Interlude: A Self-Care Retreat

This project is an amalgamation of four subjects in the Humanities and Social Sciences (HUMSS) strand of MCHS namely Culminating Activity, Community Engagement Solidarity and Citizenship (CESC), Inquiries, Investigations and Immersion (III), and English for Academic and Professional Purposes (EAPP); as well as in conjunction with the MCHS social action office.

Each collaborative subject involved in the production of this action research project has guided us towards the successful development and implementation of our project from further analyzing the subject matter, to understanding the community profile of the participants, to gathering various feedback, and all other things that apply. With each subject focusing on the different aspects involved in this research, various groundwork and preparations have been made in order to fulfill the intended results and this is to serve the community of Park 7, and to bring them ease in the midst of trying times.

It is because of these subjects that 12-Goldstein proudly presents,

a Self-Care Retreat nterlude : I

What often comes into mind when one thinks of women? Hard-working? Doting? Maybe this reminds you of your own mother that gets a little too involved with your personal life, despite being cooped up in her job? Well, one thing’s for sure, and it’s that the women of Parks 7 certainly fit that description. During a Focus Group Discussion with their community, it was stressed that over the pandemic, these women had to take multiple jobs to make ends meet, while also needing to be a present mother and/or wife in their respective families. This only suggests the very concept of “time poverty”, which often leads to one’s overexertion and almost endless pursuit of labor. Neglecting one’s health and personal life, all for the sake of proper pay should not be encouraged, for such a practice will cause one nothing but harm. With the precious time that the women in our lives pour into fulfilling all these roles all at once, perhaps it would be about time we return the favor.

Thus, 12-Goldstein introduces Interlude: A Self-Care Retreat, a 3-hour program that aims to improve the selfcare habits of the community of women in Park 7 and remind them of the importance of taking breaks and recharging after a day’s worth of hustle. The event will essentially serve as a “day off” from their daily responsibilities as busy working mothers, while also being a means of recognition for their hard work and help to their community and respective families. Included in the schedule are a mix of their interests and self-care beneficial activities to specifically cater to both their wants and needs. Interlude will offer the participants a glimpse into what it would be like to dedicate a day to self-care. They will experience a well-needed break from their work and other responsibilities, which is the main purpose of implementing the said project. It is a means of giving the participants ideas of what they can do for the betterment of their wellbeing. Moreover, it should inspire the participants to maintain self-care in the long run, possibly planning their own self-care days.

Alleviate Time Poverty. Through Interlude, the organizers aim to emphasize the importance of rest and self-care by providing the women of Park 7 with the means to do so. Due to the time poverty they experience from being busy and filled with responsibilities in their daily life, the members aim to maximize the “free time” available to these busy working mothers, making a meaningful, memorable, and educational experience for them.

Shed light on issues. Apart from giving them a moment to relax and enjoy the activities planned throughout the day, the organizers also aim to educate the sector on the subject of gender roles and time poverty, as well as the importance of rest, showing them why this project was created in the first place. Reciprocate the love and care. This project also intends to give back to the women; reciprocating the love and care they give to others. This objective is evident not only in the time we allot and activities we do with them, but it is also apparent in what we provide them after the program (i.e., the self-care package). Provide fruitful lessons and experiences. Since Interlude consists of a series of activities, this can also be a way to introduce them to new hobbies and interests that they can take up to make their experience from Interlude more long-term with the help of the package to inspire the participants to maintain self-care in the long run, possibly planning their own self-care days.

1.

2.

3.

4.

Logistics

They are responsible for the organization of the program. This entails creating a schedule, handling activities, reserving materials from the school, managing the ongoing event itself, tracking materials and progress, as well as delegating tasks. In short, it is their job to ensure that the program flows smoothly.

HumanResources

This committee is tasked to seek out speakers for the plenary talks, as well as internally sourced roles such as hosts and the like. They are also the members who communicate with the participants in case of any queries or concerns regarding the event.

Food

They are in charge of meal preparation. This includes creating the menu, serving the food, and, of course preparing and cooking the food itself.

Finance

They provide a financial analysis of the overall budget for the program and packages, monitoring the financial situation of the organizers themselves. They are also in charge of collating the self-care packages which will be handed out to the participants after the program.

Program

They are in charge of the flow of the program of Interlude overall, but will specifically focus on collating the self-care activities that will be done throughout the day. They will be arranging and finalizing which activities will be done and how they will go.

C o m m i t t e e s

ProjectTimeline

Throughout the second semester of their senior year, the core group who would later become the project's heads conceptualized, organized, and planned Interlude in compliance with various HUMSS subjects.

However, everything started to come to fruition on March 21, 2023, the day of the project pitch and class [voting]. Since then, the entire class busied themselves with with the necessary preparations for the forthcoming project implementation.

The preparations formally begun on March 27 and ended on April 16. The class split off into the respective committees, namely Logistics, Human Resources, Food, Finance, and Program. Later on another committee, the Writing Committee, was formed as per the students' III class.

The preparations consisted of event planning and discussions, reserving equipment, setting up the location, booking guest speakers, fundraising which included launching a donation drive scriptmaking, PowerPoint making, brochure making, and preparation of the hosts, speakers, and food preparation, and token packaging.

Before the program begun, the class had a general assembly, to discuss final reminders and such, and set-up period. During this 45-minute period, the Human Resources (HR) Committee proceeded to the MCHS Chapel of Life where the participants were held. The HR Committee then led the participants to LMC Viewing Rooms 3 & 4 at 9:00, where majority of the program would be taking place.

At 9:00, the program proper officially started with hosts Nirene De Padua and Larah Lapie at the helm. Short opening remarks and kamustahans were held to welcome the participants. Shortly thereafter, Rebecca Arciga Flores, foundress and current president of the United Women's Association of the Philippines Inc., took the stage to discuss Gender Roles in a Filipino Household. Surely, the first insightful talk of the day left the participants with a strong lasting impression.

The rotational activities commenced at 10:00. The participants were split into three (3) groups and were led to their respective rooms, by student guides Anya Alcid, Nina Gabriel, and Isey Santos. Zumba and Karaoke, the first activity, stayed in the LMC VR 3 & 4, facilitated by Camille Maldia, Alexxa Ong, and Nirene De Padua. The second activity, flower arrangement, took place in room LIS 308-309, or the 12-Goldstein classroom, and was facilitated by Mikan Fuentes and Yaffa Dancel. Finally, the cupcake decorating in the MCHS Cooking Room made up the third activity.

This was facilitated by Larah Lapie, El Embuscado, and select Food Committee members. Each group had 20-minutes in each room and were able to experience each fulfilling activity.

As sandwiches were being prepared by the Food Committee before the participants made their way back to the LMC VR 3 & 4 for the second talk, a 30-minute snack break was provided. Following this quick recess, MCHS' own Elaine Lim spoke on The Importance of Self-care, to raise awareness for this important practice.

Subsequently, the program beings to wrap up with a group sharing session facilitated by project heads Ryan Bicierro, Mikaela Gotico, Carmela Montejo, Samantha Vida, and Julia Vigilia followed by a participants' evaluation. In hopes in further sustain the awareness raised for self-care, the class gifted self-care packages to each participant with items that will hopefully prove to be useful for the participants.

The program officially came to an end with closing remarks by teachers Ms. Mary Ann Lascano and Ms. Rizalyn Camacho, and a closing prayer by Crescia San Angel. And after a group photo, with all participants and the class, the women of Park 7 left, hands full of their self-care package, packed lunch of Liempo and Pakbet, decorated chocolate cupcake, and array of beautiful flowers, and head full of lessons learnt.

Undoubtedly, a fruitful and successful event overall.

The participants were given an evaluation form wherein they were asked to identify if they agree or disagree with the following statements on a scale of one (1; strongly disagree) to four (4; strongly agree). The following statements were included in the form:

The program had a nice and organized flow. The participants were able to learn from the program. The time for the program and activities was sufficient. The items and equipment for the program and activities were just right.

The venue used for the program was clean, well-managed, and organized. The program’s facilitators met the needs of the participants.

6. Participants gave a score of four (4), or “strongly agree”, to all statements, with the exception of the third statement wherein one participant gave a score of three (3). Furthermore, they were also asked three open-ended questions; “What did you enjoy the most in the program, ” “Is there anything you would like to change or improve, ” and “Are there any activities that you would like to see in the next retreat?” For the first question, all of the participants had said that they simply enjoyed the whole program. For the second question, they stated that they had nothing they wanted to improve, although some stated that they, again, wanted more time for activities. Meanwhile, for the third question, most participants had left it blank. The ones who did fill it in however, mentioned activities such as baking, a make-up tutorial, time for a massage, and mother and daughter activities.

P a r t i c i p a n t s '

valuations

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

valuations

Logistics Commitee

The Logistics Committee focused on reserving the necessary venues and equipment, as well as any additional requests needed for the project. They acted as the liaison between the student organizers and the concerned offices within the Miriam College High School Administration Further, they, along with the Human Resources Committee, were tasked with assembling the self-care packages for the participants; and on the day itself, they documented the whole program. Overall, the committee worked well together, despite a few difficulties with communication. Hardships within the committee were met with resilience and, though it was quite a lengthy and, at times, grueling process, everything that needed to be accomplished was done, and made way for a successful event.

Human Resources Committee

Overall, the event was effective in giving the women of Park 7 a time for themselves to enjoy and learn new things about their mental health and womanhood. The event’s objectives to alleviate time poverty and educate them on the importance of self-care were very evident throughout the event. The talks were insightful not only to the participants but to us students as well. It was such an honor to serve the women of Park 7 and we hope that this project can be implemented every year during women’s month Where we celebrate women's rights and important roles in society It was a fantastic experience, especially given that the goal of our initiative is to empower the women of Park 7 and provide a safe haven for them here at MCHS. What truly resonated with us is that they left MCHS with a smile on their faces. We hope that in the future, this project can be offered to the different partner communities of MC as well.

Finance Committee

The Finance Committee, being tasked to provide financial analysis of the overall budget whilst monitoring the financial situation of the program itself, have efficiently performed the necessary tasks to guarantee the event’s success. While it had been daunting to come up with solutions as to how the group can raise funds in a limited amount of time, coming up with one did not take long, as the issue was then acted upon almost immediately. It had been decided to establish a donation drive and to distribute solicitation letters to chosen companies and businesses, in order to decrease the overall cost in the process As soon as the funds had been collected, the needed materials were then purchased, each of these brands chosen according to what would best fit the current budget. Though faced with minor complications due to the lack of time, these issues have fortunately been resolved in the long run, as the materials are then brought to the venue right on schedule.

Program Committee

mmittee was in charge of and managing the event. The e community’s preferences vey implemented) as well as ration to effectively plan an would be enjoyable for the reparations for the event up discussion and eventually pecific tasks like scriptwriting ation and brochure making) espite working with a limited mber inactivity due to the , the committee was able to in our preparation plans gan The event itself involved ng, with members either erent activities or switching ues to observe the event as a ncing a few minor setbacks, able to work together to unning event and, overall, s success.

Food Committee

The Food Committee plays a vital role in ensuring that the participants of the project are well-fed throughout the event. In preparation for the project, the committee had to take a lot of things into consideration such as the menu preparation, time allocation, and committee budget. The committee made sure to effectively execute its inclusivity, putting the wellbeing of the participants as their priority. Preparing for the event was where the group had more discussion-heavy work, while the actual event made the members work and move a lot Thankfully, the members of the committee were cooperative and energetic throughout the project timeline which led to its success. Despite some minor mishaps and small obstacles that the committee had to face during the event, task execution was still on point and it made the overall event run smoothly. Additionally, teamwork and communication were clearly seen in the food assembly, as well as serving, having seen the participants’ satisfied expressions. There is a positive outlook towards the committee, having made the experiences of its members range from enjoyable, satisfactory, good, fulfilling, and fun Overall, the Food Committee played an important role in the success of the project, having made sure that the participants are satisfied with what is served to them. It was a committee that practiced teamwork and cooperation very well and is what likely made the group push through until the end.

Acknowledgements

ProjectHeads

Ryan Bicierro

Mikaela Gotico

Carmela Montejo

Samantha Vida

Julia Vigilia

Logistics

Carmela Montejo (Head)

Ina Caisip (Co-head)

Danie David

Geri Fuentebella

Janina Olivera

Estelle Palad

Crescia San Angel

HumanResources

Samantha Vida (Head)

Isey Santos (Co-head)

Anya Alcid

Yaffa Dancel

Nina Gabriel

Alexxa Ong

Food

Mikaela Gotico (Head)

Larah Lapie (Co-head)

Bun Arsenal

Eri Baradi

El Embuscado

Alexandra Esguerra

Mikan Fuentes

Finance

Ryan Bicierro (Head)

Nirene De Padua (Co-head)

Dana Calderon

Jayda Cea

Lorinne Peralta

Ara Villas

Program

Julia Vigilia (Head)

Bun Arsenal (Co-head)

Arianna De Leon

Nirene De Padua

Mikan Fuentes

Shiry Ace Gallardo

Ayessa Guerrero

Camille Maldia

Writing

Ryan Bicierro

Mishka Gotico

Carmela Montejo

Sam Vida

Julia Vigilia

Yaffa Dancel

Ara Villas

Geri Fuentebella

Crescia San Angel L

Photosby

Ina Caisip

Danie David

Geri Fuentebella

Janina Olivera

Estelle Palad

Crescia San Angel

Teachers

Mrs. Ana Liza D. Bentulan

Ms. Mary Ann R. Lascano

Mrs. Rizalyn S. Camacho

Mr. Jean Daniel D. Victolero

Ms Myra S D Broadway