G&G November - December calendar.

Today is our last day in Megamall for CODE NGO's Social Development Conference. But the G&G aparador is back in Eastwood Mall this week. Check out our calendar for the latest on where we'll be and when. We're still looking for other great venues so check back every once in a while for updates. See you!

G&G at CODE NGO Social Development Celebration

As part of Gifts and Graces' commitment to social development and social entrepreneurship, Gifts and Graces joins CODE NGO in its Social Development Celebration. G&G's booth will exhibit Gifts and Graces' value chain and how we empower our partner communities through product development, market access, and capability building. Visitors to the booth and to the entire exhibit will see the growing role of NGOs and other civil society organizations, individuals, government organizations, and other agencies in ensuring that we are able to address the concerns and needs of the most vulnerable of society. 

Throughout the 3 day celebration there will be fora on different topics on social entrepreneurship. G&G Executive Director Ms. Greg Perez will be a resource person in one of the forums - Seeing Eye to Eye with Buyers and the Marketplace which will be about market matching. Greg will share Gifts and Graces' experience on matching the products of G&G's 20 partner communities with the needs and preferences of the corporate market, wholesale, and retail markets. Do join us. Forum will be at the Megatrade Hall 3 5th level at 10:30AM.

Following is the list of the fora in the series.

Seeing Eye to Eye with Buyers and the Marketplace
Nov 28, 1030am

Social Enterprise in the Cocoir Industry

Nov 28, 2 pm                        

Meet the New Middleman
Nov 28, 2pm                    

Bringing Social Enterprises Online                                

Nov 29, 10:30am                    

Product Design and Packaging for Social Enterprise
Nov 29, 2pm                        

Financing the Social Entrepreneur                                

Nov 30, 1030am                     

Is there space for the youth in Social Enterprise?
Nov 30, 2 pm 

Below is the press release on the event 

Kasali Ka! Sumali Ka!

Social Development Celebration 2011

As it celebrates its 20th year, CODE-NGO is proud to announce its upcoming Social Development Celebration (SDC) 2011 on November 21 to 30, 2011.  The SDC (or Social Development Week, as it was formerly called) has been an important annual event for CODE-NGO, in partnership with the Peace & Equity Foundation (PEF) and the Association of Foundations (AF) in promoting to a wider public the role of civil society organizations (CSOs) in national development.  Through the SDCs' series of events, CODE-NGO members and the general public are provided a venue to see the various facets of CSO work as advocates, implementors of development programs and social entrepreneurs. 

The upcoming SDC 2011 will feature a series of public forums on the development issues of the times, a Social Enterprise Exhibit that will showcase the products and services of social entrepreneurs from all over the country and activities for young people that will bring social awareness in a fun and exciting way. 

We hope to see you there!

G&G's latest newsletter

Sharing our latest newsletter for October and November 2011. Read about the G&G aparador, our pop up products, our featured community The Learning Center, and the sailor bag we made for the recent AdCongress. Cheers!

Click here to view the newsletter in your bowser

Aparadors

Why are aparadors so special? Such is the mystique of wardrobes that it figures in the title of C.S. Lewis' first book in the Narnia chronology The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. In the book the wardrobe is so large you can literally walk in it and it's a magical wardrobe that takes you to another world! 


Wardrobes have a certain mystique that evokes nostalgia, possibly because we remember our grandmothers who had so many wonderful things in their wardrobes. This point is illustrated in the book Aparador ni Lola: Past Lives Precious Objects edited by Emmie G. Valera from Anvil Publishing that tells stories that are heart-warming tributes to lolas and their "aparadors that held delightful little treasures and well-kept secrets." 


It is this sense of wonder and anticipation and excitement at the possibility of finding something special inside that G&G captures with its aparadors that now house our beautiful products. The aparadors are vintage wardrobes donated by Ms. Marivic Limcaoco and finished in distressed white to give it a modern feel. 



When you look in a G&G aparador you'll find wonderful finds: denim bears, robot charms, monogram gift tags in handmade paper, travel sets, newspaper bags in pop up colors. There are deliciously scented soy candles, striped travel pillows, clutch bags, and many more.

Here is one of the aparadors on the ground floor of Eastwood Mall at the Atrium. We'll be there until Sunday, November 20. When you see the white wardrobe, green turf, and unique products you'll have found G&G.

Thanks again to Marivic for the wonderful aparadors! Should you know anyone who would like to see their old aparadors go to a good cause we welcome donations. Help us put a G&G aparador in an area near you. 


Stay tuned for our upcoming aparador venues. And if you should see a G&G aparador, come, take a look inside and see what treasures await!

Be One for Others

Gifts and Graces is proud to partner with the UP Sigma Delta Phi Sorority in their BE ONE Movement campaign and their WE card project.

Sigma Delta Phi is the oldest sorority in UP and is made up of dynamic women leaders. According to Sigma Delta,the idea behind the BE ONE Movement is for young people to go out and Be One force, focusing on others and working for positive changes in society. Coming together as one, the youth will be able to make changes and will have the power to transform our community. 

A great way to practice this everyday heroism as individuals and as a team is doing volunteer work through the WE Card project. On November 15, 2011 Sigma Delta launched the WE Card which is now available to students from UP Diliman and other universities and high schools. Participants will have the opportunity to volunteer for any of the 20 partner NGOs until February 18, 2012. NGOs will give out stickers for corresponding volunteer work. Sigma Delta has a special prize for the one who collects the most stickers.

As a partner organization, Gifts and Graces is happy to give participants the opportunity to experience volunteering for a fair trade social enterprise that empowers the disadvantaged and helps them become productive members of society. We believe in giving a hand up, not a hand out and helping the marginalized overcome poverty through livelihood.

Read our Conversations and blog posts on past volunteers Chiqui Go, Michael Golsworthy, Jessica Chittaphong, and Colette Forma to read about their experience volunteering with G&G.

For the WE Card project, these are the volunteer opportunities and the corresponding stickers to be awarded. Volunteers will be working with our Marketing Manager as well as our current AYAD volunteer for Marketing and PR Aun Ngo.

     -  Assist visitors/clients at a Gifts and Graces pop up store or bazaar booth 

        – 1 sticker for every hour of service

     - Update the Gifts and Graces website – 1 sticker for every hour of work

     - Document Gifts and Graces products including preparing product sheets 
       - 1 sticker for every hour of work

     - Gather and write stories for the newsletter, blog, website, including interviewing    
       stakeholders particularly community producers – 1 sticker for every hour of work

     - Produce an AVP – 10 stickers for every approved AVP

 
We hope to get a lot of volunteers through this project. We are always in need of good people. The youth especially have a lot of energy, enthusiasm, and fresh ideas. 

Please feel free to share this post with family, friends, colleagues to encourage volunteerism and be one with us.

A new line of bag charms

Robot Charms

We are proud to present a new line of fun and funky bag charms we call our robot charms. We call the big red headed one with palazzo-like pants MC Hammer. I especially like the gun metal guy. Show your quirky side and collect them all.  These make a great gifts too not just for girls but for guys too.

We are doubly proud to say that these charms are made by the special needs individuals of The Learning Center for G&G. Get them now at a G&G bazaar near you!

Ex Libris

Reading is a Pleasure

In a brief but not so unrelated departure from fair trade and the work we do at Gifts and Graces, (I'll manage to tie it all together in the end, I promise) let's celebrate one of the greatest pleasures of life - reading. We write this blog post in celebration of the Philippine Book Development Month this November.

There's nothing like curling up with a good book: there's nothing quite as satisfying as being transported to a different time and place, empathizing with and relating to characters - caring what happens to them, and living an adventure, romance, sci-fi, fantasy, or thriller. Really good books make you laugh out loud, make you upset, make your heart beat faster and keep you up at night, keeping you from sleep as you turn page after page after page.

This November, the National Book Development Board has lined up several activities to promote reading. They all look exciting and two in particular caught our eye - The Great Philippine Book Cafe! 2nd Manila International Literary Festival November 16 - 18 (thanks Zee Perez for the link!)

and 

Venus in Orbit, a night of spoken word poetry and music by women presented by The NBDB Book Club and Bigkas Pilipinas. On November 13, 9PM at Bacci Ristorante in Makati City. (entrance is free!)

The pleasure of reading isn't limited to reading fiction. I came to discover graphic novels in college and to this day I love me my Sandman. Of course there are also magazines, trade books, and even the labels of shampoo bottles haha.

In the spirit of reading, we have come up with our own reading list based on what's on our own book shelves - books that have made an impact on us professionally and personally that are related to what we do at G&G. In time we'd like to make it a recurring feature in our newsletters. We'll be talking about books, articles, even blog posts on development, community building, poverty reduction, design, and marketing to name a few. Here are two books to start with: (also to be featured in our October newsletter)

On Poverty and Development

The End of Poverty: Economic Possibilities of Our Time by Jeffrey Sachs

When I read this book I was blown away by the "simple" steps required to bring people out of extreme poverty. Jeffrey Sachs supports his assertions with real cases. The idea of getting people on the first rung of the ladder of economic development and increasing per capita income per family has remained with me.   -Greg

On Design

A Whack on the Side of the Head: How you can be more Creative by Roger van Oech

As a designer, reading what this book says is an affirmation of how random and whacky the inspirations for the process of creativity are. One of the things pointed out in this book is that from childhood we are taught to find the "right answers" such that our minds eventually become cluttered with ready made answers that we lose the opportunity to ask questions that lead to new directions.   - Marge

Happy reading and happy book month everyone!

A Conversation with Jessica Chittaphong

This month in Conversations we have Jessica Chittaphong who was with G&G from June to August 2010 through the Ambassador Corps program of the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California. When Jessica volunteered she had just completed a double degree B.A. International Relations and Global Studies and B.A. Asian Studies: Japanese Concentration. Today she has completed her Masters of Science (MSc) course at the London School of Economics in Global History with a focus was on globalization and Asia, as well as comparative world history. Whew! 

Here Jessica tells us what surprised her about the Philippines and what her trip to the Philippines and her volunteer experience taught her about herself.

G&G: Tell us your Name, Age, Nationality, Occupation

JC: Jessica Chittaphong, 28, American, Student

G&G: What made you decide to volunteer?

JC: I decided to volunteer at Gifts & Graces because I wanted to see social entrepreneurship in action and get some real experience. I firmly believe in helping people break free from the poverty trap by using their own ingenuity and keeping their dignity, instead of just inefficiently giving out hand-outs. The latter has proven to be unsustainable and does not provide people with new skills or instill them with a will to work.

G&G: What are two interesting things about the Philippines that the average person doesn't know?

JC: One, the Philippines has an almost disturbing amount of gigantic shopping malls! Two, One has to be a world class driver to drive on the streets of Manila!

G&G: As a volunteer how did you use your skills and experiences to help G&G and its advocacy?

Jessica at the G&G booth
at the Franchise Expo 2010

JC: As a volunteer, I used my research skills to estimate G&G's Social Returns on Investment. It was not all that acurate and I still had a lot to learn, but it provided the organization with a place to start. I also used my social skills when presenting and selling items at various expo's and fair trade shows. That was really fun because I got to meet a lot of people and everyone was curious to know what an American was doing selling painted newspaper bags.


G&G: What did you learn about yourself?

JC: During my time with Gifts and Graces I learned a lot about myself. I have a clearer understanding of what my strengths are, but more importantly I recognized what my weaknesses are. Challenging yourself is important, however; it is also advantageous to know one's limits. In the Philippines I also found out how much a person could adapt to any environment. I was in a foreign land, at night I could not get to sleep because it was so hot, and I almost got washed away during a flash flood. But because of the connections I made with the wonderful people I came in contact with and a positive attitude, even after only 3 short months, I thought of this foreign country as home.

G&G: Why should other people do volunteer work? What did you gain from it?

JC: Other people should volunteer because it definitely adds perspective to your life. Seeing all those people, who didn't really have a lot, working so hard, motivated me to try my best as well. When you are working for something bigger than yourself, you get a sense of satisfaction that you can't get elsewhere...and sometimes you get addicted to it.

An updated November calendar

PoPping UP . . .

not quite unexpectedly in office buildings, bazaars, and exhibits. Check out our updated calendar below. Please share this with family, friends, colleagues and others who you know want to support grassroots livelihood communities.


Thanks!

DLSU Green and White supports G&G

Gifts and Graces is happy and proud to have been selected by La Salle's Green and White yearbook staff to be a partner and beneficiary this year.

In connection with this partnership, the organization not only made a generous donation to G&G, they also requested a visit to the G&G office and one of G&G's partner communities. 

At the G&G office, the students admired G&G's products and they were given a brief orientation on the work that we do, who we work with, and how their donation helps support our mission. 

Green and White staffers with adviser Ms. Rosanna Valerio visit the G&G office
1st Row: Gwen Qua, Mikee Yboa, Celina Baylon
2nd Row: Tere Velez (Editor in Chief), Patty Baun, Kat Zialcita, Marc de Leon, Trixie Ngo,
Ms. Anne Valerio (Student Media Office Coordinator)

After the G&G office visit, we went to visit the Caritas Livelihood Center in Tondo where we were met by Tita Daisy. It was gratifying to see how G&G's orders have contributed to the livelihood of Caritas' mothers. 

The students tried their hand at sewing. . . They had to get used to working on a high speed machine. But it was a lot of fun and one of the students was even able to make her own wallet out of scrap denim and tarp!

Patty Baun learns to control the sewing machine

Celina Baylon being oriented on how to use a high speed sewing machine

Tere Velez threading the needle

Trixie Ngo tries out the high speed machine

Paola Malong poses with her retaso

Gwen Qua shows her handiwork

Mikee Yboa proudly shows off the wallet she made out of scrap denim and tarp

Group photos at the Caritas Livelihood Center

It was a great interaction between G&G, the students, and our partner Caritas. We're happy to see more and more students who are not only aware of social realities but who also make a proactive effort to be involved.

Gifts and Graces was also invited to the Green and White launch. The Green and White staff showed the interactive DVD version and explained the inspiration behind the yearbook's theme. The yearbook and the DVD were impressive displays of the student's creativity and vision.

The Green and White 2011

Students read and admire the yearbook

Greg receives the check donation at the Green and White launch

Congratulations Tere Valdez, Celina Baylon and the rest of the Green and White staff, and of course their adviser Ms. Anne Valerio for a great event and great yearbook. And of course kudos and thanks again for their support of G&G, our partners, and our advocacy!

Green Christmas Shopping

Christmas is just around the corner and we're sure most of you have already started your Christmas shopping. Whether you're shopping at G&G or at one of your favorite malls, have fun Christmas shopping the green way by saying no to plastic and saying yes to reusable bags. 

The ideal bag is roomy, sturdy, and of course stylish. G&G's great reusable bags are all three. To help you be eco-friendly stylish this Christmas shopping season, choose from among these:

  

 

    

For boho chic, pick up one of our harina bags made from upcycled flour sacks and jute sacks. You'll love the different funky flour sack designs. Did you know that there's a flour company named Cinderella with of course a Cinderella designed sack? Available at the Ayala Museum Museum Shop

For classic elegance, shop with one of our beautiful newspaper bags in our iconic women series. Channel Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly, Jackie O, or Marilyn Monroe. All images are handpainted by Pandacan artist Boy Buenafe. Available at the Edsa Shangri-la Manila Lobby Shop

For serious grocery shopping, you can't go wrong with our extra large magazine bag. You'll love how colorful magazine strips are woven banig-style to make this bag. And you'll love how this bag is waterproof so it's great for the beach as well. Available at major Kultura Filipino branches

Our stylish directory boat bag is a fun way to promote your advocacy in going green. It's roomy enough to go shopping for fun accessories for your girlfriends and kikay nieces. Available at major Kultura Filipino branches

Last but not the least, our foldable canvass bag doubles as both a great purse and a handy shopping bag. The woven cloth detail on the pocket gives it a distinctive and unique modern Filipino look. Available at the Ayala Museum Museum Shop. 

All the bags are also available at the G&G office at the Mile Long Building Amorsolo St. Makati. In our last post, we posted our calendar of upcoming bazaars! We hope to see you there with your very own reusable G&G shopping bag!

Cash for Scrap: A Recycler's Bazaar

Bring your scrap to the Greenhills waste market this Sunday. G&G will be there to do a crafts demo and to showcase products upcycled from waste newspapers, magazines, and cloth strips. Hope you can join us!

G&G around town this November

Where can you find unique gift ideas like tangrams, funky monogram gift tags, retaso stuffed bears, and monster dolls? At G&G of course!

Check out all these great items and more at Gifts and Graces. Unable to go to our Mile Long showroom? Visit us at one of the bazaars we're joining. This November G&G will be at Rockwell, Greenhills, Eastwood, PICC Manila, and the British school. Check out our calendar below and mark your own calendars for when and where you're going to visit us. Check this space every now and then for new bazaar schedules. See you!