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Gift-Giving

DUEG OUTREACH: GIFT-GIVING GUIDELINES, POLICIES and PRACTICES

Even before DUEG, the club has followed certain internal policies in the selection of beneficiaries, and in the conduct of outreach activities, whether done on its own, in cooperation with other organizations, or in support of other organizations.

  • We have refrained from conducting urban-poor outreach.
    • These communities are already beneficiaries of common outreach activities, particularly during election campaign periods
    • Urban poor beneficiaries are usually harder to please, and are more demanding.
  • We do not solicit support from candidates for political office during electoral campaign periods. Exceptions are when the person or persons involved offer to help, and they have no political mileage to gain (e.g., they are not candidates in the area).
  • We like to develop ties with the communities we help. We do not believe in the ‘come-in, distribute-willy-nilly, go-home’ type of outreach.

For the DUEG OUTREACH, we have adopted specific protocol as well as those which are applicable to other activities of similar nature:

  • Beneficiaries are targeted not as to individuals, but as to class or grouping.
    • The capacity and ability of the club to conduct outreach activities are limited. It is best to maximize the beneficial effects of the efforts. Identifying enrolled students indirectly helps encourage enrollment. Encouraging students have more lasting beneficial effects on the community.
    • In the case of DUEG, we have specifically targeted children currently enrolled in the community schools..
  • We do not give out on a ‘first-come, first-served,’, or ‘no-come, no-served’ basis. We give by grade level, starting from Day Care, by name.
    • Giving out on a ‘first-come, first-served’ basis encourages indiscipline. It rewards the aggressive, and punishes the meek or slow or those residing further away from the gift-giving site.
    • Adopting a ‘no come, no-served’ policy punishes those who, for one reason or another, cannot make it to the site. Gifts for students who could not make it are left to the care of the teacher or teachers to be given to them later.
  • Giving out by grade, from the lowest level, not only contributes to discipline, it is also a lesson in civil priorities: the weaker gets first attention.
  • Giving out by name is another way of enforcing discipline. Everyone gets what they are entitled to, no more, no less. No lining-up more than once, no cutting in lines.
  • All game participants are given prizes, even if only token prizes. Members winning groups get a little bit more. Having fun is part of the reward.
  • Special awards for academic honorees are rewards for study efforts. The full rewards come later in life.
  • Participation, in the effort, by members of the local community is important to assure success. The active participation of the teachers, and the preparation and distribution of the merienda meals by local volunteers are necessary ingredients of the activity.
  • Feedback from the locals are also needed to assure continuing relevance of the activity. The feedback on the used supplies, for example, assures us that we are not insulting the local children by giving them used, but still useable, supplies.