by Claire C. Perez, 2024 Intern for Communications and Advocacy
Amidst the deteriorating quality of education in the Philippines, Educo continues to reinforce a quality and transformative one for the children. Mark Jay Sedan, a former child representative, was one of the recipients of this, which impacted his life by healing his previous inadequacy regarding child rights. Now, he is a living example that such a goal truly transforms a life.
Mark became a child representative of Educo Philippines for four years. It started when he was 15 years old. Prior to his involvement with the organization, his knowledge regarding child rights was barely enough.
“As a child, you do know you have rights, but you are unaware of what specifically those rights are,” he said.
However, everything changed after obtaining appropriate education about children’s rights from Educo Philippines.
Educo believes that education is the most effective means of achieving their vision of a society in which children fully enjoy their rights and lead dignified lives – Mark is one of the people who reap the benefits of this goal.
Becoming a ChildRep
During Mark’s elementary years, he was given by Educo Philippines educational materials, which began his involvement with the organization. This occurrence set the door for him to have the opportunity to attend a seminar in Nabua, Camarines Sur, a town two hours away from Legazpi City, where he had a chance to gain awareness and understanding of his child rights and their importance. Apart from that, the said event also served as an avenue for him to be recognized as an individual who had the potential to lead.
As a result, he became a part of the roster of children who have been deployed by Educo Philippines in the various conventions for children at both regional and national levels. Among these conventions, he took part in the Philippine National Children’s Conference (PNCC), where he transitioned from being a participant to a child facilitator. Given the fact that he is a timid person by nature, this shift was rather valuable for him. He was molded to become an impactful child representative who utilized his voice to bring awareness about child rights and share the knowledge that he acquired in the seminars and training of the organization with his fellow children during his time.
Apart from having the voice to raise awareness, he shared, too, that being a child representative of the organization had also helped him grow personally.
“I also became more confident because of the events or conventions I attended both on the national and regional level. [Other than that,] my public speaking skills have been boosted as well,” he stated.
Furthermore, he had the opportunity to interact with diverse children from various cultural communities, which broadened his understanding of diversity and its significance.
Additionally, Educo Philippines helped him thrive continuously in his education by providing educational materials and financial assistance, especially when he was sent to Singapore to compete in the International Mathematics Competition.
Moreover, the organization’s support goes beyond the financial aspect. It also served as a means for him to develop personally and flourish in education, which helped him acquire the necessary knowledge that he used as he advanced in life and reached a remarkable level of triumph.
Educo as a medium in achieving greater heights
Growing up in a less affluent family, Mark greatly prioritizes education because he believes that education helps individuals to attain success in life and achieve what they want. He pointed out that the primary impact that Educo Philippines has had on him as a child and as a working adult is education.
As a child, Mark was given the opportunity by the organization to be educated about his rights.
“My lack of knowledge about my rights as a child was healed [by Educo through education],” he says.
This made him recognize the value of education – a strong instrument that has the capacity to fundamentally change a person’s life, not only a means of curing one’s ignorance on a certain matter.
Consequently, he developed an even greater drive to pursue and succeed in his education. Thus, from being a child representative of Educo Philippines, he blossomed and made his reputation by achieving a Latin honor of Summa Cum Laude and being the batch Valedictorian in the Industrial Engineering Department of the University of the Philippines – Diliman. Currently, he is continuously prospering in the professional field as the planning assistant at the Municipal Planning and Development Office of the Local Government Unit of Libon, a town an hour away from Legazpi.
This journey of reaching greater heights also depicts that the organization served as a stepping stone for him to gain a competitive advantage, become an equipped individual, and progress his way into the professional field.
“Thank you very much to Educo for everything, not only for the financial assistance but also for its [overall] impact on me as a child, as a person, as a worker, and as a citizen of the Philippines,” he stated.
Undeniably, the assistance, experience, and, most importantly, the education he gained from the organization when he was a child representative has had an enormous impact on him.
This story of Mark was anchored in the organization’s continuous efforts to provide quality and transformative education in the lives of the children. Mark is just one of many children who received an education from Educo that truly made a difference in his life. As the tagline of Educo implies, education, indeed, heals.
