Every year, iVolunteer recognizes volunteers who exemplify the organization's core values--Integrity, Professionalism, Inclusivity, Nationalism and Change Leadership. These individuals are called the iVolunteer Champions because they are role models of selfless dedication and genuine passion. The impact that they make in their respective communities demonstrates the life-changing effect of volunteerism.
Kyle David Atienza is the 2022 iVolunteer Champion for Change Leadership. Volunteers like Kyle, who exemplify this value, have the ability to influence others towards bringing positive change.
Kyle is the Founder and Executive Director of The Street Classroom, a non-profit organization in Marinduque that provides support for out-of-school children, drop-outs, children-at-risk and other learners with various limitations. Professionally, Kyle is a full-time Senior Education Specialist for Human ResourceDevelopment in the Department of Education, a profession that he proudly describes as 'teacher of teachers'.
Interestingly, being part of the education sector was far from his original dream of being a veterinarian. He ended up choosing Education in college because his DOST Scholarship only had Engineering and Education as options. His initial plan was to find a way to shift to a course that he was passionate about, but that changed when he was in his second year of college. In one of his school immersions, he met a visually impaired child named Carlo who told him that he kept dreaming of Kyle teaching kids on the street. While this did not materialize instantly, it was a memorable experience for Kyle.
Fast forward to two years later, Kyle saw his own Facebook post documenting that encounter with Carlo, and took it as a sign to bring this foretelling into reality. The Street Classroom was then founded in January 5, 2019 with the help of a small group composed of teachers and students. To their surprise, over 100 people volunteered and they received more than Php 10,000 donations.
Their first flagship project was called Pangarap ng Puso where they collated the dreams of children from their community. Initially, they wanted to disprove a research that said that 7 out of 10 children in the Philippines had no dreams. Unfortunately, this project proved the research right. There were a lot of children who had no dreams because of poverty and lack of a support system. Discovering this dire condition motivated Kyle to continue with what he had started.
Just a little over a year later, the pandemic happened and it was a very difficult transition for them. They were used to physical settings and had limited tech knowledge. They temporarily halted their operations and opted instead to donate their funds to more urgent causes. But despite this, Kyle knew that in retrospect, the pandemic was a blessing in disguise. They were forced to innovate and harness the use of social media.
Eventually, through persistence, they learned to adapt to a hybrid setup. Through this, The Street Classroom was able to tap volunteers outside of their province and increase their visibility and connections.
One of their biggest initiatives is Angat Basa Center which started in 2022 as a community hub where beneficiaries have access to online and print resources, tutors, and gadgets. They started with 53% literacy rate and ended at 92% after three months. With their progress, they were able to tap more volunteers, build rapport with parents and schools, and push the local government to step in and fund some of their projects. On top of this, Kyle became a regular member of the Municipal Council for the Protection of Children in Mogpog, Marinduque in 2022, and a member of the Regional Independent Monitoring Committee of DSWD MIMAROPA in 2023. Currently, their Angat Basa Center has 72 volunteers and 31 of those are online volunteers who help them create publicity materials and who tutor children through online learning.
Indeed, The Street Classroom has come a long way with Kyle as their leader, even in the face of something as disruptive as the pandemic. They have helped more than 11,300 beneficiaries, 39 communities and 27 public schools. They are also a finalist of the Ten Outstanding Youth Organization (TAYO) Award for three consecutive years (2019-2021).
When Kyle started The Street Classroom, he was unemployed and he initially thought it would be a one-time bigtime activity. But seeing the huge gap between what the government is providing and what a lot of communities need compels him to continuously become the bridge and fill in the gap. He is a firm believer that volunteerism has the power to change lives, especially the lives of children-at-risk.
However, maintaining an organization like The Street Classroom entails facing problems such as financial limitations and volunteer retention. As a full-time worker, a part-time student, and the Executive Director, Kyle has to continuously navigate organizational issues on top of helping their growing beneficiaries. But in all these things, Kyle believes that the key ingredient is for volunteers to find their why and love what they are doing. He emphasizes that being a volunteer is a hard work that needs passion and dedication.
Kyle encourages aspiring and fellow volunteers to immerse themselves in the realities that different communities face. It's worth remembering that while Kyle did not start with a love for education, being immersed in neglected communities opened his eyes and sparked his desire to make a difference. Indeed, Kyle champions change leadership by being a role model of kindness and dedication and inspiring people with his vision and passion.
By Lorraine Ranoa, iVolunteer Philippines
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