The magic of children’s dreams

The Payatas Orione Foundation scholars proudly showcasing their My Dream in a Shoebox Dream Map after a fun-filled day of learning at Museo Pambata.

Children’s dreams do matter. In fact, findings from the Longitudinal Study of Young People in England show that children with high aspirations have higher school achievements and better educational behavior than those who don’t.

Recognizing the value of children’s aspirations, My Dream in a Shoebox celebrated National Children’s Month last 23 November by bringing 10 Payatas Orione Foundation (PAOFI) grade school scholars to Museo Pambata, where they were given an immersive learning experience that introduced them to various professions and inspired them to dream big. The students were given the opportunity to play and explore the museum’s different exhibits about the environment, the world, the Philippines, the human body and careers, which opened their eyes to the possibilities that life has to offer when they grow up. As adult influence is found to impact children’s educational choices, TeamAsia employees also toured along with the kids, serving not only as their companions for the day but more importantly as role models for the future.

ONE of the program’s mission is to encourage every children to set their goals towards bigger dreams.

“Children have the incredible potential to make a difference. While they are young, it is crucial that we expose their creative minds to the world — to give them a bigger perspective and stimulate them to dream bigger dreams,” explained Bea Lim, managing director of TeamAsia, the spearheading organization of My Dream in a Shoebox.

To guide the scholars to process their learnings creatively, they were given a simple Dream Map to fill in and a coloring book of professions to choose from. Compared to initial conversations with them, their career options broadened and their interest in other professions ignited after the day’s activities.

When asked about her takeaway from the tour, one student named Martina shared her realization that no matter what she chooses to do when she grows up, the important thing is that she will be able to help other people through it.

For the past 10 years, My Dream in a Shoebox has been giving out shoeboxes filled with school supplies to equip underprivileged Filipino children for education. This year, the campaign reached out to 10 PAOFI and Yellow Boat of Hope Foundation communities throughout Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao to discover the potential of 100 underprivileged primary school students whose educational needs can be sponsored for a year.

The scholars were given an immersive learning experience that introduced them to various professions and inspired them to dream big.

The vision is to support the children’s journey until they reach their dreams, provide for their families and become productive members of society. To achieve this, My Dream in a Shoebox made it its mission to not only sponsor children’s needs but more importantly to inspire them to set their goals towards bigger dreams.

“Every child has a dream, but they sometimes wonder if their dreams would ever come true. We want to change that by fueling their aspirations and providing the resources to achieve them,” concluded Lim.

To help turn children’s dreams to reality, My Dream in a Shoebox is getting the support of individuals and organizations to be their partners in providing children with a year’s worth of uniforms, school supplies and allowance for only P3,000 per student.