On December 20, 2023, the second and third modules for the Usapang Gender: A Capacity-Building Workshop for Volunteers (Level 2) was conducted online via Zoom. Of the forty-two (42) registered participants, twenty-two (22) were able to attend and complete the remaining modules.
The session began with Junior Project Associate Maria Theresa Lucas welcoming the participants. Ms. Lucas once again served as the host for the session. She gave a brief recap of what transpired during the first day of the Level 2 Workshop, before giving an overview of what to expect during the remaining learning sessions. The floor was then turned over to Ms. Josephine Gabriel-Banaag.
Ms. Banaag provided a quick runthrough of the components of the Safe Spaces Act. This allowed previous attendees to be refreshed on the concepts, while those who missed the first learning session of the intermediate-level workshop were given an opportunity to catch up. Once this was finished, Ms. Banaag proceeded with the second module: Gender, Equality, Diversity, and Social Inclusion (GEDSI). Questions on GEDSI were entertained before a short break was given.
Following the break, the third module was immediately conducted by Ms. Banaag. Participants were introduced to Gender Perspective in the Project Development Cycle, as well as to the Gender Analysis Tool: the Harmonized Gender and Development Guidelines or HGDG. Upon finishing the third module, participants were asked to answer a post-test questionnaire along with a Philippine Commision on Women Evaluation. Participants were also requested to accomplish UPD Ugnayan ng Pahinungod’s own evaluation form. The event ended with a photo opportunity.
Of the twenty-two completers, only twelve answered the evaluation form for the event. In terms of session evaluation, an overall score of 98.21% was given by the participants in consideration of the event’s accomplishment of its goals, sufficiency of sessions, quality of activities / session, knowledge of facilitators / speakers, relevance of session, provision of assistance by Pahinungod Staff, and overall organization of the event. They remarked that their biggest take away was learning the importance of assessing situational differences, roles and responsibilities, access to resources, and program impact between men and women participants in a program. They also mentioned that gender intersects with other social issues and awareness is a great factor in mainstreaming gender.
