By Arabella Balderama

On August 29 and September 6, the ASHS Sanggunian launched the OSCC Open House 2023 to give the students a glimpse into the different activities that each organization, sports club, and committee has to offer.

The two-day event consisted of mock activity periods from participating OSCCs, allowing the students to have first-hand experience of what it is like to be a member of the OSCC that piques their interest. 

“The OSCCs are divided into two batches based on their activity period schedule for this school year so that the participants will be able to pick their top two OSCCs from each schedule (Tuesday and Thursday) and discern which OSCC appealed more to them based on the open house,” Hazel Medina, the Council of Student Organizations Vice President, said.

“To maximize the limited time we have during promotions week, we have given each OSCC an hour and a half to conduct two mock org sessions good for 30 minutes each for interested students. This is to give equal opportunities for all OSCCs to promote regardless of how big, small, or new the OSCC is,” she added. 

Thursday, August 31, 2023, was the original schedule of day two. However, because classes were suspended due to inclement weather, the Open House was instead moved to a later date.

New homes

In line with the Open House, some newly-established organizations and committees, namely Idiyanale and the Pre-Medical Society of Ateneo Senior High School (PMSA-SHS), had the chance to introduce their advocacies for the first time.

Idiyanale, the newest Sandigan under the Council of Student Committees, mainly advocates for an inclusive environment that promotes accessibility and diversity for persons with disabilities (PWDs).

In addition, their Sandigan had collaborated with Best Buddies Philippines, a worldwide volunteer-based organization catering to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, which would serve as a “catalyst” in fulfilling Idiyanale’s mission of raising awareness and fostering equal opportunities.

“Seeing how there are students who were interested in what Idiyanale aims for was something that we started looking forward to—to continue our vision in fostering an inclusive and accessible environment,” remarked Venice Roxas, the Secretary of Idiyanale, after participating in the Open House.

“We hope that with [our] projects and the people that make up Idiyanale, we get to extend our resources and advocacy towards the PWDs within and outside our community,” Venice ended.

On the other hand, PMSA-SHS is an organization established to become an avenue for students who wish to be acquainted with the health and medical field.

With its three MED advocacies—Makiisa, Engganyo, and Dinggin, PMSA-SHS aims to focus on social involvement, service-oriented programs, medical career facilitation and discernment, as well as health awareness and promotion.

“We are proud to say that we were one of the organizations who had the most sign-ups for the Tuesday session! It really warmed our hearts because it was a sign that we had accomplished our goal of providing an organization that students can feel they belong in,” Rio Labaguis, the President of PMSA-SHS, expressed.

“We will welcome all interested students with open arms, regardless of your strand or career choice… Someone who is passionate about serving the community through health and medicine-related initiatives,” Rio concluded.

Through the Open House, these OSCCs were able to connect with the community despite only being recently established. They now highly anticipate more growth, especially as many students have already shown interest in pursuing their respective advocacies.

In pursuit of discernment

Meanwhile, some juniors who attended the Open House shared some sentiments after their sessions concluded, citing their preferred organizations.

“I want to join the [PMSA-SHS] because that’s really what I’m interested in, and I want to take pre-med in college as well. I think this would be a good stepping stone in order to achieve the bigger goal,” Christine Caballero, a student from 11-Torres, stated.

“I want to join [PMSA-SHS] because I want to pursue medicine in college, and I also want to join Dulaang Sibol since I like acting. I have one org din po na cinoconsider … which is the Math Org since I think maeenhance ‘yung skill ko. Nagdedecide pa rin po,” added Althea Teodosio, also a student from 11-Torres.

Both students expressed their intent to attend the Open House to explore the different organizations available and see where they fit according to their interests.

“I want to discover orgs and to know kung ano po ‘yung mga activities na ma-i-o-offer po nila. ‘Yon po ‘yung makaka-help po sa akin na makapag-discern ng org na which is for me talaga,” Althea explained.

All in all, the Open House served as an overview and guide to the students to finally discern what their interests yearn for, especially in line with involvement week.

“Take your time in going through all the OSCCs and learning what they actually do so that you will be able to pick the one that resonates and relates closely to your hobbies, skills, talents, or even to what you are advocating for. Don’t be afraid to take risks, learn new things, and explore… In the end, all of these student groups have the goal to help you grow. It is only up to you where you will plant your seed,” Hazel Medina advised those who have yet to decide on their involvement.