Its been over a month since Rock and Run, and we’ve been quiet on the Republikha front.  Apologies!

So what have we been up to? We are sort of quiet because we are busy finshing up our last round of testing. What is that all about, you ask? Well, when we began this project and spoke to the artists who are now part of Jooma Jam, we also understood that to come up with relevant, educationally sound material we needed to test these songs before we went into the recording studio.

Some of the Grade 1 kids at the testing session

Now we don’t want get too technical about the process, so we’ll just say that each demo we receive is brought to several public schools and used in the classroom. The teachers let the students hear the songs and the kids give their input. (This whole process was designed by Teacher Yangky of the UP Child Development Center, who we’ve mentioned before. She is AMAZING.) Anyhow, data will be collected and summarized before heading off to record.

We just want to highlight the group of students that are currently helping us make this last round of testing happen.  They represent a student organization called UP CRAdLe which stands for “UP Children’s Rights Advocates’ League”.

UP CRAdLE member at the testing session

We have been testing demos for almost a year now, and the help that UP CRAdLE has extended has really made a significant impact on Republikha.

UP CRAdLE was founded in 2006 by then-student Ren Bajenting, who was encouraged by her teacher to do it as an off-shoot of her thesis.  Isn’t it amazing how encouragement can make sweeping changes in the way things are done? How encouragement can start a fire within a person, and it ignites others along the way?

From the time it was created, UP CRAdLE has grown each year, making sure they fulfill their objectives, some of which are:

a) Provide valuable and informative research regarding social and community issues in our country, especially issues concerning the rights and welfare of the child.

b) Provide assistance and guidance to children in many communities in their socio-cultural and moral development.

c) Work towards the enhancement of the economic and social well-being of many of our Filipino brothers and sisters, especially the Filipino children.

d) Provide a venue for individuals who want to contribute in the social development of communities or barangays in the Philippines.

e) Campaign or lobby for national bills, proposals and measures that may promote the enforcement of the rights of children and help to promote the course of taking action in order to improve the living standards and alleviation of poverty in the country.

We are so encouraged that many young people are able to see beyond themselves and be involved in organizations that uphold the rights of children. Membership to this organization is made available to UP students 17 years old and above, and  members are able to participate in opportunities such as outreach drives, fundraisers, and their main annual event during CRAdLe week at the beginning of the year.

UP Children's Rights Advocates' League

Their forum this year featured notable speakers from the Council for the Welfare of Children and AKAP-BATA, whose aim was to spread awareness on the present condition and the future of the Filipino children. Next month, they intend to spearhead a regular outreach program called “Sa UP ang Simula”, a literacy campaign involving kids that wander around the UP campus–selling ponytails, begging, or collecting bottles. This campaign aims to help children understand why learning is important.

We’d like to say thank you to all the members of UP CRAdLE. Thank you for doing what you do, for partnering with us, and for being an encouragement to us at Republikha. Thank you for being courageous and wanting to use your giftings and talents to influence the next generation.

Find out more about UP CRAdLE at theupcradle.multiply.com or add them on Facebook: Up Cradle Diliman