids looked really nice in their costumes as they learned the different kinds of jobs. The volunteers encouraged the kids to try out new things while they took photos of them.
After the busy morning we all headed to Making Friends Cafe to enjoy our chicken and burger lunch. The kids couldn’t stop talking about the kind of jobs they tried and they were already counting how much money they earned for the day. After lunch we headed to the store so the kids can buy things using their Kidzania cash. The kids hugged and thanked all their ates and kuyas for giving them the opportunity to experience a great place like Kidzania. Their adventure for the day gave them the chance to try out the different kinds of jobs they could possibly do in the future. It also taught them the value of working hard.
