[Be The Good] Holding space through Civic Circles

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AT A GLANCE

• The Civic Circles initiative by MovePH aims to address rising campus violence and mental health issues by bringing together educators, parents, and community members to co-create actionable solutions.
• Participants shared personal stories highlighting the need for community support and the importance of parental involvement, mental health resources, and enhanced safety measures in schools.
• Recommendations from the initiative include boosting campus security, strengthening psychosocial care, tackling systemic violence through collaboration, and raising awareness about digital safety risks.

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Hi, I’m Jene Pangue, Head of MovePH, Rappler’s civic engagement arm.

During our recent Civic Circles initiative, I stood near one of our workshop tables when a mother quietly reached out to hand me a small, handcrafted whistle. Jennifer shared that her son had experienced bullying at school. Desperate for help, she had reached out to authorities, only to be met with silence.

Finding a community that held space for her story allowed her to feel less alone. That whistle, which she was giving away for free, became a tangible reminder encouraging others in the room to keep speaking up so that no family has to face these struggles in isolation.

I also met Teacher Mars, a public school educator of 20 years who traveled all the way from Laguna to join us. Despite the heavy demands of her daily work, she was eager to learn how to keep children and schools safe. “Ang teacher ngayon dapat matatag at matibay,” she said. “Ang dami naming ginagawa na labas na sa responsibilidad namin. Pero hanggang kaya, kakayanin.” (Today’s teachers must be strong and resilient. We do so many things that are outside our responsibilities. But as long as we can, we will endure.)

Their stories reflect a broader problem. Across the country, communities are grappling with rising campus violence, critical resource shortages, and a mounting mental health crisis. Teachers are often forced to act as unequipped first responders, while parents navigate painful realities in silence.

To help address these challenges, MovePH envisioned a space where citizens from all walks of life — educators, parents, youth advocates, civil society leaders or ordinary citizens who care — could come together, move beyond online discussions, and co-create actionable solutions. 

This is the heart of how Civic Circles came to life. 

Our pilot session brought together over 50 in-person participants from child rights groups, academe, local government units, healthcare, law enforcement, and parent associations, alongside hundreds more who joined virtually.

We opened with a panel discussion featuring Quezon City Councilor Aly Medalla, National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group spokesperson Captain Wallen Arancillo, Philippine Pediatric Society Child Protection specialist Dr. Princess Gairanod, and Department of Education (DepEd) Director IV Razzel Anne Requesto. They underscored that boosting funding and strengthening systemic responses are essential to creating lasting safety.

The panelists also highlighted the importance of active parental involvement, localized safety frameworks, trauma-informed drills, expanded mental health support, and enhanced cybersecurity capacity. You can watch the full panel discussion here.

Building on these insights, participants rotated across four action station circles to translate ideas into practical steps.

Their recommendations include the following: 

• boosting campus security through parent-teacher capacity building;
• strengthening psychosocial care through regular counseling, parent internet safety orientations, and safe spaces — alongside commitments to expand licensed support and referral system; 
• tackling systemic violence via interagency policy collaboration; and 
• mitigating digital safety risks through community-wide awareness campaigns on parental control tools and cybersecurity advocacy.

We thank our co-organizers, CyberGuardiansPH, and Mental Health Youth Hub. Their technical expertise, support, and dedication to youth well-being were essential in bringing this multisectoral and trauma-informed space to life.

To ensure these conversations extend beyond event-day, participants and community members can stay connected and join upcoming initiatives through our education chatroom on the app.

MovePH will continue working alongside our partner groups and volunteers to consolidate these commitments into actionable briefs or community toolkits that concerned citizens like Jennifer and Teacher Mars can bring directly to their schools, homes, and local councils.

Is there a specific commitment or solution from this session that you would like to support? Or a topic you think we should tackle in our next Civic Circles?

We are just getting started, and we would love to have you with us.

– Rappler.com

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