The Re-Launch of the psoriasis Philippines program PSORTALK was successfully held with a new name Psoriasis Campus caravan of Hope at Emilio Aguinaldo College Cavite Campus located at City of Dasmariñas, the center of Excellence for education in the Province of Cavite on May 04, 2018. The PSORPHIL YOUTH believes that spreading awareness, increasing knowledge, and creating a strong inclusive community can help young people affected by psoriasis adapt and fit in to this rapidly changing world as well as receive and experience acceptance and understanding from friends, schoolmates, teachers, and family and with these notion, Psorphil youth aims to conduct a series of awareness campaigns by visiting schools of all levels throughout the nation to educate and spread awareness about psoriasis and psoriasis arthritis, how patient lives each day and how the society can help and/or worsen the situation, train the school teaching and nonteaching personnel with the ability to screen for psoriasis with the help of a licensed medical representative from the Philippine Dermatological Society (PDS) and Philippine Rheumatology Association (PRA) and lastly to identify and recognize school that supports bullying against psoriasis and as well as other Persons With Disability (PWD).
Psoriasis Campus Caravan of Hope was a jointed program of Emilio Aguinaldo College Cavite, Center for Counselling, Career and Student Development, School of Arts and Sciences and EAC-C Psychology Society.
Prior to the event, the Psorphil youth board had two radio guesting to promote the psoriasis campus caravan of hope and give a glimpse on what will happen in the program.
On April 22, 2018, Yzha Villegas and Joonee Dela Cruz grace the show of The Voice of the Teachers Multimedia on DWDD KaTropa Radio 1134 kHz AM band. They discussed on the radio station the nature of psoriasis, the different types and a glimpse of how it affects the youth in the Philippines and encourage the teachers and other staffs in the education sector to be allied in promoting psoriasis as non-contagious disease and anti-bullying campaign. After this, Yzha, Joonee and this time with Melvin Carson guest the show of Madam Chika (Clickie Mabansag) who happens to be an ex-officio member-at-large of PsorPhil youth with the title G-Spot with Madam Chika last May 1, 2018 at V81 Radio. The youth board discusses the synopsis of the campus caravan of hope in much lighter, bubbly way that despite the condition, these youth with psoriasis are still normal individual.
The program started with the registration headed by the EAC-C Psychology Society who was very active volunteer of during the whole event. Attendees of the morning session were college students from different schools of Emilio Aguinaldo College – Cavite campus, the session was started with heartfelt opening remarks of Dr. Veronica S. Garcia, Dean of School of Dental Medicine and the Cluster head for Health Course of Emilio Aguinaldo College – Cavite, she welcomed Psoriasis Philippines Youth Chapter and commended PsorPhil youth in promoting a bully free and safe environment for student regardless with psoriasis or non-psoriasis patient. It was then followed with the lecture proper of PsorCoach Melvin Carson and PsorCoach Yzha Villegas. They deliberately discussed what psoriasis is. During the discussion, participants gave their full attention in understanding psoriasis, its different types and available medication in the market. The whole crowd was eager in learning and knowing how it affects persons with psoriasis.
Right after, PsorCoach Joonee Dela Cruz shares the life experiences and his psoriasis journey on how he fought depression and turns it into hope for other individual who suffers psoriasis and found second family and most especially, a safe haven in Psoriasis Philippines (PsorPhil). Proceeding the talk of PsorCoach Joonee, PsorCoach Jumar De Vera and PsorCoach Chel Bacani introduced Psoriasis Philippines, how PsorPhilstarted, its vision-mission and its activities. Continuing with program, Professor Herman Brinas, LPT, RGC, director of Center For Counselling, Career And Student Development discusses bullying, its effect to the victim and the possible ways to control bullying inside and outside the school. Subsequently, the floor was open for clarification regarding the topics discussed throughout the morning session, the open forum had a healthy discourse of exchanges talk of different myths and facts about the perspective with psoriasis among the participants. Then, Melvin gave a song number to break the ice and gave participants time to answer the post lecture evaluation. Immediately upon returning, participants were given foldable fan, and baller. The morning session was ended with a photo opportunity with the students wearing their baller embossed with words of I hugged someone with psoriasis indicates that they are #Psorpporter of the awareness campaign.
Subsequently, afternoon session’s participants were teaching personnel from senior high school department and other school together with the student leaders. Psorphil youth believes that these participants were the first line and had the daily contact with the students that might be sufferers of psoriasis and other disabilities and decided to give a sensitivity training.
The first talk presented by PsorCoach Melvin and PsorCoach Pau Gamuyao introduced the basics of psoriasis, its types, its manifestation and the diversemedicines offered. After the talk, PsorCoach Joonee discusses the daily struggles of person with psoriasis, how he deals with the condition and how he turned pessimism into optimism and
helping other patients in their psoriasis journey, he then presented psoriasis Philippines and PsorCoach Jumar and Chel further acquaint the participants on how PsorPhil started, the vision-mission, programs and its different projects in uplifting the lives of people with psoriasis.
Upon presented with the programs and projects of PsorPhil, Yzha and Joonee discussed on a much serious note about the person with disability laws and how psoriasis been part of PWD sector. The participants were then acquainted on the different statute that covers the PWD sector. Afterwards, an open forum was conducted where participants asks different questions for elucidations. Upon settling the confusion, Melvin once again gave a song number while the participants answered the post evaluation form and afterwards was given a foldable fan and ballers that was used in the photo opportunity.
Before the session ends, a momentous event happened as witnessed by the PsorPhil youth and the participants when Dr. Georgina Palmario, Vice President for Academic Affairs pasted the logo of EAC and signed a pledge of support for the psoriasis campus caravan of hope in its advocacy about awareness that psoriasis is not contagious and bullying is not being practiced and will not tolerate bullying in any form and type in Emilio Aguinaldo College – Cavite Campus . Then, Joonee Dela Cruz, Chairman of Psoriasis Campus Caravan of Hope awarded Emilio Aguinaldo College – Cavite as PsorFriendly Institution for 2018.