About the Program
The Boys Rehab, officially called Regional Rehabilitation Centre for Youth, is a social welfare residential facility run by the Department of Social
Welfare and Development (DSWD) which provides care and rehabilitation
to male children in-conflict-with-law aging between 9 and 18. However, there are some boys above 18 years old who are still residing at the centre due to extended services that are still being provided.
Although it's hard to believe, all
these boys have pending cases being tried in
court, some are serious offenses like crimes against property (robbery, theft) and against persons or the public (murder, homicide, rape).
The
main purpose of the centre is to modify the behaviour of the boys and turn them into better and law-abiding members of the society. They are provided with both specific and overall programs and services that include social (group counseling sessions, therapy),
home life (chores, personal hygiene), productivity (skills training),
educational (non-formal and formal education, alternative learning system),
spiritual and psychological.
Your Role as a Volunteer
The
volunteer will be working alongside a staff composed of social workers, houseparents, and support staff. The centre chief is a registered social worker. The
volunteer is required to work at this placement five times a week, from Monday
to Friday, even on holidays since the program is always open. Usually the
required number of work time is only 4 hours but volunteers would usually render
more than 4 hours.
Due to the fact that the boys have assigned tasks, there are a certain periods in the morning and afternoon in which they are free
and these would be used for the activities organized by the volunteer. The
volunteer’s responsibility is to assist the staff by organizing activities in
line with its programs.
Basically the volunteer’s goal is to meet the objective
of the centre to help modify the boys’ behaviour and prepare them fro reintegration into the community and their families. Due to the nature of the
boys’ cases, many of them are not able to attend formal school.
It is of great
importance that they continue learning, and that’s where the volunteer comes
in, to conduct non-formal lessons in Math and English. Training in life skills
such as baking, computer literacy, hair-styling, and other areas are also helpful to these young boys. The boys also
enjoy sports, music, and dance. The centre encourages volunteers to share and
impart their skills, talent, and knowledge on these fields which proves to be an effective way to have an impact to these young lives.
Dress Code
To
conform with the Filipino conservative culture and to look professional,
volunteers must dress modestly. The volunteer must report to work wearing the
appropriate clothes. Top must consist of shirt of blouse or t-shirt with
sleeves. No singlet or tank top. Top should not have plunging neckline. Bottom
wear must be long pants or knee-length skirt. Footwear must be shoes or
sandals. Outside work, a volunteer can wear more comfortable article of
clothing such as shorts and tank tops and wear flip flops.
Transportation to the placement
During placement, volunteer
will take any of the following public transportation vehicles, depending on
his/her destination: jeepney or multicab. Patience is required when traveling
to and from placement.
The volunteer’s daily commute takes at most 45 minutes
and requires him/her to travel from Bliss to Tanauan on a jeepney for “Tanauan” or “Tolosa
.” This ride costs 0.30 USD pesos only. On the way back, the
volunteer has to take any
“Tacloban
”
jeepneys or buses. The return trip costs the same. Volunteer will be briefed on
getting to placement and back during the placement orientation at the beginning
of the program.
