The Gelacio I. Yason Foundation – Family Farm School (GIYF-FFS), established in 2001, is a private, non-profit alternative secondary school located in San Mariano, Roxas, Oriental Mindoro, Philippines. Its main objectives are to alleviate poverty and promote sustainable community development through an education system rooted in…
1. Integral youth formation/ Alternancia
2. Sustainable and organic agriculture
3. Community organising/enterprise development
4. Natural Health
The school premises
Vision:
A community of well-rounded individuals with a sense of purpose and feeling of well being as a child of God committed to total human and sustainable development.
Mission:
1. Formation of matured individuals who.
· Have competencies in academics, technical and entrepreneurship
· Are promoters of sustainable use of resources
· Are open and responsive to global concerns
2. Creation of partnership between GIYF-FFS and marginalized families for access to quality education and economic opportunities.
Goals:
1. Develop among the students the fundamental tools of learning, effective study skills, desirable physical and mental habits, which will enable them to effectively respond to both local and global challenges.
2. Equip the students with tools for life that will enable them to help them being economically and socially functional in later life.
3. To inculcate among the students love of God through respect to dignity of self and of others, appreciating diversity in individuals and cultures, and harnessing of capabilities for the promotion of common good, peace and unity.
4. To instil among the students love of country through participation in community building activities.
5. To prepare the students for community leadership through the provision of venues in the school and environs as social realities that are close to them.
6. Support for the development of parents’ capabilities to become effective partners in the learning process.
7. Advocate towards the development of capabilities of the marginalized families to become agent of change and development.
A brief history of GIYF-FFS
The Mayor of Roxas – Gelacio I Yason along with lay leaders from non-government organizations (NGO), local government units (LGU), the academe, and clergy established the school in 2001 in response to a Participatory Action Research (PAR), which identified wide-scale poverty, inadequacies in human formation and deficiencies in existing social structures in the region. They believed that the unique system of education harbored by the FFS held much promise for a brighter future for the local communities.
Thus, the GIYF-FFS is a product of convergence—which saw the collective effort of all those who engaged to realize its vision of poverty alleviation, environment protection, health promotion, integral human formation, enterprise development, capacity building and spiritual development.
With Ex-Mayor Gelacio I. Yason’s death in 2004, the school almost closed but those touched by his exemplary selfless service took the challenge to carry on his mission. Mrs. Mina Ballesteros took over its care as a volunteer Executive Director drawing strength from dedicated support of various significant individuals and groups.
GIYF-FFS has come a long way in it’s 9 years of existence in terms of capacity, increase in enrollees, families and communities served, networks established, as well as lessons well-learned. Being a private, non-stock, non-profit alternative secondary school located in the remote community of San Marian, Oriental Mindoro, GIYF-FFS is constantly faced with a diverse range of challenges. This diversity of challenges is only developing the robust capacity to stay alive and keep on serving the impoverished communities that need it.
