In celebration of Color Your Life’s (CYL) first year anniversary, the CYL team decided to go to Brgy. Mainit, Bontoc Mountain Province. An hour away from Bontoc Town proper is a small village called “Mainit”, a place known for its hot sulfur springs.  Apart from such natural beauty, little did we know that Mainit has a loving community who raises wonderful children who participated in “Project Bontoc” last August 19, 2018.

Individual Art Activities

Out of 188 students of Mainit Elementary School, 107 participants attended the art workshops the team has designed and prepared. The event started with the basics—energizers and a story telling. The children were then grouped according to their age range—kids from 6 to 9 years old participated in the DIY mask making, while ages 10 to 13 were taught a more advanced workshop, a portrait painting activity.

Collab and Mural Painting

Since CYL has been doing collaborative art activities for a year, the team created a more vibrant approach wherein the community had the freedom to choose acrylic colors in painting an empty 3×5 ft. canvas. The collab art entitled “Circles of Life” manifested a holistic result, and by its allegorical definition, a circle represents the notions of totality, wholeness and oneness. The activity was a magical experience for every individual who contributed in the creation of the artwork given that each came from different walks of life but had a single journey: to immerse in the artistic momentum of the collaboration.

Further, the collaborative art activity did not stop in filling the canvas with colors, as CYL had the privilege to do a mural painting of the school’s stage sidewalls. It was an impromptu art painting for the team, and of course, a first in CYL’s memoir. Hopefully and if permitted, CYL is ready to create more mural paintings for the community we’ll visit.

Distribution of Art Kits

The Mainit community indeed embodies the true meaning of hospitality as they embraced us with their warm welcome. We were outsiders but they treated us as a part of their community, and rather a part of their family. It was a mutualistic symbiosis for both parties, the community and us, who took part in the whole event and benefited based on the genuineness of the experience.  As a part of the CYL’s program, we distributed start-up art kits as tokens of appreciation to the children and also to make use of the kit as a leverage to draw, paint, and explore their artistic prowess.

Many Thanks To You!

Project Bontoc would not be possible without our sponsors: Caring Cup by The Coffee Bean, Dermcare, The Office of Senator Loren Legarda, Ms. Zenaida Palisoc, Mrs. Rhea Marie Buenviaje, Mr. Franco Dino Lacambra, Mr. Cedric Santos, Ms. Kristine Debbie Ramos, Ms. Ellah Rubia, Ms. Ria Coronel, Ms. Mary Jeane Laurel-Marcelo and Mr. Kevin Mark Rendor. The team would also like to extend our deepest gratitude to Principal Manuela Lomasoc and Teacher Joan Galingan of Mainit Elementary School, Mainit’s Brgy. Captain Johnson Tangchor, Ms. Virgie Kilito and her family who took us as part of their family during our stay in the community, to our families for allowing us to go on this trip to Bontoc, to our friends who willingly promoted CYL and its projects, and most especially to the children of Brgy. Mainit for they have been the core reason why we do these projects.

CYL Project Bontoc is dedicated to Ms. Yvonne Geston to whom we extend our deepest gratitude for introducing the community to us. Ms. Yvonne was a native of Brgy. Mainit, who, although no longer with us, continues to inspire through her example and dedication to the people she served over the course of her life and career.

More Projects To Come

This is just the first year of Color Your Life but we already had a fruitful journey of splashing colors. We hope to create more art projects because Art should be accessible to the community, especially to the children at a very young age.

If you wish to support our cause, you may send us a message or contact these numbers 0917-304-7551 (SAM) and 0917-150-6002 (LOUIE). You may also email us; send us your messages, comments, recommendations and/or suggestions at coloryourlifeproject@gmail.com. We would love to hear from you. Project proposals and proposals for possible collaborations are more than welcome!

It was a splendid day full of creativity, colors and happy faces as we left the premises of Padang Primary School. The project created a space wherein each and every one had the chance to put “ART” in one’s he(ART). In partnership with the Municipality of San Gabriel, Color Your Life was able to conduct a special art workshop and a collaborative art activity for the children of Padang Primary School.

In celebration of the National Arts Month, Color Your Life has chosen San Gabriel, La Union for its first ever project for the year 2018 which was held last February 16, 2018, Friday.  The team designed a one-day art painting activity for the students of Padang. For us to be able to execute such workshop, we invited three young artists—Monique Aousha Yamar, Joy Constantino and Gemaine Peñalosa—who facilitated their respective art activity.

Individual Activity

Color Theory Workshop

For the first group, with 17 participants, ages 6-7, Kuya Germaine taught “color theory” which could help the kids be familiarized with basic colors. As such, this could somewhat guide the children to have an appreciation of the world around them—colors associated with emotions, things, and nature.

Still-Life Painting Workshop

Second and third groups, with ages 8-10, were facilitated by Ate Monique and Ate Joy. They prepared a “still-life art painting workshop” wherein kids were tasked to copy an object (toy) in front of them. This allowed kids to exercise the process of focusing and observing a certain object and mimicking it with the use of primed wood and different colors of paint.

Portrait Art Painting Activity

The last group, Grades 5 and 6, enjoyed a “portrait art painting activity”. Children were asked to pick a partner and paint their partner’s face. This workshop could aid the students in attempting to depict the physical features a human subject. In addition to the observation and focus exercise that a child could grasp in this certain activity is also the ability of one to use unconventional colors to portray a human’s face. It would actually give a child the free will to explore his or her artistic ability based on his or her perception of the subject.

Collaborative Art Activity

The collaborative activity is intended to paint, splash, drip and/or pour whatever color of paint is available onto a huge piece of primed plywood. Such activity was created not just for the kids but also for everyone who was in the event. In contrast with the individual art painting workshop, the collaborative art activity should allow the participants to produce a non-figurative art piece. Its intention, however, is focused not on the output but the process of creating, mixing and applying the paint on a 4×6 ft. primed plywood. Further, it allowed the participants to showcase their emotions, feelings and or/mood on that specific moment of the activity. Simply, it just served as a venue for the participants to have fun when painting!

Start-up Art Kits Distribution

As usual, we prepared start-up art kids for the participants for them to be able to continue their artistic thirst. These kits can aid them to follow through on their activities, whether at school or home.

Thank You All!

A lot of hard work has paid off to make this project a success. We would like to thank, from the bottom of our hearts, all those who made it happen. A big THANK YOU to our donors, artists, volunteers and our supportive families who helped us every step of the way to create this awesome project for the kids of Padang.

To the Local Government of San Gabriel, most especially to Mayor Hermie Velasco and his family for giving us the opportunity to share our time by conducting art workshops. We wish to go back to the lovely municipality of San Gabriel to create more art projects for the kids.

And last but not least, the attendees. Thank you all for coming and participating in Color Your Life’s Project San Gabriel. The event was even better than we thought it would be! We will have other future events; we hope you will join us next time.

Contact Us!

To know more about us and our future projects, like our Facebook page or visit our official website. You can support our future projects and child beneficiaries by donating start-up (he)art kits. To know how, you may contact Sam [0917-304-7551] or Louie [09171506002].

Watch Our Official Video!

Just when we thought we had wrapped the year up nicely with Project L.I.F.E., Color Your Life was invited to team up with an internationally renowned service club – Lions Club International for their Christmas Paraiso Gift-Giving Program on Dec. 23, 2017 at Barangay Paraiso, Roosevelt Ave., Quezon City.

Lions Club International is one of the world’s largest service club organizations. They advocate volunteerism and help their volunteers deliver humanitarian services to their local communities. This is very much similar to the Color Your Life movement in which we, as much as possible, involve the locals in conducting the art workshops to the children.

Brgy. Paraiso happens to be where Raymart grew up. With the tie up between Lions Club (Manila GMA Chapter) and Color Your Life, we are hitting two birds with one shiny and colorful stone. What a nice wrap up for the year, indeed.

As the year comes to an end, the Color Your Life team is planning for more fun and colorful activities for the coming year. To know more about us and our future projects, like our Facebook page or visit our official website. You can support our future projects and child beneficiaries by donating start-up (he)art kits. To know how, you may contact Sam <0917-304-7551> or Louie <09171506002>.

Merry colorful Christmas, everyone!

Last October 23, 2017, Color Your Life (CYL) prepared art activities to the Aeta children in Sitio Camachile, Barangay Nabulkod, Floridablanca, Pampanga. The Aeta community in the Philippines is one of the biggest ethnolinguistic groups who lives in some isolated mountainous parts of Luzon.

The project, entitled #ProjectFloridablanca, had 50 participants (ages 4-12 years old). The Crayons conducted the usual art activities such as “Color By Number”- individual art activity and “Color Your Lives”- collaborative art activity. As an ice breaker and feel-good vibes to start the day, the kids enjoyed CYL’s prepared action songs—Ako ay May Lobo, Takure and the infamous dance craze, Baby Shark. Included in our project is the usual storytelling, led by one of the Crayons, which enables us to teach basic colors to the kids, and can also feed them moral lessons from “Nang Magkakulay and Nayon” at an early age.

These children are creative, smart and very orderly. The Color Your Life supports the Aeta community through the use of Art. We dream that someday, the team can go back to Sitio Camachile to build activities that can help them explore their artistic talents.

If you wish to help our movement or to lend your time to become a volunteer on our next projects, you may contact us through coloryourlifeproject@gmail.com, Louie (0917-150-6002) or Sam (0917-304-7551) or give us a wave at our Facebook Page..

FILIPINO VERSION 

Project Floridablanca: Isang Makulay na Paglalakbay sa Komunidad ng mga Aeta sa Pampanga

Noong Oktubre 23, 2017, ang Color Your Life (CYL) ay naghanda ng mga gawaing pangsining para sa mga batang kasapi ng isang komunidad ng Aeta sa Sitio Camachile, Brgy. Nabuklod, Floridablanca, Pamapanga.

Ang mga Aeta sa Pilipinas, isa sa may pinakamalaking bilang ng miyembro na etnolinggwistikong grupo sa bansa, ay matatagpuan sa iba’t ibang bulubunduking lugar. Sa probinsya ng Pampanga, ang mga Aeta ay nakatira sa munisipalidad ng Floridablanca, Porac, Guagua, at Angeles.

Ang proyektong ito ng CYL, na pinangalanang Project Floridablanca, ay dinaluhan ng limapung bata na may edad apat hanggang labingdalawa. Ito ay binuo at isinagawa upang magkaroon ng pangunahing kaalaman ang mga bata sa pangunahing kulay. Sapagkat naniniwala ang grupo na kailangang mabigyang-diin ang pagtuturo ng pagkukulay sa mga bata at pagmumulat sa kanila sa larangan ng sining na maaaring makakatulong sa paglaki ng isang bata, minabuti ng grupo na piliin ang Sitio Camachile sapagkat ang komunidad na mayroon dito, batay sa heyograpikal na tangi ng lugar, ay malayo sa bayan na siyang pumipigil sa mga salik sa pagkatuto sa paaralan. Kaunti lang din ang mga nagbibigay ng alternatibong pagtuturo sa komunidad na ito. Dagdag pa, patuloy pa ring lumalaban ang pambansang minorya laban sa kahirapan:

“Bilang espesyal na sektor sa lipunan, nahaharap din ang pambansang minorya sa piyudal na di pagkakapantay-pantay, kurakot at represibong gobyerno, at dominasyon ng dayuhan – pero may natatangi sa kanilang paghihirap na nararanasan nila bilang katutubong mga lahi .Ang pambansang minorya ay mga mamamayang mardyinalisadong sa ekonomiya, pulitika, at panlipunan sa Pilipinas. May mahabang kasaysayan ng pamumuhay a kanilang lupaing ansestral, binubuo nila ang 15 hanggang 20 porsiyento ng populasyon ng bansa.”[1]

Ang mga gawaing itinampok sa Project Floridablanca ay pagkukulay gamit ang Color By Number sheet (indibidwal na gawain) na inihanda ng CYL at malayang pagguhit sa isang blangkong kartolina (pangkat na gawain). Nagkaroon din ng pagtuturo ng action songs (Ako ay May Lobo, Takure at Baby Shark) upang ganahan ang mga bata bago magsimula ang pagkukulay. Kasama rin sa prokeytong ito ang pagkukwento sa mga bata ng isang istorya na pinamagatang “Nang Magkakulay ang Nayon” upang ang mga batang hindi pa nagsisimulang mag-aral ay magkaroon ng kaalaman sa mga pangunahing kulay na itinuturo sa mga paaralan.

Layunin ng Color Your Life na hikayatin ang mga bata, sa kanilang murang edad, na ipagpatuloy ang paggawa ng mga malikhaing gawain na maaaring makatulong sa pagbuo at paglinang ng kanilang kasanayan. Upang mas magkaroon ang mga bata ng pagganyak sa sining, ang CYL ay namigay ng start-up art kits na kanilang magagamit sa paglikha ng sining.

Ang Color Your Life ay binubuo ng mga kasapi mula sa lungsod ng Quezon na nagnanais makatulong sa mga bata, mula sa iba’t- ibang komunidad na kanilang pinupuntahan, upang magkaroon sila ng interes sa sining. Ang mga miyembro ng CYL ay sina Agnes Asido-Dayto, Raymart de Aza, Kevin del Prado, Julie Estabillo, Samantha Luz at Lourdes Navalta. Upang maisagawa ang Project Floridablanca, ang CYL ay may volunteers, na lubos pusong pinasasalamatan ng grupo, na tumulong upang magturo sa mga bata. Ang mga sumusunod ay sina: Joemar Brigado, Diazabel Reyes, Carlo Ting, Antonio A. Navalta II, Ann Lemeira Go at Ruel Carlos.

Ang mga batang Aeta ay malikhain, matalino magaling at masinop.  Nais ng Color Your Life na masuportahan ang mga Aeta, sa tulong ng sining, para sa ikabubuti ng kanilang komunidad. Nangangarap ang grupo na makabalik sa Sitio Camachile upang bumuo pa ng mga proyektong makakatulong sa paglinang ng kanilang kagalingan sa sining.

Kung kayo man ay nagnanais na makatulong, magbigay ng donasyon, o gustong maging volunteer sa mga susunod pang mga proyekto ng Color Your Life, maaaring tawagan sina Lourdes Navalta (0917-150-6002) at Samantha Luz (0917-304-7551) o ‘di kaya’y magpadala ng mensahe sa coloryourlifeproject@gmail.com.

[1] Nakuha mula sa: “Lakbayan Mula sa Pambansang Minorya,” Pinoy Weekly,  n.d.

The Leukemic Indigents Funds Endowment Foundation or L.I.F.E. Foundation is very near and dear to Sam’s heart. L.I.F.E. helped her with the chemotherapy expenses and psychological and spiritual supports she needed when she was diagnosed with Acute Myelogenous Leukemia at the age of ten. To give back to the organization, Sam chose this foundation for Color Your Life’s Christmas Project.

What Is L.I.F.E.?

L.I.F.E. Foundation, a non-profit organization which was founded in 1995, has been literally extending the lives of diagnosed leukemic patients from indigent families by assisting them to achieve remission.  Further, L.I.F.E. is dedicated to provide optimum care in response to the children’s material, psychological, and spiritual needs. L.I.F.E. has also been organizing events to help uplift the children’s souls and morale.  One of their annual main events is L.I.F.E.’s Christmas party.

Color Your L.I.F.E

On December 09, 2017, the Color Your Life Team found a way to celebrate Christmas by giving their time to volunteer for the Christmas Party of L.I.F.E. which was held at the Lung Center of the Philippines. In addition, the Crayons also prepared and distributed one hundred (100) start-up art kits for the leukemic patients of L.I.F.E. These kits may help them exercise their creativity, and as such, “creating art heals.  It can be a way for people to express their unspoken or unconscious concerns about their illness and their lives, deal with emotional conflicts, increase self-awareness, cope with cancer, and reduce stress. Color Your Life is looking forward to conduct art workshops for the leukemic children again next year.

These beautiful children with brave hearts were the ones who colored our lives.  They serve as true inspiration that no matter what the circumstances are, there will always be a light at the end of the dark tunnel.  We, together with the parents, volunteers, donors, supporters and doctors, will walk together, hand in hand, to lead the battle against leukemia.

How Can You Help?

If you are willing to join us win a good fight, you can support L.I.F.E. Check their website at http://www.lifeforleukemia.com.  To know more about Color Your Life and our future projects, please visit our Facebook page or our official website.

To donate a start-up art kit, you may contact Sam (0917-304-7551) or Louie (0917-150-6002).

Last month, we conducted our second Color Your Life project in Floridablanca, Pampanga. Having to facilitate art activities to the Aeta children of Sitio Camachile created shared memories which we will indeed forever treasure.

And to be able to continue our journey in splashing colors to the children, we will be having our third project entitled “Project Ormoc” on November 25, 2017, Saturday, 2 PM, at Ormoc City Hall. As such, this will be our first ever Color Your Life Event in Visayas. The reason behind choosing Ormoc to be a part of our project is because of its local government’s urgency of creating public spaces to transform into artists’ hub. Color Your Life is in line with Ormoc’s movement in promoting the arts and culture, most especially for the benefit of the young generation.

In partnership with the Office of City Mayor Richard Gomez, the team will conduct its usual activities, Color by Numbers (individual coloring activity) and Color Our Lives (a collaborative art activity), to the selected children of Ormoc City. The team also plans to facilitate additional art workshops such as Telephone cup making and pop-up card making. These said activities will also promote the value of recycling since some of the materials to be used are recycled materials.

It is not too late to support our cause! You can still help us by:

• Buying a he(ART) Kit for only 70 pesos that will be distributed to the kids of Ormoc. The start-up art kit will surely be a great contribution to enhance a child’s artistic capabilities, and of course, will serve as an early Christmas gift
• Donating used crayons or any coloring materials to be used for the coloring activities;
• Donating art materials such as art/colored papers, glue, pencils and scissors to be used in the art workshops;
• Donating in cash or in kind.

To know more our about #ColorYourLife and #ProjectOrmoc, and how you can help us, you may contact 0917-3047551 (Sam)/ 0917-1506002 (Louie) or visit www.facebook.com/coloryourlifeproject and www.coloryourlife.theoutcastjourney.com

How has everyone been doing? It’s been two months since we last had our Color Your Life Project in Luna, La Union. The group is now planning to conduct its second leg in Pampanga.

Floridablanca, Pampanga

Last year, one of the Crayons went on a field work in Sitio Camachile, Brgy. Nabuklod, Floridablanca, Pampanga. During the field work, she met a community of Aetas, one of the indigenous groups in the Philippines. Then, she met the eldest member of the community, Tata Parham, who was then 110 year old. He’s probably 111 now.

The Aeta has been living in the community all his life. He has memories of the Spanish, American, and the [brief] Japanese colonial periods. When Mount Pinatubo erupted, their fields and crops were buried in lahar and they were briefly evacuated to another community.

As she talked with the eldest, she also took note that there were a lot of children loitering even when it was a school day. On the way, she noticed that the closest school to the community was probably 20 to 30-minute walk away. Their means of living and main livelihood seem to be dependent on their crops, livestock, and poultry.

From that experience, our Crayon swore that she would come back to visit the Aeta children. Now, after a year, with the team of the Color Your Life Project, she will be conducting coloring activities and distributing coloring kits to the Aeta children she had interacted with.

Be Part of Our Project!

Be one with the Crayons’ advocacy in coloring the lives of children. We are in need of volunteers to join us facilitate the activities. We also gladly accept donations and monetary support. Contact us at 09171506002/09173047551 or send us an email at coloryourlifeproject@gmail.com.

See you on October 22, 2017, 8 am, at Sitio Camachile, Barangay Nabuklod, Floridablanca, Pampanga!

Read about our first ever Color Your Life Project in Luna, La Union.

Have you heard of the Starfish Story? It was originally written by Loren Eisley.  For the benefit of those who have not, here is how it goes. The simplified version of it, at least.

One day, an old man was walking along the beach when he noticed a boy hurriedly picking up and gently throwing things into the ocean.  Approaching the boy, he asked, “Young man, what are you doing?” The boy replied, “Throwing starfish back into the ocean.  The surf is up and the tide is going out.  If I don’t throw them back, they’ll die.”

The man laughed to himself and said, “Don’t you realize there are miles and miles of beach and hundreds of starfish? You can’t make any difference.”

After listening politely, the boy bent down, picked up another starfish, and threw it into the surf.  Then, smiling at the man, he said, “I made a difference to that one.”

The point is that every action, no matter how small, can make a difference. This is something that our cause truly believes in.

As travelers and friends coming from different backgrounds, it is our want to help in the development of children, more especially those in the rural communities, through creating and appreciating art and colors that brought us closer and put together the Color Your Life Project.

We initially did not plan something big and grand.  There are only the six of us and we were not expecting a huge pool of resources. From the beginning, we only wished to give small gifts of colors and arts to children we meet during our travels. It was during the planning and implementation of our pilot project that we learned we are not alone in this effort.

We have set the ball rolling as Color Your Life implemented its first leg – Project Luna – on August 12, 2017 at Napaset, Luna, La Union. Project Luna, as will the other projects under Color Your Life, had two art activities. First was the individual activity which was coloring by numbers. Because there were seventy children of different ages, we decided to split the large group into smaller ones according to their age. The younger ones were given a much simpler picture that only required three colors. The older ones were given something a little more complicated that required more colors. For this activity, we provided used crayons that the children were to give back after. This was so they could also learn the values of recycling and sharing.

We did not collect their finished artwork and let them keep it as a souvenir in the hopes that they would look back on it and remember that in art, just as in anything they want to pursue, they start with something. It may not be as nice in the beginning, but time, effort, constant practice, and dedication will lead them to where they want to be.

The second activity was a collaborative art activity.  Each group was given a huge clean paper they could draw on. Each group has one facilitator to guide them and encourage them to draw anything within their imagination.  This activity gave them more freedom to express their creativity and style. We noted that those in the younger age bracket tend to be either too shy or a little too aggressive. As facilitators, we had to make sure everyone in the group get the chance to draw, color and have fun. Just as the first activity, the second one also promotes sharing and recycling.

After the two activities was the distribution of start-up art kits. Primarily, we only planned on accommodating twenty children at most, and give them each a box of crayons. But thanks to people who have been very supportive of the cause, twenty children became seventy, and a box of crayons became a start-up art kit that included not just a box of crayons, but it also had watercolors, colored pens, a coloring story book, and an eco bag. We were also able to give out snacks and candies at the end of the activities.

We had done better than we expected. We are genuinely grateful to everyone who made Project Luna possible – the children who participated in the first Color Your Life project, the barangay officials and health workers, our co-facilitators from La Union, The Outcast Journey, and to those who shared and contributed to our resources.

Project Luna is just the beginning. Color Your Life, in partnership with The Outcast Journey, will have more adventures to other places, hoping that these adventures bring color to more children’s lives. To know more about what we do, why we do it, and what you can do to help, we will keep you posted in our official website www.coloryourlife.theoutcastjourney.com. You can also like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/coloryourlifeproject. You may contact us at 0917-3047551 (Sam) / 0917-1506002 (Louie) or email us at coloryourlifeproject@gmail.com.

See you in our next adventure. Keep splashing colors, everyone!

Photos

Start-up art kits

Story-telling

Individual coloring

Collaborative art activity

Distribution of art kits

Volunteers and facilitators