In the wake of a rapidly changing global environment, there has been a growing disparity between the quality of education accessible to the rich and the poor. This is a great challenge that needs to be overcome because this difference has always been the root cause of inequality and one of the many factors that affect cyclical poverty. With that said idea, education should always be at the forefro
nt of any social development endeavors. It should be the cornerstone in building a more progressive, integrated and harmonious society. As an innovation to providing quality education to impoverished communities, young leaders from Team AYLA came up with the Colors of Hope Education and Enrichment Program. Colors of Hope is an education enrichment program designed to address prevalent issues concerning access to education in the Philippines. The idea was to reinvent inclusive access to education by bringing classrooms to the streets. Access to education is hard in the Philippines due to poverty, injustice and threats of conflict. Colors of hope brings education to the streets by: 1) transforming abandoned, vandalized, or damaged walls into vibrant learning spaces 2) mobilizing Jeepneys with volunteers becoming mobile learning labs. Colors of Hope aims to influence both policy and culture of education in the Philippines. With these learning spaces as "street blackboards", Mobile Learning Labs as "street classrooms" - you get what we call a "Kalsada Klasrum" where street children or out-of-school children can study and fulfill their dreams and aspirations. Members of Team AYLA thought that as a portion of the population rest easy and live in the life of convenience and comfort, there are millions of out-of-school youth and street children figuring out the course of their future. Rather than being given the chance to maximize their potential, they are burdened with their limited opportunities and abilities and are left to face the growing competitive world. Although receiving quality formal education reduces the vulnerability to poverty of marginalized communities, access has always been an issue. Therefore, Colors of Hope was designed under the belief that education is borderless, corner-less and unrestricted. The Colors of Hope initiative is inspired as the project aims to bring education and inspiration directly to what people perceive as depressed communities. But with the addition of a wall dressed in an educational and inspiring mural, it gives a special and multiplied effect to the community. The painted wall, serving as a stationary place where kids can learn, complimented by a mobile learning lab as street classroom, both serves as an inspiration hub for street children. As young leaders, we have a social responsibility to give back to the community. Colors of Hope gave us an opportunity to choose a different path and now, we are reaching out to out-of-school children in the Urban Poor Areas in Metro Manila and hopefully in the future other Rural Areas within the Philippines. We in Colors of Hope, wish to continue this advocacy in the next years to come - one wall and a jeepney at a time. Our plan in the future is for our mobile learning labs to become environment friendly by not using jeepneys anymore but creating what we call "Coconut Car" that is made up of plastic waste, bamboo and coconut shells - pulled by a solar powered Golf Cart. We also plan to add a Character Formation Curriculum together with the 3 other basic courses we currently offer to children. What we teach in our Kalsada Klasrum (street classroom):
1) Functional Literacy - especially designed for out-of-school children aged 4-12 years old to teach them basic literacy skills. Focus: Reading, Writing and Basic Mathematics.
2) Environmental Literacy - a course designed to teach out-of-school children and demonstrate basic knowledge and understanding about the environment particularly implications of Climate Change, why Climate Resilience is important and how Climate Justice play a significant role for an inclusive, empowered and just society.
3) Financial Literacy - designed to demonstrate out-of-school children basic knowledge and understanding of basic financial areas. At a young age children should be equipped with the ability to manage their own finances in an efficient manner. Financial Literacy can be a tool to help combat cyclical poverty. Focus Areas: decision making on personal finance, basic financial planning and budgeting.
