In celebration of National Children’s Month and International Children’s Day, UP Tacloban launched its Children’s University program on 20 November 2025 with “Initiating Resilience through Art and Youth Action (IRAYA): Linog, Bagyo ug Daluyong,” a disaster preparedness workshop held at the Leyte Samar Heritage Center Gallery.
Seventy-five Grade 4 pupils from Kapangi-an Central School, Fisherman’s Village Elementary School, Panalaron Central School, and San Jose Central School attended the workshop, which was organized by UP Tacloban’s Ugnayan ng Pahinungod in collaboration with the UP Resilience Institute (UPRI). A project of UPRI’s Knowledge Management Division, the IRAYA training course covered essential hazards, including earthquake, tsunami, tropical cyclone, and storm surge, and included hands-on activities such as ‘Go Bag Hunting’ and ‘Mental Mapping’ to reinforce preparedness concepts.
UP Tacloban’s Children’s University program aims to develop children’s aspirations, skills, and love of learning through extra-curricular activities such as science camps, art workshops, book clubs, language immersion, and sports clinics. The children’s university model originated in the United Kingdom and has been adopted worldwide, with networks in Europe, Latin America, and Oceania. UP Tacloban Dean Professor Patricia Arinto broached the idea of a UP Tacloban Children’s University to help address the global learning crisis that is apparent in the high incidence of learning poverty (the inability to read simple texts by 10 years old) and lack of foundational skills, learning loss (loss of knowledge and skills due to school closures and other gaps in education) and lack of motivation, and unequal access to educational resources in Eastern Visayas.
“Through the Children’s University program, UP Tacloban hopes to inspire children to stay curious, engaged, and proactive in exploring new ideas so they can continue to grow, thrive, and contribute to a better future,” shared Alaiza Balagasay, Senior Extension Associate of the Ugnayan ng Pahinungod.
