A hero, by definition, is a person who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through impressive feats of ingenuity, bravery or strength, often sacrificing their own personal concerns for a greater good. This will always be the true meaning of the word. But not all heroes wear capes, nor armor, nor weilding weapons of grand design. Likewise, not all adversaries are physical embodiments of evil, wreaking havoc and causing terror with armies of dread. No, heroes and villains can be much more subtle yet still as significant as those that were mentioned.

Everyone can be a hero. Everyone can be a paragon of virtue, a knight of rectitude, a champion of justice, without picking up a sword. A hero only needs to show courage in facing a malefactor too familiar in today’s society. A hero only needs to have a sense of sacrifice to oppose the longstanding scoundrel that has destroyed generations of our people. A hero needs only to defy and take action to oppose the scourge known as poverty.

This academic year, NTU Foundation, on a junction with Noble Trends Unbound, Inc.’s Corporate Social Responsibility, will launch the 2017 Big Hero series of programs. The project started in 2014 in Tublay, Benguet’s Dorencio Elementary School and has now moved to the new Baguio/Benguet community projects hub in Happy Hollow Elementary School. Community engagement makes the setup less like a typical teacher-student banking concept but more of a cordial relationship. Volunteers act as big brothers (kuya) and big sisters (ate) for the kids in creative homeroom programs.

To be fully prepared for such progams, NTUi’s employees and other partner volunteers undergo stringent workshops. Individual and departmental expertise and specialties are then highlighted in order to assign the volunteers to the appropriate program.

The Big Hero activities consist of trainings and values formation programs that will focus on, but not restricted to, academic performance and good citizenship. Utilizing NTU’s BPO background as well as its many technical support departments, the programs include tutorials for English, Mathematics and MS Office Tools. FIlipino-based values are also taught and demonstrated to reinforce the love for one’s own people and to influence a culture of patriotism and communal solidarity.

The goal is simple: build a lasting connection with the poorest communities to develop their young through age-specific, value-based programs that will significantly improve their skills and character to aid them in reaching their fullest potential, breaking free from the clutches of poverty. By doing that, our volunteers, contributing a sacrifice on their part for the greater good, would have earned the right to be called HEROES.