Posts

Faith & Renewal

Image
Year End Reflection with YATTA This December has been a month of closure, celebration, and deep self-reflection. The festive season reminded me of the joy of connection, both personally and professionally. At work, with the organization, with agents, and with family, I experienced moments of gratitude and celebration. While I allowed myself to enjoy these moments, I also acknowledged the weight of a year full of responsibilities, challenges, and personal growth. This month was particularly special because YATTA celebrated 20 years of nurturing young artists and advocates for the community. One of the highlights for me was Friends with YATTA, where I had the joy of performing alongside the kapatids. Singing the songs and dancing the dances of YATTA reminded me of the creative spirit, vision, mission, and advocacy that the organization embodies. It was a powerful reflection that all the work of YATTA is by the young people, for the people, and to the people within the community. I am dee...
Post a Comment
Read more

November Learning Faith Through Difference and Immersion

Image
November Learning Faith Through Difference and Immersion Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters. Colossians 3:23-24 November began with movement rather than rest. We went to Mindanao for Tanghal Mindanao, and once again I stepped into my role handling contracts, monitoring finances, and coordinating with various artists. It was demanding work that required attention, patience, and emotional steadiness. The environment unfamiliar, and the experience undeniably formative. Being part of Buswak Mindanao reminded me that God does not only create people differently. He also allows communities to stand distinctly from one another. Coming from the Philippines, I know we are rich in diversity, yet witnessing it fully in Mindanao still moved me deeply. Their performances reflected the vibrancy of their life and culture through colors, costumes, makeup, movements, and the stories embedded in their work. Everything felt rooted in identity, p...
Post a Comment
Read more

October Finding Grace in Familiar Ground

Image
October Finding Grace in Familiar Ground How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity. Psalm 133:1 October felt like a gentle reminder from God that sometimes He allows us to breathe in spaces that already feel like home. Tanghal Visayas became that space for me. It was my second Tanghal since joining the YATTA family, and I felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude seeing familiar faces again people from different communities, international festivals, and shared spaces where artistry, life advocacies, and values intersect. There was comfort in recognition. Seeing the same people reminded me that this work is not isolated. We are connected by shared purpose and shared struggles, and that connection alone made the experience lighter. Tanghal Visayas felt less stressful, perhaps because I was more prepared this time. I already had a clearer list of people, clearer expectations, and a more grounded sense of my role. Maybe it was also because Visayas is my home court....
Post a Comment
Read more

Where God Leads, the North Follows

Image
  A Reflection on the YATTA x DAKILA “Find Your True North” Workshop There are moments when the world feels loud , when expectations, plans, and even good intentions seem to pull us in different directions. But last September, through YATTA’s collaboration with DAKILA Philippines, I was reminded to pause, listen, and reorient my compass , not toward success or recognition, but toward something far more enduring: my true north. The Find Your True North workshop gathered teenagers from different youth groups and organizations in Dumaguete. Guided by facilitators from Youth Advocates Through Theater Arts (YATTA) and DAKILA , Philippine Collective for Modern Heroism, the session invited us to dig deep into what we value, what drives us, and what direction we truly want to take. YATTA, known for using theater as a tool for advocacy and self-expression, and DAKILA, a collective of artists and advocates promoting modern heroism, created a safe space for reflection, a space that didn’t de...
Post a Comment
Read more

WRESTING WITH GIANTS WALKING WITH FAITH : MY AUGUST JOURNEY

Image
  Wrestling with Giants, Walking with Faith: My August Journey August has been a month of wrestling—with doubts, fears, and uncertainties. I found myself at a crossroads: should I quit my current job and pursue my profession, or stay where I am until my family and finances are more secure? This question weighed on me daily. Yet in the middle of the struggle, I kept holding onto this truth: the giants I face are never greater than the God I serve. Even while wrestling in my mind, God was at work in quiet and surprising ways. At the start of the month, YATTA held a meeting to plan our activities from August to December. It reminded me that God knows how to balance things out. Most of our officers are in their busiest year of college, some are juggling work and studies. Then there’s me—I graduated earlier than the rest of my batch. At first, I questioned why God allowed that, but now I see: this year, He positioned me to take on more responsibility, to help lighten the load when other...
Post a Comment
Read more

Growing in Faith, Serving with Love

I’m Jirah Martweven Palopalo, and my life has been deeply rooted in faith since childhood. Growing up in a family anchored to one church for generations, I served as a volunteer Sunday school teacher alongside my sister, sharing God’s love with children. As a scholar of the Dumaguete Kalauman Center for Development, I learned the value of service through Saturday classes, teaching, and community outreach. Kalauman also led me to VCS with Silliman University Church and to YATTA, where I use theater as a tool for advocacy, compassion, and change. Whether in ministry, community work, or creative expression, my purpose is to glorify God. By His grace, I passed the Licensure Examination for Teachers and am now a Professional Licensed Teacher, major in Social Studies — a milestone that reflects His guidance, provision, and faithfulness in my life.
Post a Comment
Read more