25/05/2026
Contributed Article
𝙒𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙙 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙪𝙣𝙛𝙤𝙡𝙙, 𝙜𝙚𝙣𝙪𝙞𝙣𝙚 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙜𝙚𝙙 –
𝘽𝙮 𝙈𝙞𝙣 𝙈𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙮𝙖, 𝙋𝙖𝙧𝙖 𝙈𝙖 𝙈𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙮𝙖.
In the Sama Bajau community in Dolho, Bato, Leyte, five social work student-trainees from the Southern Leyte State University-Maasin City Campus, in partnership with the Edmund Rice Ministries Foundation Philippines, Inc., Maasin City, were immersed in a transformative experiential learning journey, bridging the gaps between theoretical knowledge and the people’s lived realities.
From February 9 to May 15, 2026, the social work student-trainees were actively involved in various community-centered activities. These included family immersion, household survey, presentation and validation of survey results, community development planning, and activity implementation. In between these guided undertakings were random but meaningful interactions with every cranny of the community.
Venturing under stilt houses; sitting on bamboo benches; joining in outdoor games; and sharing a plate with the people. The students not only conversed with the children, youth, adults, senior citizens, and persons with disabilities – they lived with them.
They struggled with differences in the native language but they reached mutual understanding by speaking the language of natural human connection: empathy, genuine listening, suspended judgment, and trust in the people’s strengths and capacities.
Every word spoken and every sigh expressed defined the realities that the community people perceived, observed, felt, and experienced. These are reflected in the social, health, economic, political, spiritual, cultural, environmental aspects of life and living which they continue to navigate.
The people’s voluntary participation both in spontaneous conversations and guided activities shed light on the community issues, challenges, and concerns. Their awareness of such conditions shaped the realization of their internal capacities and resources and signified the fundamental essence of community development:
“Dapat sa taw pud mismo magsugod unsaon pagpalambo ang community aron maimpluwensiyahan ang uban. (It must start with ourselves how we can develop the community so that we can also influence others.)” - A collective statement of the Sama Bajau.
The community-based practicum formed part of the social work student-trainees’ curriculum requirements through which they applied and strengthened social work values, principles, attitudes, skills, and knowledge. More importantly, however, their direct engagement with the Sama Bajau has equipped them with knowledge beyond what daily time record calculates and written outputs contain, emphasizing that community immersion is not merely a scheduled academic activity, it is a raw and meaningful process of learning from people who continuously live their realities within the community.
The experiential learning journey provided the student-trainees an avenue to leverage theoretical knowledge and fathom it in the context of living with the people – engaging both the mind and heart in learning the realities within the community and advocating genuine community development: by the people and for the people.
