News and Features
A Smart Tale
Storytelling at the PLDT-Smart Amazing GK Village in Cebu
[June 13, 2007/ Manila] - It used to be that storytelling, one of childhood’s cherished memories, was done at the azotea under a moonlit night, or, around a beach bonfire, with dry twigs crackling.
Times have changed. Today, gun-toting, bloodthirsty villains in console games have replaced knights in shining armor, damsels in distress and the occasional ogres from faraway lands.
But thanks to Smart Communications, Inc. (SMART), children at the PLDT-Smart Amazing GK Village in Barangay Budlaan, Talamban, Cebu City are harking back to the days of magical tales. At the Gawad Kalinga multi-purpose hall, they gather on Saturday mornings and listen to stories woven with characters close to their hearts and imagination.
For five weekends last summer, employees of Smart volunteered their time to narrate children’s stories to kids. The tales were taken from the children’s books published by Adarna House, Inc.
“We wanted to make the summer more entertaining and productive for kids,” says Ramon R. Isbert, Smart Public Affairs Group head. “We used storytelling to entertain, educate and instill knowledge and values to kids.”
Studies show that storytelling also improves vocabulary, prediction, sequencing, comprehension, story structure and recall – skills that will help children improve their life skills. They also have better self-esteem.
A creative summer in the company of Smart volunteers was time well spent. It was life-enriching.
Warren, one of the kids at the storytelling session who also competed in Baguio City, retold a story to guests during the culminating activity. The story was about a hardworking mother whose hands, because of household work, were compared to sand paper.
“Yes, all of the stories have values,” says Lito Pacolor, manager for Smart’s Public Access Group who is the storytelling project’s lead employee-volunteer. “We teach them hard work, creativity, honesty, patience.”
Pacolor, a father of three, did not hesitate to lead the project, having run children’s outreach projects in Manila where his family lives.
Children engaged in story telling also develop better emotionally.
Shandy Antolijao, 14, has volunteered to be a big sister and a storyteller to her group of more than 60 kids from three to10 years old.
“I want to experience teaching kids,” says Antolijao, who wants to be a computer engineer. “I’m happy if I see them listening.”
Storytelling also creates a love of story that translates into a potentially life-long love of books. With this, Smart pledged to collaborate with Cebuano writers in publishing children’s books in the Cebuano dialect.
As Smart’s Isberto and Atty. Jane Paredes, Public Affairs VisMin manager, distributed books on the last day, the children’s faces lit up. Could this be the start of a life-long affair with books?
“Please come back,” Warren says. “Because we still have more stories to tell.” @
