BELIEVING IN THE YOUNG
With the belief that children, no matter how young, could make a difference if given the chance, Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation (RCBC), through its annual competition Kuwentong Kalikasan: Katha ng Kabataan, has for more than a decade dedicated itself to encouraging and nurturing the gifts of young students in the written arts.

Borne from the need for programs that would develop the talents of Filipino students and at the same time address the issues on environmental preservation, hitting two birds with one stone so to speak, it has since become the premiere short story writing competition for elementary students, starting from only 200 participants in its first years and growing to more than a thousand.

On its 11th year, Kuwentong Kalikasan takes on the task of preserving the country’s endangered species. And though young students may not in actuality save any animals, they can, through their entries, create awareness of the problem. The contest hopes to instill in youngsters the significant roles that students can play in tackling the issues that plague the country, especially those that concern the environment.

CREATING WRITERS FOR THE FUTURE
But while young students have a lot to contribute, they are undeniably still novices in the field of creative writing. They have much to learn not only in form and in techniques but also in the attitude that separates a good writer from a great one. Talent alone will never be enough. Without proper training and instruction, it will never reach its fullest potentials.

With that in mind, RCBC sought to awaken the creative soul within each student through a story-writing workshop held recently at the RCBC Plaza. Noticing that the same writing styles and devices have been used in the entries year after year, organizers aims to encourage students to conjure up more imaginative plots and seek more inspiration and models in their writing.

“The content of most entries are the same. They always use diwatas or other magical characters. Dream sequences are also popular. We want to teach them to approach their stories in a different way, to make them more fresh, more unique,” reveals PBBY secretary general and Adarna president and general manager Ani Almario. “One entry that I remember quite vividly was the one where the student used comic strips to convey the story. I really liked that because the participant explored new ways of telling the story. He did something unconventional. That is what we hope for in the entries this year.”

LEARNING MORE THAN TECHNIQUES
With Palanca Awardee for Literature Luis Gatmaitan for a mentor, participants from different elementary schools in Metro Manila learned about different literary devices and other techniques that would help them make their stories come alive.

“I really learned so much from the lectures. Though I am already into writing stories like those of Dr. Gatmaitan’s, I realized na marami pa pala akong kailangang malaman,” says fifthgrader Lila Rose Bihilla of San Agustin Elementary School, who added that she only needs to believe in herself to write well.

Fifth-grade students Joshua Monero of Jose Rizal Tambo Elementary School and Jomar Perez of Parañaque Elementary School learned writing basics like constructing plots, developing characters and using literary devices.

For Erika Mae Espejo, another fifth-grader, what she really learned from the workshop is the importance of books and stories in people’s lives. “Through stories, they can learn lots of things, may moral lesson and you are also entertained.”

Since teachers influence the way their students write and create their plots, organizers have also prepared a workshop for them. That way, the workshop will not only benefit one student but also others through updates in their teaching styles and techniques.

“We want to help them encourage their students to become creative with their entries and to change the way they teach writing in their classes,” Ani reiterates. Carla Pacis, Palanca Awardee and National Book Awardee for her stories for children presided over the workshop.

TAKING A STAND
Students, once they develop the confidence to express their opinions, can become vehicles in mobilizing people to action.

“People should listen to children for a change because everything that they say is pure without any hidden intentions. They write from the heart, with eyes that are still virginal,” Philippine Integrated Advertising Agency president Jessie John Gimenez asserts.

Ani agrees saying that though professional writers have more polished work, children’s works reveal more and give more because they have less inhibitions than adults. “They do not think of the consequences of what they have written. Children are also more sincere. They write because they want to write and not for any other reason.”

A story does not need a master’s pen to cut through a nation’s wall of indifference. Even the simple words of a child could spur change and drive people towards reforms. All it takes is one push.

(Deadline for submission this year is slated on November 8. )