COMMUNITY IMMERSION: A REACTION PAPER

By: Marie Eugenie A. Ambay, BSA 1 – B

Community Immersion is one of the important requirements of the

National Service Training Program (NSTP) prescribed to students male and

female alike in private and public higher education institutions, and technical

vocational schools. This is according to Republic Act 9163, Section 7, a law

enforced by the law regulating body of the Philippines essentially to train,

develop and teach students the concept of service and empowerment as they

reach out to the deprived, depressed, and unprivileged communities and the

marginalized segments of the society and to become socially active within the

community.

As a student of the 21st century, I have reflected upon myself that

whenever we are being questioned about our contribution to the welfare of our

society, we are more likely to disregard the idea and say that "We are still

students, we still needed to be taught of the idea of helping and contributing to

the society". I reflected that it was the wrong type of mindset. Eventhough we

are still students we can be able to contribute to the society by just being

interdependently sociable and helpful. The essence of being a student is not

only focused on the idea of being academically excellent, and self-capable but it

also have to be socially responsible to the community he/she lives in.

The community immersion that was held within the elementary school grounds

of Esperanza II have taught me various life lessons. Not only that it has made
me socially responsible, but it made me a better person. The feeling of joy and

laughter while helping the citizens of the said barangay is never to be taken

lightly since it has made a great impact to my personality and being. It makes

me eager to help more within the society, and make use of the time to teach

children how to become socially interdependent.

As a trainee under Civic Welfare Training Service (CWTS), I am proud to

say that our Community Immersion was a success. From the very beginning,

not only that we have manage to create a bond within the officials of the

barangay, but we establish a connection with them and also to the citizens of

Esperanza II that forever will be remembered and given importance. For that,

we are looking forward of being able to be summoned in the barangay and find

volunteers for future decisions and formalities of projects to be implemented.

We are happy and are willing to undergo another training for future

generations to come, ready to serve our countrymen as we diverse ourselves in

unity within the community.