Volunteers on National Children’s Book Day

July is an exciting month for storytellers, book lovers and reading advocates as this is the month when we celebrate the National Children’s Book Day (NCBD).

NCBD commemorates the date of the publication of Jose Rizal’s “The Monkey and the Turtle” in Trubner’s Oriental Record in London every third Tuesday of the month.

In Manila, the Philippine Board on Books for Young People organized events which recognize the best creators and illustrators of children’s literature. This is coupled with storytelling sessions and book launch. The whole day literary extravaganza happened on July 16 at the Little Theater Lobby of the Cultural Center of the Philippines.

Commemorating NCBD in Cebu is not as grand though. However, certain organizations work in partnership to bring life to this day.

On July 27, 2019, Parkmall and Basadours Inc. are joining forces to celebrate NCBD with the children of Barangay Tipolo, who are survivors of the major fire incident that razed at least 482 houses, which displaced 1,683 families, last June 27.

Around 50 of these children will be treated to stories, games, dance and arts in an afternoon event.

Among the stories to be read is, of course, Rizal’s “The Monkey and The Turtle” which will be performed by my fellow Basadours.

I will be reading on that day, too, and I sure am wearing a costume replete with props to bring joy to the children.

I was asked why I spend time in practicing a performance and “embarassing” myself out there when I am not even paid to do it.

I often asked myself that, too. After all, it does involve time, effort and financial resources to put together storytelling sessions. The Basadours are also volunteers, who are not paid a single centavo to organize storytelling sessions.

As I always say to Basadours executive director Jo Belle Marabiles, a teacher by profession, what we do would make us feel good on the first, second or even the third time.

The fourth, fifth and the nth time we do this would feel like a routine. Sometimes, you would feel that you have memorized the formula and the process that a storytelling session feels repetitive and uncreative.

You will experience volunteer fatigue.

When this happens, the strategy that works for me is a temporary break from the sessions and do other things that you are interested about.

The operative word is: “break.”

I’m not saying: “leave.”

When you’re passionate about an advocacy, it does not mean that you will have 100 percent of your energy, time and resources for the advocacy. You will get tired and you will feel alone at some point. You will feel like you are the lone voice in the wilderness. You will get exhausted.

For all volunteers out there, I am telling you it is alright to feel that way. You are a human being who will get tired, who will feel you are not enough, who will think that you are not heard.

But what you are not is a person who does not care. You are a responsible person who empathize with others. Your community is blessed because you are around. Your life is a gift to the people who will have the opportunity to be in your presence.

So let this be a call to all volunteers who temporarily distanced themselves from their passion projects. Your narrative has not ended. You are needed because your contribution counts.

Let this also be a call and an invitation to all storytellers, former Basadours and aspiring ones, to join us in our quest to read more stories to children and share with them the love for reading through storytelling.