GOOD DAY, MY FELLOW WRITERS AND LOVELY READERS! HI, IT'S ME AGAIN MKYZXNA! HOW ARE YOU GUYS? I HOPE YOU'RE ALL FINE!
I am back again with another blog! This time I'm gonna share my NSTP-CWTS journey.
NSTP means National Service Training Program. The program was designed to develop the youth's social conscience and defense preparedness in the Philippines.
Do you know that NSTP is a full-service educational program in which there is an integration of formal classroom study with community engagements? The courses grouped under this program are included in three major components: Civic Welfare Training Service (CWTS), Literacy Training Service (LTS), and Reserved Officers' Training Corps (ROTC). NSTP trains students to be socially responsible, leaders in their ways, and nationalistic through community projects, disaster response training, and military education.
Our school only has 2 training programs. The ROTC and CWTS. When we start our class on the NSTP, the ROTC coordinator and CWTS director discuss what are the differences between the said programs.
The Head of the ROTC, Mr. Romualdo Generalao told us on our first day the PROS and CONS of being an ROTC officer. To be a part of the ROTC family you need to be physically, mentally, and emotionally available. It needs a lot of strength and availability if you want to be part of ROTC. You'll encounter strict officers, intense training and massive heat. In that way, you'll be ready and disciplined.
However, at the time my body can't carry the pressure of being an ROTC member. Luckily there is another program for those people who can't take the ROTC.
Sir Carlou S. Letigio, one of the directors of the NSTP, introduced us to the CTWS(Civic Welfare Training Service). He enlightened us about what the program is all about and what are the benefits of being part of the CWTS program. He told us the CWTS program’s purpose is to cause students to develop a sense of social consciousness and civic responsibility through activities that involve them in communities.
This program involves students’ direct involvement in community projects that address different social concerns and seek to improve the lives of those who are disadvantaged. Therefore, by getting involved in CWTS, we can understand better what life is like for our communities.
As an advocate of community cleanliness, I took the chance to join the program. Being part of the CWTS program shows the empathy of different individuals that they care about nature. This program allows us to dig into the social concerns that make our country suffer and soon enough to collapse if we don't take action immediately. Sadly, this rising problem is caused by us.
As we clean the slums of Metro Cebu, I could say that the people are the number one problem of society. The drainage is stuck because of the trash that has been thrown inside, the plastics are everywhere in the place, the waste of dogs is thrown nowhere, and the bottles of water, soft drinks, and iced coffee are in the ground. And it makes our hearts shatter as we clean our environment—the insensitiveness of people in our environment is gone. They don't care about the possible impact that will be caused by this stupidness that they did.
Thankfully, the CWTS program is here! The CWTS students aim to help the community to maintain its cleanliness. Our director makes sure that CWTS students have compassion and the ability to help society and encourage volunteerism. It increases the amount of collaboration between universities and local communities while contributing to sustainable development across the world leading to a positive social change.
But clean drive is not the only thing that we did in our CWTS program. Before we take combat to the extreme hotness of every clean-up drive that we partake in—the Cebu Normal University, Director, always ensures the health of every student. We are also oriented by the Red Cross if something happens. They also give us health kits and snacks. We also participated in the barricade during the SINULOG 2024. Where our volunteerism was tested during the procession of our patron Senor Sto. Nino. It was also one of the top-tier moments that I experienced during my CWTS days. (I made a blog about that, if you're interested just scroll down to my wall).
I am sincerely grateful for my encounter with the NSTP-CWTS program as it has enabled me to meet various sets of people from other departments, courses and other blocks. We have been able to give back to society by participating in clean-up activities that not only helped improve the environment but also led to a sense of unity, cooperation and collaboration among ourselves. An activity that has been so rewarding and fulfilling is the ability for us all to come together for a common purpose of making our environment cleaner and I am glad that I took part in such an important activity in my desired NSTP program.
(Photo Credits to my classmates)