School: Saint Louis Laboratory High School
    Baguio City, Benguet, Philippines

4 students, ages 15 worked together to complete this Doors to Diplomacy project on March 16, 2012. They have participated in Doors to Diplomacy in the following year(s): 2011

Classes and Teachers: Vincent Tabor, Florida Martin, Alodie, Lluee, Portia, Brichelle

E-Mail contact:

Our School's Web Site: http://www.slu.edu.ph

1. Description of Our Team

Four damsels were united to create a website which raises awareness about the importance of education and diplomacy. Alodie Maureen, 15, is an agile thinker and a winsome individual. She has the most cogent ideas from which her teammates are able to connect their thoughts to. She graduated from a public elementary school and saw the realities of school life. Because of the circumstances she saw, it made her realize that education is really important. Shane, 15, is the artist of the team. She is a very bashful person, but active when it comes to school- related activities. Shane is a studious and a person dedicates to her studies because she believes that education is a step towards success and a better world. Brichelle, 15, is a very munificent person. She is not a grouch. This young lady accomplishes whatever task is entrusted to her. She is a person who envision a world where everyone can do what they want especially the things that can help other people. Portia, 15, is the most assiduous person that our team has. She keeps an update of the progress of our work. She is the great provider of our tram for she sustains our needs in the team. Her habit of watching the daily news makes her aware of the social issues and flaws in our government. With this, she envisions to help people, who are in need, especially the children who are on the streets, working for their family instead of studying.

2. Summary of Our Project

We are all born in this world where limited education is a reality. Not all are given the privilege to be educated. Only those who are wealthy, those who have money and those who are supported by their families are able to go to school. Every person has the right for good and proper education. Every member of our team agrees with that statement that is why we decided to make a website about the out of school youth to show the importance of education. We envision a society where everyone is given the chance to fulfill their dreams. We believe that education is a step for a better future.

3. Our Computer and Internet Access

A. Percentage of students using the Internet at home:more than 50%

B. Number of workstations with Internet access in the classroom:more than 6

C. Connection speed used in the classroom:dedicated connection

D. Number of years our classroom has been connected to the Internet:2-3

4. Problems We Had To Overcome

a. Combining our ideas – There were times that the members do not agree with the ideas of other members. What we did was to be democratic and vote upon the ideas. Whichever will be chosen will be accepted mutually by all the members.

b. Communication – Sometimes, a member of the group cannot access the internet for researches and compiling our researches. Nevertheless, we used other resources like communicating through texting and meet-ups to finish out task on time.

5. Our Project Sound Bite

“Never let any circumstances stand in your way. Instead, see them as challenges you need to get through and overcome.”

In our everyday life, we experience a lot of circumstances that may inspire us or discourage us. Because of these circumstances that may dishearten us, there are times that we loose hope or even feel being down. Nevertheless, despite the negative experiences that we experience, we should put them aside to pursue our dreams or even better, you should use those challenges to make our future better.

6. How did your activities and research for this Doors to Diplomacy Project support standards, required coursework and curriculum standards?

We followed the given guidelines and accomplish the tasks assigned to us in order to join the said competition. As students, our knowledge in HTML and web page development expounded from the time we starts this project. We used our skills to present clearly our desired outcome. We also used the internet to research about some facts to the problem we have decided to solve. We let all ideas flow into one decision that can change the whole perspective of the world. We looked first at the major problems in our society. Furthermore, we grabbed the opportunities that could tell us all the reasons or factors that had led to this social problem. Since we are students, we are greatly affected by the fact that this problem has brought our fellowmen to their demise.

1) What information tools & technologies did you used to complete your Doors to Diplomacy project?

Today's trend include so much of technology. Without these products of technology, our project would not have been possibly made. The gadgets and tools we have used led us to the accomplishment of our webpage so do as the opening of greater opportunities for the children in the Philippines and around the world who do not have proper education. This was made possible through our project. In our group, each member made use of a computer in their own homes in order to communicate with one another. The computer was the most valuable of all things used because it connected us through its video and other teleconferencing features especially during the long weekends. Moreover, televisions, radio stations, and newspapers kept us updated on social happenings and news related to the problem or social issue we have chosen to research about. In addition to that, video cameras and digital still cameras played a big part in making this project possible for the members of the group. We used these tools in order to capture videos and pictures of adolescents , young adults, and even small children who do not go to school. We even slept at dawn to finish some parts of our project and facebook was our means of communication. These helped us enhance and polish the videos we have recorded and the pictures we have captured.

2) In what ways did you act as "ambassadors" and spokespersons for your Doors to Diplomacy project both on-line and in person.

With the help of other people in our community who lend a helping hand and sacrificed their time, we were able to finish this project on time. We have had a hard time understanding things that came our way as a group, but it did not hinder us from accomplishing this project. We are grateful for the people around us who made it possible for us to finish our task. First of all, we would like to thank Mr. Vincent Tabor, our homeroom adviser and at the same time our Technology and Home Economics teacher for the help he rendered during the days of the project making. He had been so kind to us especially in times when it seemed that we could not anymore finish the project. He taught us everything we need to know concerning web development and HTML configurations. Secondly, our group would also like to thank Mr. Elizer Jay Delos Reyes for having been so supportive of our team. He is a history teacher in our school who taught us about Asian history when we were still in the second year. During that school year, our bond with him grew and he became very close to us. Furtermore, parents, relatives and other constituents gave us pieces of advice which made us strong and persevering in making this project.

3) What has been the impact of your project on your community?

As students in a community, our shared simple ideas have made the social world much more aware and open to the real states of people in life or life of teenagers, to be specific. We created something that can show whta circumstances can affect decisions of people in the age of adolescence or maturity. We presented something that expound on the idea of what it takes to be an educated person that can stand tall between and among nations.

Our project brought a new perspective to the people around us, and hopefully to the people around the world, and even to our fellow students who know values the true essence of education. We used our developed skills in technology to execute our project in a more excellent manner and in a higher quality. All of us and the people around us have helped in stating their opinions in some of their knowledgeable information and by this process, we bonded, making our relationships closer. We have sought and we have found shocking news facts about the coverage of our topic. We tried and will always try to prove to all people that even though we are young students, we can still make a difference that can change the world in whatever means we can do. By doing this project, we have already shown the initiative of persons who can make a possibility of a bitter world exist less and a world where hope would be a reality. We believe that unity among nations can help the world become a place wherein the youth of the generation will be the progress of civilization.

4) How did your project involve other members of your community as helpers and volunteers?

We have been given the chance to ask people who are very experienced in explaining facts that cover our topic. We even asked some history teachers about any growing controversies or issues about our topic. They have been kind and patient in answering all of our questions. We are thankful that they have helped us make a productive topic that can carry out our ideas and expressions to the world. Thank you Mr. Elizer Jay Delos Reyes for sharing your knowledge with us.

Our parents were also a lot of help in stating their personal opinions about the problem we researched about. They have been considerate and helpful in a lot of ways. We also tried contacting actual people who have truly experienced the subject we wanted to show. It has been hard on them, but they still tried to be wonderful and better persons for their community.

We also want to thank Mr. Vincent Tabor for the ideas he shared with us and the brainstorming he helped us with. Even our classmates were a big help for their comments and views on our project. There wouldn't be a nice outcome if we did it all by ourselves. We couldn't have done it without them. The people in our society also showed what really happens in life and the problems that young people can experience in a day-to-day basis.