July 11, 2010 marked the first visit of MISA NSTP students to ANCOP Visayas, the area where they will be conducting Computer Literacy tutorials for grade five to first year high school students.

            Located at Visayas Avenue, Answering the Cry of the Poor (ANCOP) Visayas is a community that was previously a Gawad Kalinga area. Ate Marissa, the area coordinator, along with four volunteers from the community, welcomed the sophomores by preparing a short program for the students.

            The sophomores listened to leaders of the community talk about the history of ANCOP, their expectations from the sophomores and their plans for the community in the future.

            After the talk, the students broke up into their groups: Hey Apple, Mango Shake, Ducks and Moo, and were introduced to their designated monitors. Each group had a chance to set expectations with their monitors and to ask questions. Overall, the Community Entry Orientation allowed the students to get a better idea of what the situation is in the area in preparation for their final project.

            Prior to this Community Entry Orientation, the sophomores had their skills training seminar on campus, facilitated by Shane Rugayan, Marion Olmillo and Carmina Gosiengfiao. Focused on preparing the students for handling kids (their tutees) and other members of the community, the skills training included various group dynamics which centered on handling various situations within the community.

            The sophomores were able to enjoy both activities and (hopefully) were able to get a head start with what projects they will be proposing and implementing in the community.