The Life Project Center
Philippines, Tempo Tendo, ManilaPhilippines Tempo Tendo, Manila
Context of the mission:
Tempo is one of the most desperately miserable places imaginable. 9,000 families do their best to survive on this dumpsite, by sifting through the rubbish. They are at the mercy of the local mafia, and the young people are often exploited, turning to drugs, or to prostitution to earn a few pesos.
Mission: THE LIFE PROJECT CENTER
Life Project Centers are breeding grounds for micro-economic initiatives within the framework of a 6-8 month teaching course for teams of 8/12 young people.
Life Project Centers are learning centers set up near poor areas for excluded young people. LPCs have been created in parts of the metropolitan (Manila), in smaller towns (Cebu), and we hope to set up soon in rural areas. A Life Project Center has classrooms and rooms for meetings and workshops for the various activities to be developed.
Since the opening of the first LPC in November 2010 each center in one particular activity in order to benefit from specialized skill sets and the particularities of the local environment.
The LPC activities overseen by the LP4Y coaches (workshops, training, studying, meetings) take place every morning, Monday – Friday 8-12am. During the lunch break the kitchen area is shared. The afternoon is free for individual lessons (mainly English and IT), for paid work (small projects requested by one of the partners), or for launching an activity chosen by the young people. We try to reproduce the structures of a real business in terms of punctuality, dress code, behavior, use of equipment etc.
Each LPC is headed by a permanent LP4Y coordinator, advised by 2 consultants in development and management of activities, and assisted by the head of teaching, the training volunteers and the activity advisors, volunteer or salaried. Their involvement depends on the teaching plan and the fixed termly planning.»
The Tempo Tondo is a Life Project Center for very young mothers, creating a handicraft activity using recycled objects from the dumpsite: plastic, cardboard etc.