The G&G 2013 product clinic

Although we've already posted about the capacity building program, we wanted to highlight the product clinic conducted for the participants by our in-house Designer Marge. We never have enough of the good things, right?

The product clinic was held on May 1^st. Yes, it was a holiday, people are not supposed to work. But since our partners came from different parts of the country, we wanted to maximize their time here and we know that our participants can handle it.

The product clinic started at 1pm to give everyone time to sleep-in after the Partners Dinner the night before and three exhausting and so busy weeks. To make it not so formal, the clinic was held in Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf on Makati Ave. Drinks are ordered, we have a table big enough, so time to start.

The product clinic started with Marge presenting the trends, from animal printing, to natural materials, ethnic designs, etc. and discussing how to apply the trends to our partners own crafts.

To apply what was shared during the presentation, the participants formed groups. Each group was composed of people from different organizations, with different skills and using different materials. "You have one hour to come out with items, mixing the different materials when possible" were Marge's instructions.

Who was the most talented in drawing? Some were very, let’s say, arty, conceptual. Group 1 came out with three ethnic bags of different sizes, mixing tinalak from Klo-Wil, canvas and plastic strips from our partner Pamana. 

Final work of the team 1

Tatay Ding, from team 1

The award for the most artistic and colorful work went to the second group. To thunderous applause, please welcome Yolly, Dahlia and Mike with their “fancy collection” a very colorful line dedicated to summer. One convertible bag made of printed canvas, a pair of sandals, both in shiny colors. It made me want to go to the beach.

Their very colorful creations

Team 2's artists at work

Enough accessories. The last group has decided to focus on furniture and decorative items. On your left, made of rattan paper and tinalak please welcome the “center table”, going along with an assorted lampshade and a magazine rack. But this living room line wouldn’t be complete without a chair to make it more comfy to read a magazine from the newly designed rack. 

One chair designed for team 3

Team 3 artwork

The ideas presented here are interesting but need to be analyzed by our designer. Drum roll. She gives her comments, how it could be improved, why this and this doesn’t fit together, etc.

We are now done with the group work. Finally we get to what everyone is waiting for and stressed out by. One by one, they will show some of their items to Marge who will then comment, give advices. One after another, they cannot escape. Everything goes well, participants are writing done what’s said, committing to use those helpful advices in a near future. They come out with new ideas, new possible combination of materials. Despite the fatigue, participants stay focused, and seem to enjoy it. You can see it in their eyes, behind those growing eye bags. Last presentation is done. Right on time it's starting to get late - it's already about 6pm. Coffee cups are empty. Sun is going down. It’s time to end a successful workshop, leaving with the head full of ideas.

Fun Run for Fair Trade - TAKKKBO on June 1st, 2013

On June 1st, Gifts and Graces together with the Community Crafts Association of the Philippines (CCAP) and the World Fair Trade Organization Asia (WFTO-Asia) held its first fun run, to spread the word about fair trade and at the same time, celebrate CCAP's anniversary. Here is the story.

The run was entitled TAKKKBO. The three Ks stand Kalikasan, Kalusugan, Kayamanan to embody the values of fair trade which are to care for the environment, take care of producers (including their health), and provide economic opportunities for poverty reduction to the disadvantaged.

The run took place at the Quezon Memorial Circle at the heart of Quezon City and a popular venue for fun runs, bazaars, and casual strollers on weekends, walking from a place to another, and occasionally stopping by one of those zumba activities, to dance on a mix of old disco songs, R&B and heated up Latino tunes.

On Saturday, June 1^st, it's D day. I was there at 4:30am together with a few other participants who started coming in one by one. I found myself thinking Lucky sun, it’s still sleeping. My two and a half hours of sleep and three cups of coffee won’t make it for the whole morning. Time to be tough Jeremy. “You’re doing it for a good cause, you’re doing it for your organization, and you’re doing it for Fair Trade. Think wider.”

Registration booth

Registration was onsite so more and more people started coming in. There was a slight glitch - the sound system was stuck in traffic so the program couldn't start yet. Legs started fidgeting, showing their willingness to move and run. Excitment and tension was mounting when, suddenly, a sound. For the first time, the noise and smell of an old van was like a blessing, a gift. The sound system had finally arrived. Hurry up, time to set it up.

The program started with a warm-up. The participants gathered before the stage where a coach started moving, jumping, etc., something between fitness and the ubiquitous zumba. The crowd followed, smiling and sweating. 

"Put your hands up in the air..."

"5am on a Saturday morning, so hard"

A few minutes later, the game is on, it's time to start running. The 5k participants will go first, followed a few minutes later by the 3K ones. Everybody is excited, the Gifts and Graces team is on the track. Marge, our in-house designer will run 5K and the rest of the team, 3K.

Marge is on the track. 5 more K to go!

Jo and Jhun Jhun, the new G&G running team

3… 2… 1… START! Time to go. Let’s proudly represent G&G and our advocacy. Also joining the fun run at the invitation of G&G were runners from the Philippine Daily Inquirer and Globe Telecom. The run went around the circle where there were water stations every few meters. There was no feeling of competition in the air, just fellow runners of all ages, enjoying the fun run all together. Runners (and walkers) were sweating a bit, smiling a lot. After about 15 minutes, the first 3K runners arrived at the finish line, a big smile on their flushed faces. Everybody is now getting closer to the end.

The program continued with awards and prizes for the fastest runners with items from our partner organizations and from our sponsor Resorts World and WFTO Asia. The three first guys and girls from each category got their package. 

And the winner is...

Because running is not enough, let's dance guys!

After the “ceremony”, games were then organized to continue entertaining our guests to push their first fair trade experience further. So, participants gamely played "the longest fair trade"? Folks take a very deep breathe, you now have to start screaming your lungs out. Only one winner would be chosen. There is tension in the air. Who has better vocal cords than the Castafiore? Yelling very loudly, they are doing their best and ears of the assistance can feel it. One by one, they are out of breath and giving up. Finally, a winner! With the games over, it was time for the closing remarks, acknowledgements and congratulations. The crowd starts scattering, all moving towards the bazaar to get a well deserved breakfast before going back home and rest after such a fun and exciting activity.

We would like to thank all of you who made this event a success, and we hope to see you soon, in our stores, at our stands during bazaars or maybe at our next fun run. And most important: do not forget to spread the word about Fair trade.

More pictures are available here: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.627725597255961.1073741831.434696616558861&type=1

and here: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.627733413921846.1073741832.434696616558861&type=3

- Jeremy

G&G on the six continent adventures blog

A few weeks ago brave and adventurous lady Jennie Siering visited Gifts and Graces to learn more about social entrepreneurship. Jennie and her husband Nelson came to the Philippines from the US as part of their backpacking tour across several countries. The Philippines was the first leg of the tour. Right after visiting the G&G office, the couple went straight to the bus station to catch a bus to Banaue.

One of Jennie's goals for the trip was to learn first-hand about social entrepreneurship models, its challenges, and its opportunities. In Jennie's own words, during their travel and adventures around the world, she wants "to explore existing and up-coming social enterprises, as well as deepen my understanding of global issues, in order to successfully launch my own social enterprise." Jennie learned about Gifts and Graces and Executive Director Greg Perez through their common connection with IE Business School. Jennie will be an incoming student in the fall while Greg will be graduating this June.

Please click here to read Jennie's blog post on Gifts and Graces.

In her post, Jennie reflects about the different options for would-be social entrepreneurs in terms of legal structure: not-for-profit, for-profit, or a hybrid model.

Thanks Jennie for featuring us. We wish you all the best on the rest of your adventure!

Conversations

This month, we introduce a new segment – Conversations where we sit down with G&G's favorite people – our clients, partners, producers, directors and many others, to pick their brains or go heart-to-heart on a range of topics. To kick off the series, we start with our volunteers: wonderful, big-hearted people who have so generously given of themselves and have contributed greatly to our projects and programs.

For our maiden interview, we talked to Ms. Chiqui Escareal-Go, President and Chief Service Strategist of Mansmith and Fielders Inc., an advocacy-based marketing and sales training and consultancy company. Chiqui very graciously agreed to be one of G&G's guest lecturers/facilitators at our Lecture Series for our partner communities in 2010. Here Chiqui tells us in her own words why she volunteered, what she did with us, and what she got out of it.

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

Chiqui Escareal-Go, 49, Filipino, Trainer/Facilitator, Entreprenuer

G&G: What made you decide to volunteer with Gifts and Graces?

CEG: Belief in the sincerity of the advocacy and the people behind the advocacy

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

CEG: I helped in training in the area of positive thinking particularly reframing common issues for a more proactive, 'can-do' attitude; I have continued to remain involved with G&G through donations and training. Being involved also means patronizing products and services of G&G's partners.

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

CEG: Any volunteer work grounds people to the life-giving, life-affirming, and life-empowering. Meaning, as volunteers “help others” they learn to raise their personal bars in resilience, resourcefulness, courage, empathy, hope, patience, creativity and yes, even re-define their sense of happiness and self. Simply put, when a volunteer “gives,” he/she actually “gains” more in terms of psychic rewards that are definitely priceless.

Above: Chiqui conducts a Creative Appreciative Workshop - a unique, refreshing, and empowering approach to initiate positive change

Below: G&G's partners have gotten into the spirit of the workshop. Chiqui listens in on one of the groups

PinoyMe's People - Powered Markets

Last Feburary 22, 2011 PinoyME celebrated it's 5th year anniversary at the NBC Tent at the Fort. On Feburary 22 to 23, PinoyMe also held the People-Powered Markets held at the NBC Tent which featured different social enterprises and companies who have successfully helped small producers integrate into their value chains.

Gifts and Graces was one of four social enterprises invited to showcase its robust value chain in greater detail. Gifts & Graces' exhibit featured how we are able to help our partners through design, capability building, and market access.

Newspaper bag makers and Mang Boy, an artist and painter from Barangay 849 in Pandacan from one of G&G's partners FCED Foundation, were the highlight of the exhibit.

On February 22, President Noynoy Aquino who was guest of honor at PinoyME's anniversary celebration, did a walk through of the different exhibits. While at the Gifts & Graces booth he admired our partners skill and craft and chatted for a while with Minda Rueda, one of our partner producers.

On February 23 Gifts & Graces Executive Director Greg Perez was part of a panel discussion on Social Enterprise: Doing Business with the Poor, joining Bam Aquino, Jim Ayala, Reese Fernandez, with Dan Songco PinoyME Executive Director facilitating. The panelists made brief presentations on their enterprises and answered questions on major challenges, profitability, and the legal structure for social enterprises among many others.

This exhibit was PinoyMe's way of promoting a new kind of people power. Congratulations to Dan Songco and the rest of the PinoyME team for an innovative and ground breaking concept!

Visit the People Powered Markets website and vist our Get Involved page on the G&G website to see how you can be part of this new revolution.

  

Also seen at the People-Powered Markets:

From left to right: Vic Roaring, APFTI Executive Director, Greg Perez Gifts and Graces Executive Director, Lani Concepcion Program Officer of PinoyME Foundation

 

 

Mae Paner, also knows as Juana Change, visits the G&G booth.