Young Professionals Orientation and Training Program

The 2011 YP Workshop Report is now available online for download. This report is a documentation of the proceedings from the 2011 Young Professionals Workshop on Social Housing, a 7-day training program held on October 19-25, 2011 in Quezon City.

The YP Workshop is a capability-building activity organized annually by TAO-Pilipinas to orient young design professionals and students about social housing, with different thematic focus every year since 2005. In this fifth cycle of the YP Workshops, the program focused on the theme “Mainstreaming Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) in Community Planning and Development”.

TAO-Pilipinas worked with partner organizations in carrying out the workshop activities including COM (Community Organizers Multiversity), Masagana of Navotas Neighborhood Association, Samahan ng Maliliit na Mangangalakal ng R. Domingo, Samahang Pantalan Uno, and Kasiglahan Village Phase 1-D Homeowners Association. Fifteen (15) senior students of architecture, engineering and planning completed the workshop along with eight (8) community representatives.

TAO-Pilipinas completed the fifth cycle of the Young Professionals Workshop on Social Housing on October 19-25, 2011. The 7-day program of activities was developed under the theme, “Mainstreaming Disaster Risk Reduction in Community Planning and Development”. Lecture sessions which formed the first two days of the workshop were held at the FPA Function Room, BAI Compound, Quezon City. Succeeding workshop sessions were conducted at the BSWM Training Room, Elliptical Road, Quezon City.

The YP Workshop is a capability-building activity regularly conducted by TAO-Pilipinas as a venue for young design professionals to learn about social housing issues through direct interaction with poor communities. The workshop activities consisted of lecture sessions on social housing and disaster risk reduction, stay-in immersion in urban poor communities for three days, facilitation of community DRR assessment and action planning workshops, presentation of immersion and DRR workshop outputs, reflection and evaluation sessions.

Fifteen (15) senior students of architecture, engineering and environmental planning completed the workshop along with eight (8) community representatives. Participants included YPs from UP College of Architecture, PUP-CAFA, UE Manila and UE Caloocan College of Engineering, Miriam College Department of Environment, and TIP College of Engineering. Participants from the community represented the workshop immersion areas, namely Masagana Area in Tanza, Navotas; Pantalan Uno and R. Domingo in Tangos, Navotas; and Kasiglahan Village 1 Phase 1D in Rodriguez, Rizal.

Several resource persons gave lectures to orient the participants on social housing and community development planning during the first day of the workshop. Dr. Laura David gave the keynote lecture titled “Sustainable Settlement Development in the time of Climate Change” while Director Zacarias Abanes of HUDCC presented a national situationer on “Social Housing in the Philippines”. Lecturers from TAO-Pilipinas presented various topics related to social housing.

Lecture sessions during the second day of the workshop focused on disaster risk reduction (DRR) and presentations were given by resource persons from government, the academe, and non-government organizations. Ms. Mayfourth Luneta of Center for Disaster Preparedness (CDP) presented the fundamental concepts in “Community-Based Disaster Risk Reduction and Management” while Mr. Ramon Padilla of DRRNet Philippines gave an overview of “RA 10121” or the DRRM Act. Professor Ernesto Serote lectured about “DRR through Urban Planning and Management”.

Dr. Baby Jane Punongbayan of PHIVOLCS gave a lecture on “Geological Hazards” while Mr. Carlomagno Ancheta of PAGASA presented “Hydro-Meteorological Hazards”. A lecture on “Structural and Non-Structural Measures for Flood Mitigation” was given by Prof. Peter Paul Castro of UP College of Engineering. Mr. Noli Abinales of Buklod TAO provided a PO perspective by talking about DRR initiatives in their flood-prone community in San Mateo.

After the lecture sessions the participants were grouped into three YP teams and went to their designated community immersion areas. The three YP teams simultaneously conducted participatory assessment of disaster risks in the community which culminated in the formulation of community plans on DRR. Following a three-day stay in the communities, the YPs returned to the training venue at BSWM to present the results of the community DRR assessment they facilitated.

The three YP teams were able to share the outputs of their immersion activities and were critiqued by a panel of reactors composed of TAO Executive Director Arlene Lusterio, PUP-CAFA Dean Ted Inocencio, and COM Executive Director Luz Malibiran. The panel provided additional inputs about DRR and conveyed their recommendations to the community assessment and action plans presented by the YP teams.

The concluding activity of the workshop was a reflection session which gave the participants an opportunity to consider the most significant lessons imparted by their workshop experience. Many communicated their newfound appreciation for community work and found the hands-on methods and direct interaction with people as most fulfilling. These impressions were also reflected in a collection of mural paintings that the YP teams, along with community representatives, completed at the end of the workshop.

With the formal workshop activities finished, the participants then enjoyed a fellowship and videoke-night at BSWM. Evaluation forms, certificates and workshop tokens were distributed at the last day of the workshop.

Project funding support for the 2011 Young Professionals Workshop on Social Housing was provided by Misereor, Asian Coalition for Community Action (ACCA), and Partnership of Philippine Support Service Agencies (PHILSSA).

NAME	COURSE	COLLEGE/UNIVERSITY
CHAVEZ, Sarah Maria L.	BS Environmental Planning & Management	Miriam College
BELEN, Maria Cristina C.	BS Architecture	PUP-Sta. Mesa
MABATO, Cris Benedict M.	BS Architecture	PUP-Sta. Mesa
MATRE, Glenn Clevert C.	BS Architecture	PUP-Sta. Mesa
SARIA, Jessabel S.	BS Architecture	PUP-Sta. Mesa
SONSONA, Lady Melody R.	BS Civil Engineering	TIP-Manila
AMADA, Russel Jr. B.	BS Civil Engineering	UE-Caloocan
CRUZ, Jairus B.	BS Civil Engineering	UE-Caloocan
VALDEZ, Dominic M.	BS Civil Engineering	UE-Caloocan
ALARCON, Mark Paolo B.	BS Civil Engineering	UE-Manila
CASTRO, Mharren C.	BS Architecture	UP Diliman
COLLADO, Klervin John B.	BS Architecture	UP Diliman
KEMPENEERS, Nancy C.	BS Architecture	UP Diliman
LAPASTORA, Hazel Angeli C.	BS Architecture	UP Diliman
REMOLAR, Alver Prince A.	BS Architecture	UP Diliman
SERRANO, Arvin John	BS Architecture	UP Diliman
ALMIREZ, Lorelei E.	BS Community Development	UP Diliman

Pre-Workshop Briefing for participants is scheduled on October 8, 2011, Saturday, 1:00 pm at the TAO-Pilipinas office. Please do not forget to bring your signed/completed confirmation and waiver forms for sponsored participants; and registration fee for non-sponsored participants. See you this Saturday!

THE 2011 YOUNG PROFESSIONALS WORKSHOP ON SOCIAL HOUSING

October 19-25, 2011

Theme: “Mainstreaming Disaster Risk Reduction in Community Planning and Development”

8 Reasons to Attend the 2011 YP Workshop

The BIGGEST Reason:

You have seen disasters happen; you have seen how much the poor suffered. As a young design professional, you want to help but you don’t know how. This is your entry point.

A MOST COMPELLING Reason:

The YP workshop will give you an excellent orientation on social housing along with training activities to better appreciate the issues affecting the urban poor. You will experience working directly and living with the poor, a personal challenge to answer the question, “What is my role in society as a future professional in my country?”

A HIGHLY SIGNIFICANT Reason:

The YP workshop will expertly tackle climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction with invited resource persons from the academe, government, and non-government organizations. You will hear actors in the field talk about experiences not just theories. You will gain knowledge beyond the four walls of the classroom, not from books but from the real world that surrounds you.

An EXTREMELY IMPORTANT Reason:

The YP Workshop is an opportunity for experiential learning. You will experience first-hand participatory community planning because you will be grouped into teams to work in four urban poor communities. You will learn the theory, hear the stories and transfer the knowledge to the people in the community you will work with. You will learn by doing.

THE Reason to BE THERE:

The YP Workshop will give you a chance for meaningful networking and exchange of ideas. You gain timely knowledge, you meet new friends with common interests, you meet expert professionals in the field, and at the end of the workshop, you have done a very good deed by sharing your time, knowledge and skills (if not your heart) with the poor.

A VERY PRACTICAL Reason:

If you attend the workshop as a sponsored participant, you’d be required to do volunteer work at TAO-Pilipinas which can fulfill your college OJT requirement.

The BEST Reason:

The workshop will open your eyes to your potential role as a young design professional in addressing the shelter needs of poor communities. Reflections from past workshop attendees have consistently shown how the workshop has provided them with invaluable lessons to consider as they start out a professional career.

The RADICAL Reason:

You know what you want. You want to be a relevant and responsive professional but you need more knowledge and skills to be prepared. This workshop will teach you the basic principles, the guide in working with poor communities especially in times of disaster.

Theme: “Mainstreaming Disaster Risk Reduction in Community Planning and Development”

PROGRAM OF ACTIVITIES

(Provisional Agenda as of 25 August 2011)

Day 1: October 19, 2011 Wednesday – Lecture Sessions on Social Housing

Venue: Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority/BSWM, Quezon City

Keynote Lecture: Sustainable Settlements Development in the time of Climate Change

Session A: Social Housing Overview

Objectives:

1. Understand the national poverty and housing situation and institutional mechanisms in social housing delivery;

2. Know the standards and technical requirements for social housing provision and design;

3. Be familiar with the different stakeholders (government, private sector, NGOs, POs) in the social housing sector

Lecture Topics:

• Social Housing in the Philippines (National Situationer)

• Standards for Social Housing Provision and Design

Session B: Tools and Approaches to Social Housing

Objectives:

1. Understand the different methodologies and practices in effective community and housing development for the poor;

2. Be familiar with alternative building materials that can be employed for social housing;

3. Assess the appropriateness for poor communities of various examples of sustainable shelter designs

Lecture Topics:

• Sustainable Concepts in  Shelter Design and Development for Social Housing

• Participatory Community Planning and Design

• Alternative Building Materials and Technologies for Social Housing

Session C: Profile of the Community Immersion Areas

Objectives:

1. Know the physical and socio-economic situation of the areas to be visited/stayed-in for community immersion activities;

2. Identify the potential roles of young design professionals in addressing their shelter needs;

3. Be physically and emotionally prepared for living in the communities for two days and two nights

Presentations:

• Masagana community in Tanza, Navotas

• 2 ACCA-assisted communities in Tangos, Navotas

• KAMI and Pinadama-Ca communities in Talayan, Quezon City

• KV1 Phase 1D community in Rodriguez, Rizal

Day 2: October 20, 2011 Thursday – Lecture Sessions on Disaster Risk Reduction

Venue: Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority/BSWM, Quezon City

Session D: Preparing Communities for Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Reduction

Objectives:

1. Create awareness of key concepts in community-based disaster risk reduction management

2. Understand the legal basis for mainstreaming CCA and DRR in housing and urban development processes

3. Know the role of the different stakeholders (government, private sector, and community) in the creation of safe and disaster-resilient communities

Lecture Topics:

• Community-Based Disaster Risk Reduction and Management

• The Philippine Laws on Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction

• Land Use Planning for Disaster Risk Management

Session E: Understanding Hazards in Greater Metro Manila

Objectives:

1. Know the geological and hydro-meteorological hazards in Greater Metro Manila (including nearby province of Rizal) critical for planning at-risk communities

2. Comprehend the scientific and historical perspective in the discussion of disaster risk reduction for Greater Metro Manila

Lecture Topics:

• Geological Hazards in Metro Manila and Rizal

• Hydro-Meteorological Hazards in Metro Manila and Rizal

• Flooding and Flood Mitigation in Metro Manila

Session F: Disaster Risk Reduction in Urban Poor Communities

Objectives:

1. Learn from the experience of urban poor communities working towards disaster resilience

2. Build awareness of technical design principles and strategies as a DRR measure for low-cost house construction

Lecture Topics:

• Community Perspectives on Disaster Risk Reduction

• Disaster-Resilient Design Principles for Low-Cost Housing

Session G: Orientation and Preparations for the Community Immersion Activities

Day 3: October 21, 2011 Friday – Field visit to social housing sites and community immersion areas (stay-in with host families)

Field Visit Sites:

• SHEC Housing Project, Malibay, Pasay City

• VASRA Housing Project, Quezon City

• GK Baseco Housing Project, Manila

• Bgy. Holy Spirit Ecology Center, Quezon City

Day 4: October 22, 2011 Saturday – Community Workshop in Immersion Areas (stay-in with host families)

Day 5: October 23, 2011 Sunday – Consolidation of Community Workshop outputs (stay-in with host families)

Day 6: October 24, 2011 Monday – Plenary Presentations of Community Workshop Results

Venue: Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority/BSWM, Quezon City

Day 7: October 25, 2011 Tuesday – Evaluation and Closing Activities

Venue: Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority/BSWM, Quezon City