Category: Psychosocial Activity

One of the core programs of Open Heart Foundation Worldwide, Inc. (OHFWI) is the promotion of the participation rights of the children and youth through the Open Heart Foundation Youth Movement (OHYM).
OHYM is an organized children and youth group whose members are the beneficiaries of OHFWI – Children and Youth Development Program (CYDP) nationwide. Through the CYDP, each beneficiary is empowered through capacity trainings and various psychosocial activities. Currently there are 30 areas where CYDP is operating, thus also having 30 active OHYM groups with over 307 members. Each OHYM Group conducts various activities voluntarily in their communities, not only as a means to share or pay forward the benefits and privileges they receive from the Foundation; but also to share their positive experiences with other children and youth through their community outreach activities.

Last February 2020, OHYM Biñan and OHYM Quezon City teamed up to brainstorm and finalize the draft for OHYM’s Vision, Mission, and Goals.

Here are the final Vision, Mission, and Goals of OHYM:  

Vision: An active youth movement that stands united to claim our rights with corresponding responsibilities as we realize our purpose on the progress of the society.

Mission: Seize every opportunity and participate in all activities that create learning and open doors of engagement in our communities that help in our holistic development.

Goals:

1. To educate oneself and transmit new learnings to our fellow children and youth.

2. To unite us, children and youth in advocating our rights and capabilities.

3. To empower us, children and youth to become functional members of society.

After finalizing the Vision, Mission and Goals, a Logo Making Contest were also opened to all OHYM Groups. Thirteen OHYM groups submitted their entries to join the contest. The wining logo will be used as the trademark of OHYM projects and its members. The winning logo was chosen from among various entries coming from different areas of operations of the Open Heart Foundation. Beneficiaries voted based on three criteria: relevance of the logo to the VMG, creativity, originality and general vote (choice of the beneficiaries as to logo appearance and its symbolism)

The beneficiaries voted for the logo of their choice and the top 3 was voted upon by four ADMIN staffs for the final ranking.

The entries from Biñan, Pangasinan, and Romblon are the top three choices of the beneficiaries. After the judging of 4 OHFWI Staff, the entry from Pangasinan is the 3^rd place, Entry from Biñan is the 2^nd place, and entry from Romblon is the 1^st place and the official logo of OHYM. Each winning entries received a cash prize amounting to PHP 10,000.00 (1^st place), PHP 7,500.00 (2^nd place), and PHP 5,000.00 (3^rd place).

Prepared by:

Saleah Joy Uclusin, RSW
Area Coordinator

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SARS-CoV-2 a.k.a CoVid-19 pandemic has spread around the world affecting many people in different countries.  To prevent the spread of the virus, countries have agreed on lockdowns and quarantines and encouraged people to stay indoors to save lives.

This pandemic caused many to cancel their special occasions such as birthdays and anniversaries.  However, instead of letting the pandemic spoil the celebrations, people thought of creative ways to celebrate important occasions while maintaining social and physical distancing.

In 2020, the Open Heart Foundation celebrates its 28^th year of giving services to the children and youth, families and communities in the Philippines; and commemorates the 20^th death anniversary of our generous Founder, Atty. Robert LeGore.  OHF is one of the many organizations that wish to celebrate very special occasion like this, but due to this pandemic, OHF decided to make the anniversary celebration safer by live streaming a Thanksgiving Mass via Zoom application.  This is to prevent the potential exposure of its staffs, friends, families and guests to the deadly virus.

The anniversary celebration was held on August 1 through a series of programs. The program began by paying tribute to our Founder, Robert LeGore; for the life he shared with the Filipino people and his legacy of having an open heart to empower so many children and youth.  After paying tribute, our Executive Director, Ms. Rosalinda Perez, gave her opening message.

After all the preliminaries, a Thanksgiving Mass was officiated by Rev. Fr. John Harvey Bagos of Good Shepherd Church.  He was assisted by OHF Executive Director and selected staff in leading the Readings and Responsorial Psalms.

After the mass, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Dr. Carol Encarnacion-Dacanay also gave her message of inspiration in relation to the thanksgiving celebration.

On the second half of the program is the announcement of the top 3 winners of the Logo-Making Contest and the announcement of the official logo for Open Heart Youth Movement (OHYM) under Children and Youth Program (CYDP).  OHYM is an organized children and youth group whose members are the beneficiaries of CYDP.  It is an active youth movement that stands united to claim their rights with corresponding responsibility as they realize their purpose and roles towards progress and nation building.  To formalize them as a group, a logo-making contest was opened to all OHYM groups.  The logo entry from OHYM Romblon was chosen as the winner and was designated as the official logo of the Open Heart Youth Movement.

The pandemic presented us challenges of different kinds but it also strengthened our resolve to realize our goals and made us closer to each other.  The online celebration was attended by the board of trustees, staffs, beneficiaries, graduates, parent volunteers, network partners, previous employees and other invited guests.  Truly, their presence signify that they are one with Open Heart Foundation’s mission and vision for the children and youth.

We also took this opportunity to bless the LeGore Learning Center; a learning center intended for pre-school children residing within the subdivision and nearby subdivisions. It is envisioned to cater the needs of regular children and children with special needs thru inclusion.

As the program ended and as a sign of solidarity, everyone was invited to give a heart sign virtually, a heart that symbolizes our commitment, compassion and unselfish dedication for the empowerment of children and youth.

Congratulations to the Open Heart Family.

Prepared by:

Jesusa Bedia
Admin Officer

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It has been a yearly practice to celebrate Christmas, whether it is at home, at work, school or even between friends. On December 14. 2019, Saturday, the beneficiaries under the Children and Youth Development Program (CYDP) of Manila area celebrated their Christmas Party which was held at Mabadan Compound in Malate, Manila.

The celebration started with a prayer led by Triszha Buban, a Grade 5 Student. The children also showcased an intermission number performed by Ana Althea Almonte, Kevin Roy Arcilla, Trizsha Buban and Aidan Jerome Altre dancing in the beat of “Star ng Pasko” Christmas song.

Games were also played where laughter and enjoyment filled the venue. The first game was facilitated by the parent of one of the beneficiaries, while the second and third games were facilitated by OHF Area Coordinators, Janette and Desiree. Raffles and prizes were also given to the children and parent monitors. Exchanging of gifts between the OHF Staff and children was also part of the program. The food was served for everyone and the celebration ended by a group photo.

The Open Heart Foundation Worldwide Inc. gives value to the spirit of Christmas as remembrance of what the Lord has done for everyone. That is why, the beneficiaries of CYDP Manila held a simple Christmas Party as a way of remembering this special occasion.

Article prepared by Desiree Enriquez, RSW

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