Ice Cream for Help

Written By Joshua:

The relationship with Mommy and Daddy is bad.  They don’t talk to each other.  It’s bad because Jimmy and I are bad at Chinese and math.  Daddy is sad because Jimmy and I are bad at Chinese.  Mommy is sad that Daddy is angry and that Jimmy and I are bad at English and spelling.  Daddy is angry because of Chinese and Mommy is angry that our English is not good and that we are always on the gadget. 

Mommy and Daddy want us to have good study habits and that we are not distracted.  If I could change things, I would want to be good in Chinese or maybe live in China longer so I can be good and so Dad wouldn’t need to get angry.  For Mom, I want to have more time to write things and to be better at spelling.

Written By Jimmy:

My Mom and Dad have a bad relationship and they always fight.  I feel sad that they fight over our studies and I can’t stop their fighting.   For me, I wish I can change things like Daddy’s anger and also change our study habits.   I wish Mom will be happy and under less stress. 

Written By Mommy

I am sad and frustrated because there is always so much conflict at home.  I want Joshua and Jimmy to get a good education.  The Moms and I worked hard to make the micro school an amazing learning community for our children, but Jason will never like it and he can never understand it.  I am frustrated that Jason always has to be angry at the kids.   Learning should not be a punishment.  Learning Chinese and math is like a punishment for them because their Dad is always angry every time they make a mistake.  That’s why I want them to study in the micro school because the teachers will teach professionally and with patience.  I want Jason to just give the micro school a chance to work.  

I am worried that Joshua doesn’t know what to do for himself.  He is doing and choosing things only because of his Dad or his Mom.  What does Joshua really want for himself? He wants to play basketball but he doesn’t want to because his Dad will be angry. He is afraid to do anything that he knows will make his Dad mad like learning how to cook with other people. I know there are other things Joshua would like to do but it’s buried underneath all the expectations and anger of his Dad and Mom. I want to help Joshua uncover those that were buried.

I see Jimmy having a hard time controlling himself, being overly emotional and over-the-top dramatic. I feel he’s picking up the worst from us, his Mom and Dad. His Dad constantly berating, criticizing, cursing and calling him names must surely be unhealthy for his self-esteem and his mental health. It shows in the problems cropping up in how he relates to people and I wish somebody can help us address this problem before it gets worse.

Both Joshua and Jimmy do not have the stamina to study or to focus on something that will build skills.  They can focus while playing video games but they can’t focus on doing studies or writing.  I want to teach them how to edit their English writing but they need to have the patience to re-write things over and over.  I do see improvements thought since the micro school started.

I envy the other parents. The Moms and Dads are united in sending their kids to the micro school.  The Dads support the Moms one hundred percent.  Here in our household, Mom and Dad are always in conflict.  We do not agree on how to educate the children and it’s causing too much stress and friction.  This house is not a good learning environment for children that is why I created the micro school.  I want my kids to have something better.   But it’s very stressful because Jason is not supportive and he does not think it is right, so I have to make sure that the kids are studying their Chinese and math well or else Jason will get more mad and will even be more displeased with the micro school.

Jason and I are fighting over the hours with the kids and it’s really bad for them because they are just following what Daddy and Mommy want and they are afraid of the bursts of anger. Jason and I both want the kids to be independent and choose the direction they want in life but how could they when the overriding theme in the house is fear.

I wish I could change things but I don’t know how.  I feel so hopeless and helpless. 

I wish Jason could see the goodness in the micro school.  I wish the kids can develop more discipline and focus in their studies, but not through fear and intimidation.  I wish I knew how to help them in the best way possible.  I wish Jason will realize how getting angry all the time will not help the kids improve their studies. I wish Jason realizes the insulting, criticizing, cursing and calling them names will not make things better and can only make things worse. I hope he realizes that this is not a healthy way to bring up children. I hope the teachers at the micro school can help Joshua and Jimmy develop better study habits, more stamina for focused work and enjoy learning.

Learning should not be a punishment.  It should be joyful.   I don’t know how to bring that joy in learning for Joshua and Jimmy.  Jason is angry and disappointed at them.  I am frustrated and overwhelmed by the situation.   As parents, we are both not good role models, because we are not good and kind to each other. We don’t communicate and we don’t respect each other. However, we both love Joshua and Jimmy.  I hope we can do something to improve so that the environment is better for the children.  

These are photos taken when we lived in China. Things were simpler then because the kids were a lot younger. Jason and I were not filled with as much anger and hatred as we are now. These photos are from an old phone that has a broken glass screen so you can see the big crack. We couldn’t figure how to send so I took photos of it, cracks included.

I don’t know if our life can still be fixed. It seems like the brokenness is as permanent as the cracks that can never be fixed.

The House

This is the house that despair built

With dirt that cannot be removed

With stains that stay past expiration

With stacks and piles of useless objects that jostle for your pity

With dust under the fingers of bowels impossible to reach and can’t be cleaned

By an army of thousand brushes, heavy duty machines

That cannot be wiped by anal compulsions

To erase sins of the past

Because the past will never be forgiven

Bandied like a flag of excuses on top of excuses

Because the one who died for the unmentionables of the earth

Is never recognized

Is never known

Is never invited

Nor invented

By a mind that refuses deliverance

Entrenched, enveloped, engulfed by pride

Spite, in spite the abundance of blessings

Pride in its gory of glory and disguises of righteousness

Oh how do you save these souls trapped in this house of putrid horrors

Drowning in fecal matter that drain the soul

Of the most joyous journey mocking each wonder, every adventure

Eliminating whatever feeling that tried to bubble fakery with a thousand smiles

Screaming for justice in a world that doesn’t serve that dish

While you are here

Present, conscious, unconscious

The children will never know what they have always known

Nobody comes to rescue those who do not want to be saved.

Because if they wanted to be saved

The story is re-written

Anew.

In Awe of Grass and Other Realities

Touching the grass has a higher wow factor after two years of lockdown staying at home for the most part. Hanging out, jamming, playing games, cooking pasta with three types of sauces, going to the playground, invading the music room and making it our own for an hour, doing improv, more hanging out — that’s how Self-Directed Monday at BGC transpired with music and movement, laughter and stories.

Abot Tala used to have its own space in Taguig but switched online when the pandemic happened. Wouldn’t it be great to have our own space again? Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have that vision of a homey, cozy, collab space come true? While waiting for the universe to conspire to deliver that request coupled with preparation and hard work, of course, the Abot Tala team has devised ways to make face-to-face possible, feasible, doable, realizable. Every month, there are three regular spots for meet-up each week in BGC, QC and Laguna. The fourth meet-up is reserved for a field trip elsewhere or for other planned activities.

Watch out for news of these meet-ups. This May 28, it’s going to be at the Corterra Eco Reserve in San Mateo, Rizal.

We also have a bucket list of venues to tick off one at a time:

1. Gopala Learning Haven in Silang Cavite
2. Pinto Museum in Antipolo
3. Crystal Beach in Zambales
4. Historical sites
5. Museums
6. Farms
7. Galleries and artists’ studios
8. Makerspaces, STEAM labs and fab labs

This pandemic has made us realize how precious it is being able to gather and to freely go outdoors. We never expected these to be taken away from us, but it has given this renewed sense of awe for the little things like grass and sharing a meal.

Emo Over Space

Emotion welled up in me seeing these photos posted by Abot Tala mentor, Joyce Buen.

Some of these furniture came from the Abot Tala center in Tres Palmas, Taguig which we closed down months after the pandemic started in March 2020.  All the furniture were stored at the Gopala Learning Haven in Silang, Cavite thanks to board member, Laksmi Maluya.  Everything else had to be demolished.

The arrangement at Joyce’s brought to mind the memories when Abot Tala looked like this:

Now, the length of Abot Tala’s existence online exceeds the number of months it existed offline.   Missing face-to-face interactions is a stark reality we live with. However, even if virtual meetings are through Zoom and Gather Town, the relationships are as real as it gets.  

Joyce thought of getting some of the items so mentees can hang-out in her place in Cavite.  We’ve always dreamed of having a physical space again for Abot Tala and we don’t know when that will happen.  We continue to pray for this dream to come true.  Meanwhile, we can meet up in various places in and out of Metro Manila several times a month.  This March 2022, we had a much awaited, much desired, much longed-for two-day back-to-back meet-up in a home that felt so “Abot Tala” in Teacher’s Village and at the University of the Philippines. 

Of course, Abot Tala Executive Director, Owie dela Cruz can only be so ecstatic about it:

“It finally happened!!! After 2 years of spending time, doing life together online and well, being online friends, we all got to meet each other IRL!!! Oh my goodness! What a feeling! It was soooooooooo much fun! This isn’t even everyone in Abot Tala! It was just about a third of it! We have yet to meet our teens from the South soon!

“I’m glad I made an effort to step back several times to just watch everyone and bask in the moment. May the memories I took in my mind last forever.”

From Mentor Icia Encinas:

“The last two days were such a blast. I needed some time to reflect and recuperate from spending so much energy yesterday. All I know is that my body may be very exhausted but my heart is definitely so full. I got to give see the Abot Tala teens, parents, and mentors all come together in a nonvirtual space and it was amazing.

“It was such a joy to really hang out and just spend time with the people in this community. There are moments when we, as teachers, feel the exhaustion, and sometimes demotivation, or we may sometimes get so lost in our own thoughts thinking we’re not making a difference in our student’s lives. But there are moments like yesterday, wherein I am affirmed in my decision that this is what I love doing. This is where I’m meant to teach, this is the community I’ve embraced.

“I cannot even begin to tell you how much love and dedication we put into building relationships with our teens.

“It’s never just the lesson plan, it’s never just the subject. It really goes beyond and is definitely so much more than that. And I would gladly do it over and over again.”

We’ll definitely have more of these meet-ups! 

More, more, please!

And you’re all invited to the next gathering: our third anniversary!

Please allow me to continue feeling sentimental by including more photos from the past:

Love Times Three

This February was a month full of love with three events: 1)  Valentine’s Day celebration of the teens’  love for their furry babies and friends, 2) North Star Alumni over the age of 30 sharing where they are now, 3) Meeting education dreamer and builder, Chris Balme online.  

What a parade of talents it was celebrating the day of hearts with Abot Tala’s “significant others” – our pets.  The Love Pawever fundraiser was organized totally by the teens themselves for the benefit of animals affected by Typhoon Odette and for the Abot Tala High Clubs!

With wonderful music, hosts, improvisation, more music, pet fashion show and more, this proudly teen-led activity was able to reach their target of raising P25,000 for two causes.   They originally expected and targeted much lower than that but was pleasantly surprised and grateful for the immense support of family and friends.

The Animal Welfare Club of Abot Tala High partnered with Lara’s Ark, an animal shelter and sanctuary sharing the joy of rescues. The Chess and Debate clubs will also be happily helped by this brave and admirable initiative.

Here’s the link to the show:

https://www.facebook.com/AbotTalaSDE/videos/785727512384558

More than twenty years ago, Ken Danford started North Star Self-Directed Learning for Teens in Massachusetts. It is the model for Liberated Learner centers including Abot Tala.  Many people are curious what happens to self-directed learners and this video event gives us a glimpse into the lives of people who went through North Star.

Alison Snieckus of Princeton Learning Cooperative picked out these points from the what the alumni shared:

• All of the panelists commented on how being a homeschooler during their teen years is an important part of their identity and that it serves them well in their adult life.
• They all talked about having fun, describing the specifics of the particular fun with laughter and glee, and then Ellen summed it up eloquently: having had fun in her teenage years is something she deeply values, and, sadly for our world, it comes up as a unique experience among her adult friends.
• Kiva describes her experience in Ken’s psychology and social issues classes. The stories are so great, I don’t want to give it away with too much detail. My high-level takeaways written in educationalese: non-coercive classes that include gentle encouragement have more impact than we teachers imagine, and the flexibility of our model such that we can create just the right opportunities for kids stays with them.
• Ellen, with all of her wisdom and 20+ years of experience with SDE, talks about falling into the “what about math” trap, and then describes how she pulls herself out. It’s priceless, literally!

Abot Tala is turning three this April 1, 2022.  Some years from today, Abot Tala will come up with a video like this featuring those who have been part of the community and have gone on to the adult phase of their lives. And it would be wonderful hearing from them, what they’ve been up to and how their dreams have evolved.

Watch the alumni of North Star here:

Thanks to Abot Tala Mom, Jean Decena, I met Chris Balme today.   Jean posted about Chris’ upcoming book, “Finding the Magic in Middle School” which I saw and immediately found more information about Chris online:

“Chris is an education dreamer and builder, driven by a belief that we all have far more potential than we realize. Chris has built and led educational organizations, from a national non-profit serving youth in disadvantaged communities, to a laboratory school in San Francisco working to create and share new educational methods based on developmental science. Chris also writes, speaks, and trains on education topics.”

Chris is the founder of Argonaut where students get the “safe space to discover their strengths, explore their identity, and find ways to contribute to the world.”  He’s the co-founder of a new model for middle school called Millenium School and of a non-profit called Spark which “use workplace experiences, mentoring and guided support to help students explore careers and build skills.”

This morning in the Philippines and afternoon in California, Chris and I talked about the challenges of putting visions into reality and making innovative education sustainable.  There are similar experiences and common realizations along the journey that it’s just so wonderful to be sharing the time and space with someone going through the pains and joys of giving birth to and nurturing dreams till they can stand on their own and fly.

Happy Mentoring Day!

I never knew there was an International Mentoring Day and that it falls on January 17.  There must be day for each thing under the sun.

How did this mentoring day start? In honor of Muhammad Ali, the world celebrates the power of mentoring and how it contributes to creating a better world.  Muhammad Ali served as a mentor to many throughout his life and that influence continues today.

In a blog about this day, Eli Wolf and Mary Hums wrote, “Mentoring teaches us to lift each other up, creating powerful positive long-lasting relationships along the way. Mentoring reinforces the benefits of enhancing the lives of all people, and can be especially uplifting for individuals who are isolated, excluded or at the margins.”

Abot Tala is an alternative to mainstream school which seeks to give young people more control over their education through the help of mentors and a supportive community. Abot Tala is part of Liberated Learners, a network of self-directed learning centers.

Following are notes from one of the yearly conferences of Liberated Learners:

• Relationship, building trust, being part of the community is the most important element in supporting teens in what they want to do.
• Mentoring is the service that parents value most.
• Freedom comes with great responsibility. Teens aren’t ready to take on that responsibility and need help with it through mentoring
• Mentoring allows to have quick feedback from members regarding their social relationships and learning at the center (e.g. if someone is making them sad, if they don’t like one of their one-on-one learning sessions, etc.)
• Being a mentor sometimes means repeating the same thing multiple times over many sessions before a teen considers it.
• Teens feel valued when asked about the things they do that interests them (e.g. “why did you like that movie?” “what do you like about that game?” etc.)
• Through mentoring we can help teens to have more agency in their lives.
• Mentoring indirectly builds trust with the parents and the whole family.
• For teens who say they will do X number of things and then don’t follow through, it’s a good idea to talk after a month or so during mentoring and say “Hey, so we have this action item here and it’s been four/five weeks and you’ve been saying you were going to do it but perhaps there’s something holding you back? Perhaps there’s something getting in the way. Let’s analyze . . . “
• Some kids need spontaneity and flexibility, others need structure. The “superpower” of the model is that it allows for both.

At Abot Tala, we asked the teens what they like most about their mentoring sessions and here’s what they sent in. I’m also sharing a post from the International Mentoring Day FB page. 

To all the mentors, thank you for doing what you do, for your effort and dedication to connect and nurture relationships, to support unique individuals in unique ways. 

 

Tapestry of Stories

Transformational – that’s the word that best describes this online business as seen from the tapestry of stories, a patchwork of journeys from difficulties to triumphs.  It doesn’t matter what age, race, economic status or background, the entrepreneurs in this global community have rocked the digital world and made a thriving industry for themselves.

Debra McClanaghan is one of the inspiring pillars in our group.  She is a mother of 6, grandmother of 17 and great grandmother of 3.  But first of all, she regards herself as a child of God.  She worked as an accountant all her life until she lost her job, but bounced back by starting an online business that has allowed her to fulfill one of her dreams to move from the cold climate of Canada to the warmth of Mexico. Her example of persistence and grounded optimism make people declare, “If Debra can do it, I can do it!”

Who’s saying this business is only for working Moms and Dads?  Irish Marcellana, one of our fellow business partners was 19 years old, a student and had a part time job when she found this great opportunity.  Her goal was for her parents to get rid of multiple part time jobs to have more family time.  It wasn’t easy at first as her father was totally against the online business. But she has proved to her parents that the system works. After seeing the results, her father is now a firm believer and big supporter.   Irish has allowed both her Mom and Dad to lessen their work load since she was bringing home the bacon.

For David Kobus, the hard hat finally came off!  No more alarm clocks because he’s quit his physically strenuous 9 to 5 construction job.  He started his journey physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually and financially lost, but that didn’t stop him from achieving one breakthrough after another in this digital venture.

Eden Olave was a domestic helper in Taiwan for 6 years, and a live-in caregiver in Canada working almost 24 hours a day for 6 days for many years. Fast forward to today and Eden can’t believe how this online business has allowed her to work from home, be her own boss, have all the time for her kids and she can choose to take a vacation whenever she wants.  Eden explains with excitement, “I can bring my business wherever I go. All of this because I took action towards my dream. I believe in myself and I worked hard to make it happen.”

Michelle Arceo is a former realtor and her husband is a former skeptic, but quickly changed his tune when her online business took off.  Within the first two years of using this proven and legitimate business system, they paid off all their loans, bought their dream home in full, gave back to their community and are helping their families back home.

Angel Baron has worked for 14 years as a factory worker in Japan.  JR worked for many years in a call center in Manila.  Both of them, like many others in our community were able to quit their jobs because their income from this digital business surpassed their regular salaries.  This allowed them to do what they have always wanted to do which is spend quality time with their family.

Neda Ward is an engineer who has this to say about the difference between engineering and having an online business: “Getting into engineering requires a very good resume, excellent experience and superior problem-solving and communication skills.  Getting into the online world, in contrast, requires NOTHING but a PASSION FOR CHANGE.”  Neda started in this business thinking to earn extra to supplement her income as an engineer but much to her surprise, her earnings as a digital entrepreneur surpassed that of her day job’s.

Ricot Leon aims to make time and financial poverty a thing of the past. Ricot is a pastor who dreams of serving his countrymen.  He started a center for older orphans in a small town in Haiti with the goal of helping them become independent by learning agriculture, aquaculture, carpentry, English and theology.  Ricot says, “Life is about choices. Stop blaming the lack of opportunity.” In this online business where we are our own boss, we create the opportunities that enable us to sustain our advocacies.

Ricot and I are similar in that I too am an idealist who’s always dreamed of saving the world until I realized in a rather painful manner that first, I had to save myself.  I’ve had a number of jobs, failed attempts at businesses as well as some good investments.  However, they have not made me financially stable enough to be able to fully support the causes I believe in and achieve the goals I have for my family.

I’ve worked as a writer, designer, program manager, executive assistant, trainer, teacher, consultant and was based abroad for 8 years.  I’m a mom of two boys ages 12 and 9.  In late 2019, I lost my job just a year after I started a dream advocacy project – an alternative to mainstream school which gives young people more control over their education.  I had to support both my family and the relatively new program.

At that time, I came across a post that made me want to study the option further.  Something inside me said ‘YES,’ that this was an answered prayer.  I did my due diligence, reviewed the system and began my road to being a digital business boss.

The automated system is set up so majority of the heavy lifting is done.   Training videos are provided to get the business up and running at the quickest time possible from as little as two weeks to a month.  Best of all, mentors, coaches and a community of business owners are always supportive and committed to success. We all deserve to live the best life we can imagine for ourselves and our family.

Like the people in this quilt of stories as well as thousands of others around the world, we are all so grateful to have stumbled upon this online business.  If you believe your story can also be that of powerful transformation, sign up for a webinar that got all of us started in this journey.

https://www.joeivillarama.com/

The Cost of a Human Life

I made this layout and asked somebody for feedback about the content and this is the comment I got:

“There are so many pre-mature births so it doesn’t sound so urgent.  It’s normal that hospital bills are so big, so it has to be more gripping to catch the attention.”

It’s true, there are so many pre-mature births that take place every day.  It’s true there are so many people who cannot afford the hospital bills.  However, posts like these would appeal to those who know the baby’s mother and father.

Our family has known the mother, Jona for 10 years and she is very hardworking and caring.  Our family has extended help to her but more is needed.

What is happening to Jona and her baby makes me feel very sad not only for her but for our country.  In an ideal country, there would be a system by which people who cannot afford expensive hospitalization, can get help.  There are people who simply cannot afford the hospitalization even if they work 9 to 5 plus overtime everyday of their life.  They will be buried in debt.

Jona had the unfortunate circumstance to have had a very risky pregnancy as she has high blood.  When her blood pressure shot up to a dangerous level, she was rushed to the nearest hospital which happened to be St. Luke’s Global and unexpectedly, the doctors had to deliver the baby before the time because there was a threat to both lives.

Jona can’t afford that hospital bill so she wants to transfer the baby to another that is more affordable, however, to transfer the baby would also risk the baby’s life.  They had to wait for the baby to recover from sepsis and for his condition to stabilize.   Meanwhile, Jona and her husband looked for hospitals that could take her baby in and most were full.

They finally found a hospital that could take their baby in but for me, I wish the hospital where they are at now would value the life of the baby more than the money they are losing from helping somebody in need.

What is the cost of a human life?

Why has the human life become something only the rich can afford?

Why do we have to stand-out to get people’s attention to help?  What is more gripping than a life that needs to be saved?

Phil and the Giving Heroes

 

Phil, among others, is the Giving Hero of this story, but Phil is also the one who introduced us to Junver of the Giving Hero.

Phil Smithson hatched this idea of running 60km for Abot Tala.  Then he set about figuring out how to do the fundraising campaign using Facebook.   During this process, he remembered the person he knows who created a crowdfunding platform for Philippine NGOs.

Giving Hero makes online donations seamless, simple and secure for NGOs and donors.  Junver Arcayna is one of the founders and he set up the website for Phil’s fundraiser for Abot Tala. Originally, the plan was for Phil to run 60km but in the course of preparing, he injured his knee so he decided to do a 160km bike ride instead. 

Phil is the founder of the On-Off Group which helps organizations use design thinking and user experience design to develop innovative products, services and programs. The workshops that Phil and his group conduct help organizations level-up and be more concerned with their stakeholders, become better listeners, build long-lasting relationships and encourage suspending judgement.  

Phil’s mission is to equip people with an entrepreneurial and problem-solving mindset.  It’s quite fitting that he joined the board of Abot Tala to be part of re-envisioning education by redefining what school could be through self-directed and interest-led learning.

Junver’s journey at the Giving hero started when he moved from working at Coca-Cola to Real Life Foundation, a non-profit that gives scholarships to underprivileged but deserving students. He then started Cent to Change which aimed to make clean water accessible to disadvantaged communities.  They served families in Baseco, Tondo where they learned the challenges of running a non-profit. With a team of passionate individuals, Junver made it their mission to build tech solutions for non-profits so non-profits can excel at what they do best — solving society’s problems such child mortality, deforestation among many others.

We at Abot Tala are truly grateful for Phil for initiating this effort, for Junver for creating the Giving Hero, and for Leo Lallana for biking together with Phil from Manila to Tagaytay.  Imagine braving the traffic, noise, heat, dust and dirt – all for a cause!

There is another Giving Hero that we at Abot Tala would like to thank, and that is Yana who made this amazing video that captures Phil’s ride and the campaign.  Yana is a teen member of Abot Tala High and she’s always happy to share her editing skills by teaching others who want to learn.  She leads the club where teens want to enhance their video making capabilities.

And what about the fundraiser results?

We’re so grateful for everyone who has made this fundraiser a success.   The target was P70,000 and as of the fourth of November, 51% of the goal has been raised which is P35,998.   However, there is another Giving Hero that connects the dots perfectly taking the pot up to P85,998 and that is Mitsch Tapia. 

Mitsch saw Phil’s post about the run and got in touch with Abot Tala founder, Joei Villarama. Apparently, Mitsch has known about this alternative to mainstream school from a few years back. She has always dreamed of being involved in the cause of education. As the former head of Globe’s Education, Strategy and Innovation team, Mitsch said, “We know that informing or transforming education in the country cannot be done by one sector.  We need to collaborate.”

Because of her dream to transform education, Mitsch has been raising funds for the moment she finds the program that she believes in and throw her support behind.  After a series of talks with Joei and Executive Director Owie dela Cruz, Mitsch decided that she wants to be involved in helping the Abot Tala community of self-directed learners continue to thrive.   

We’re proud and happy to say that Mitsch is now part of the Board and has lined up a number of exciting plans for 2022 and beyond. She is passionate about advocating for SDE and raising funds so options like Abot Tala is always available for families who see the need for something different for their children.

Thank you, Phil, Junver, Leo, Yana, Mitsch and to all who donated to the bike ride fundraiser for Abot Tala.  Your effort and contribution will go a long way towards giving young people more freedom to direct their unique life and learning paths.   

If you are inspired and moved to donate to this cause, please visit Abot Tala’s Giving Hero website:

https://givinghero.app/abottala-phil/

What Breaks Your Heart

What breaks your heart?

So this question was asked of us to let us dive deep into our hearts and into what moves and motivates us to do what we do.

It breaks my heart that I am not able to help as much as I would want a friend whose baby was born pre-mature and is accumulating an incredibly huge hospital bill. She definitely does not have the means to pay for it.  I wish I had the amount of wealth that allows me to support any cause and all the causes I want.

It broke my heart when I was teaching in a university in China and my students told me how awful their experience of school was, how limiting it was instead of being expansive.  I didn’t want my kids to go through that experience so I started researching about alternative forms of education.  Fast forward to today and I’ve set up an alternative to mainstream school called Abot Tala that’s now two and half years old.

It breaks my heart that there are young people who feel lost in the standardized system of traditional schooling.  I have family members whom I know would’ve benefited from something like Abot Tala and though they’re too old to go to Abot Tala, it’s enough to know there are people like them whose lives will be made better by a mentoring program that gives them more control over their education.

It breaks my heart that many Filipinos have to work abroad and leave their family behind.  It breaks my heart that there is so much garbage strewn in our forests and beaches. It’s a sad reality that Filipinos don’t value keeping the environment clean. It breaks my heart that children roam the streets begging for money. It breaks my heart that we don’t have enough parks and trees in the cities.  It breaks my heart that there is no decent affordable housing in the Philippines.

There are too many things that break my heart and there’s so much that I wish I can do.  If one had the means, one can do so much more.  It breaks my heart that there are so many people with the means but they use the resources for luxury, accumulating material things and living the high life. 

One cannot control how people decide to use their own money.  Even if I see how much better it is to re-allocate resources in a way that would help more people, the only thing I can do is take charge of the resources that are in my stewardship.

The other thing I can do is to grow the resources that are in my stewardship and that’s why I have chosen to do an online business.  It’s a way by which I can increase my financial resources that I can then divert to programs and projects that make a lasting impact.

The digital entrepreneurs in this community who are very successful are able to use the income from this business to fulfill their personal goals – pay debts, buy a house or houses, travel extensively, pay for their children’s education, quit their jobs, retire early, have the time freedom to be with their kids, support their elderly parents, and many more.  However, along the way, the income from this business shifts from active to passive and reaches levels where there is so much in excess that could be used for purposes of service, for various causes, for change.

Pie-in-the-sky idealism?  Maybe, but I’ve seen with my own eyes what is possible.

 

If this article resonates with you and you wish to find out more about the online business, just register in my website for an information session. https://www.joeivillarama.com/