Mindanao State University- Iligan Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT) has been awarded as one of the Outstanding Blood Services Partner of the Philippine Red Cross (PRC)-Iligan City Chapter for Voluntary Blood Donation. READ MORE

Championing change and influencing dialogues— the Mindanao State College Red Cross Youth Council (MSU-IIT-CRCY) launched the RCY Corner last November 16-17, 2023 at the Convention Hall,  2nd Floor PRISM. 

For two days, the MSU-IIT CRCY in collaboration with the PSYCH 119 class of Asst. Prof. Jean S. Taypa spearheaded the first ever RCY Corner, a lecture series. With its opening program attended by the Vice Chancellor for Student Services, Prof. Rohane M. Derogongan, PhD. This event encompassed meaningful topics creatively coined as 'Corners'. Interestingly, the first three corners provided a platform to acquire knowledge that is useful in times of crisis. Corner 1 was focused on Disaster Psychosocial Management and Stress Debriefing headed by Asst. Prof. Taypa with her students. The second Corner anchored on a timely and substantial discussion regarding the International Humanitarian Law— with Prof. Hilton Aguja of the Political Science Department. Later that afternoon, Asst. Prof. Jaime Q. Guihawan kicked off Corner 3, with his talk on Indigenous Early Warning Systems. 

Reechoing the primary objective of the Red Cross Youth— which is to harness the youth's energy into worthwhile activities —this lecture series also included talks on Community Health Nursing through the Lens of A Volunteer. The said Corner was facilitated by Ms. Michelle Emer Vanguardia, the Chapter Representative for Health Services and Red Cross Youth of the Philippine Red Cross-Iligan City Chapter. Another PRC seasoned volunteer also shared his expertise on First Aid in the Wilderness for Corner 5. Mr. Kent Sacayle— or Kuya Kent— actively gave detailed information and firsthand experiences to the audience.

Moreover, on the second day of this lecture series, the conversation redirected towards matters of health. With Dr. Muhammad M. Puting, the Chief Medical Officer of the Office of Medical, Dental Health Services and council adviser shedding light on reproductive health. Corner 6 was entitled ‘This Barbie and Ken is not Innocent: Understanding Sexual Reproductive Health’, with Assoc. Prof. Minnie Mamauag also contributing to the discussion. Wrapping up the event was Assoc. Prof. Neil Martin with Corner 7 on Community Health Nursing and Herbal Medical Application.

“RCY corner is really for the students,” Mr. Jan Christian Pagarigan, of the Office of Public Information (OfComs), one of the council advisers and the main proponent of this idea, emphasized when asked by one of the volunteers. The RCY corner augmented the importance of involving students in conversations and creating an avenue for information sharing. Prof Aguja commended the effort of the RCY— stating that the Corners were an exemplary opportunity for learning. Assoc. Prof. Mamauag added that this program proved to be a safe space to discuss subjects like reproductive health. 

Through open discussions, student participation, and a sense of volunteerism from the esteemed speakers and organizers, the RCY corner was deemed successful. Furthermore, the MSU-IIT CRCY Council expressed full and dedicated intentions to continue this pursuit— there will be more Corners to visit soon.