Changing the Game

There are only a few days left until CSR 2122: Gamechanger, and I am beyond thrilled to see it all come to life! This year, my co-project heads and I wanted to shed light on the digital divide in our country’s education sector. We figured that the best way to live out this advocacy is to actually make a meaningful impact on our stakeholders. For this project, we teamed up with Childhope Philippines in providing educational aid to underprivileged children, especially now in the “new normal” when everyone is forced to shift online. We hoped to do this by holding a series of awareness talks leading up to the online game tournament as a fundraising initiative. We can say that this is unlike anything ACTM has ever done before—but it definitely is worth the risk knowing that we could not only engage our participants but also raise enough money for our chosen beneficiary. CSR 2122: Gamechanger aims to remind everyone that even the hobbies we enjoy doing, such as playing mobile and website games, could be small steps toward creating positive change in the lives of others.

Poster by: Alyanna Arches

Spiel and Concept by: Claudine Abad Santos

In deciding on an advocacy to communicate through CSR, we particularly resonated with bridging the technological divide, given how this reality affects the nation as a whole now more than ever. To give some context, the digital divide pertains to the unequal access to information and technology. Due to the ongoing pandemic, the Philippines was forced to suddenly transition to the online setting, which continues to pose a huge struggle for many students around the country. The Department of Education revealed that an estimated 3 million students have neither enrolled nor returned to their respective schools in the A.Y. 2020-2021, and one of the main reasons for this number is the lack of online resources available to send these children to school. We acknowledged that this is a pressing issue that needed to be addressed and is something that must not be ignored. Quality education is a universal right that cannot be taken away from anyone. With that being said, we organized an event that did not only strive to spread awareness but also provide tangible donations for students who have been experiencing great difficulties in learning amidst the global pandemic.

One of Childhope Philippines’ KalyEskwela Session

(Photo courtesy of Childhope Philippines)

All I can say is that it was not an easy journey to get to this point. Looking back, the late-night meetings, countless org documents, and last-minute deliverables were all worth it if it meant getting to where we are now. Since the event is just days away, we highly encourage everyone to partake in the cause by participating in our Awareness Talks and joining our online game tournament, where profits garnered from the event will be donated to Childhope Philippines.

It’s never too late to make a change. The choice is yours—will you press start to make a change?

__________ All credits for the elements in the banner go to the rightful owners. Photos from Pinterest.