FYI to those who weren’t able to attend the orientation, we are going to BRGY. PAGKILATAN, Batangas City instead of Isla Verde, Batangas City. The request for change of venue for our Marine Biodiversity trip was requested in order to lessen our travel time to the target community. This shall us more time for sightseeing and snorkeling apart from engaging with the community, discussing the socio-cultural issues in the area and beach cleaning. Moreover, this will also make the trip safer for us because we won’t need 45-minute boat rides to and from the community.

Brgy. Pagkilatan is near the Batangas Port. The garbage does not come from the community but from the Ro-Ro. As such, we shall travel to engage with the community and get to know first-hand from the people how garbage accumulation on their shores affects their environment, their livelihood, their lives. We will also conduct beach clean-up and garbage segregation to analyze the impact of garbage and improper waste disposal to people and environment.

For our BEACH CLEN-UP, participants will be grouped into 5 groups (five members each group). One shall list (place tickmarks) on item card, another shall count the garbage, and the other 3 will sort the trash.

If you are also interested to know about UP Marine Biological Soceity, you can check their site http://upmbs.netfirms.com/.

During the orientation, we also discussed how to fill up the forms that we are going to use during the coastal clean-up. You can also check this out to see how coastal clean-up is done (http://www.oceanconservancy.org.) We will adapt the data card that they used. A guide on marine debris will be e-mailed to all participants. You’ll find in that guide, how long it takes for a specific debris to decompose… mapapaisip tayo sa bawat bagay na bibilihin at gagamitin pagkatapos ito basahin.

Here are the things you would have to bring for the trip:

1. Clothes + towel

2. Toiletries

3. Your personal essentials

4. Your own allergy meds (DevSoc will also provide First Aid Kits)

5. Jacket

6. Mess kit (spoon, fork, plastic container for your food [paper/plastic plates discouraged])

7. Additional food and water for personal consumption (DevSoc will provide Lunch + afternoon snacks + 1L of water per person)

8. Ideal footwear: closed shoes (but still can wear sandals)

9. Caps/sombreros + face towels/hankies

10. Sun protection (i.e. sun block)

11. If you have your own goggles, life vests, and/or snorkeling gear, do bring them=)

Gloves will be provided by DevSoc.

We meet in Xavier Hall on DECEMBER 8, SATURDAY, Assembly Time 4:00AM. We mobilize to Batangas City by 4:30AM.

As much as possible, please be at Xavier Hall at least 10 minutes before 4:30AM because we still have to secure the waiver forms. For those aged below 18, please inform Auee (09178119852) before December 7, Friday, for your special waiver forms.

Breakdown of expenses will follow (i.e. where your participation fees will go).

Maraming salamat!

ITINERARY:

4:00AM Assembly @ XAVIER HALL

4:30AM DEPARTURE to Batangas City. (Please do NOT be late J)

7:30AM Arrival at Brgy. Pagkilatan

8:00AM Community Engagement

9:00AM Clean-up Proper

10:00AM Return to base camp/resort

10:15AM Sort-out Trash

11:00AM Results; Search for most peculiar trash

11:50AM LUNCH, rest

12:30NN Boat Ride to snorkeling site

1:00PM SNORKELING

2:00PM Rinse

3:00PM Back to Ateneo

6:00/7:00PM Arrival @ ATENEO

We’ll set a new date  for the trip but we still don’t know when will the weather be on our side. We’ll update you soon here at our blogsite.

Thank you and take care, everyone!

Dear all,

FYI to those who weren’t able to attend the orientation, we are now going to ANTIPOLO (Brgy Palubog) instead of Mt Negron, Pampanga. We’ll explain on Friday why.

Here are the things you would have to bring for the trip:

1. Overnight clothes
2. Soap or salt in case you get leeches
3. Your personal essentials
4. Your own allergy meds (DevSoc will also provide First Aid Kits)
5. Flashlight and batteries
6. Malong if you have one (or light blanket)
7. Jacket (expect cold climate)
8. Alcohol for cleaning (just in case)
9. Additional food and water for personal consumption (DevSoc will provide 1-2L of water per person)
10. Food for the hike (sandwiches or whatever you want [suggestions: energy bars, chocolates, or cucumber])
11. Candies or little food gifts you want to share with your host family
12. Additional food and water to be provided by DevSoc [2kg of rice and 2-3 canned food/goods (YTRiP people - EXCEPT for RYAN and Co and TABAK – sagot ng YTRiP ang food ration nila)]

What to expect/Reminders:

1. Don’t bring tech gadgets, don’t wear jewelry, and don’t use anything luxurious
2. Please don’t take out your mobile phones in the presence of your hosts. There’s no signal there anyway
3. NO ENGLISH as much as possible
4. Cowboy-living/No holds barred-simpleng buhay-walang liguan ito (not necessarily hehe but just be ready for that part) – there’s a river there where you can wash up
5. Be prepared to eat without the normal utensils
6. Boys will be with Boys, Girls with Girls
7. 5-6 hours hike/trek. Be cheerful it – will help
8. Do whatever the host family asks you to
9. Bawal ang masyadong maingay dahil istorbo tayo sa kalikasan at sa komunidad
10. When we get there, students will be assigned to host families (2 per family). The facis will stay in two houses.
11. Students will be asked for an OUTPUT – which we will discuss during the processing (2 ^nd day)

We meet in Ateneo Cornfield (go inside Gate 3 – across KFC. It’s the field on your left upon entering) on NOVEMBER 30, FRI, 5AM. We mobilize to Antipolo by 6AM.

As much as possible, please be at the Cornfield at least 15 minutes before 6AM because we still have to secure the waiver forms. For those aged below 18 (i.e. Cid Jacobo =D), please inform Auee (09178119852) before Nov. 30, Friday, for your special waiver forms.

Breakdown of expenses will follow (i.e. where your participation fees will go).

Maraming salamat!

Clare and Auee

BASIC THINGS TO BRING (suggestions)

1. Sunblock, personal essentials (basic hygiene kit), tissue paper

2.* Medicine – stomach pains/diarrhea, Vitamin C, paracetamol, cough, headaches, biyahilo

3. Flashlight and extra batteries (for the IP trip), cameras, memory cards, and extra batteries

4. Water container, water and food for personal consumption (your 1L + 1-2 canned goods for IP Trip; your snacks and additional food and water for Batangas trip)

5. Insect reprellant (overnight)

6. Malong, towel/bandana (better than hankies), emergency poncho/windbreaker/portable raincoats (esp. IP trip )

7.* Alcohol, band aid

8. Snorkel and mask if you already have them

9. Cap/hat, Mini-folding umbrella

10. DO NOT wear jeans when hiking; set of clothes for both IP trip and Marine Biodiversity Trip

11. Extra plastic bags, garbage bag (don’t throw trash in Mt Negron or in the beach), laundry bag

12. Special request: tokens for host family i.e. candies/chocolates for the kids, additional food, NOT MONEY

*First Aid Kits will also be provided by DevSoc
**Other reminders to follow (will be discussed during orientation)

***You may want to visit: http://www.ironwulf.net/2006/04/09/pack-em-up-things-you-cant-leave-without/

IP Trip

- Issues: IP Rights and Mining

- Students will be fielded to host families

· Batangas Trip

- Issues: Fishing Community and Marine Conservation

- Discussion and engagement with families.

“Youth TRiP: the DS Way” is spearheaded by the Development Society (DevSoc), the home organization of Development Studies majors in the Ateneo de Manila University, in collaboration with Youth Tourism Response – Philippines (YTRiP) NGO. YTRiP means “to build and sustain a nation enriched by a generation of responsible and responsive people.” It aims to accomplish this through what it calls responsive tourism. With these simple exposure-educational trips, DevSoc and YTRiP NGO hope to show that “[n]ation-building need not be done in big gestures.”

Youth Trip aims to (1) immerse students to a fun and meaningful process that allows them to witness and to capture by themselves the reality of poverty and tangibility of development. As opposed to a mere leisure trip or physical challenge, Youth Trip is a rooting in reality, where participant students observe communities and interact with people who face social issues in their everyday life. Youth Trip also aims to:

(2) put to the test the various concepts and theories learned in the classroom;
(3) awaken and to give new eyes to see various ways of helping out our country in different types of fields;
(4) expose the participants to the advocacies of the various partner NGOs and development agencies of the project; and
(5) tap and unlock a different career path that the students might want to consider especially for those who are interested in community organization and development.

YTRiP Journeys is the official blogsite of “Youth TRiP: The DS Way.” Find announcements, updates, and other useful and interesting information about Youth TRiP here. Feel free to explore and learn about Youth Trip by browsing through the posts. We would also appreciate it if you leave comments along the way.

Have fun!

-YTRiP Core Team