Having been deprived of play and social interaction due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic for over a year now, the Department of Education (DepEd) underscored the need to help children to manage their emotions.

“Dahil limitado ang interaksyon sa ating kapwa, naging bihira ang pagkakataong linangin ang socio-emotional skills ng mga bata (Because of the limited interaction with our neighbors, the opportunity to develop children's socio-emotional skills has become limited),” said Undersecretary for Administration Alain Del Pascua in a statement issued Tuesday, July 6.

Recognizing this, DepEd and its partners came up with T.A.L.A. (Tuklasin, Alamin, Likhain at Alalahanin) as part of the department’s Education’s Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Services (MHPSS).

Led by the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Service (DRRMS), the 11-episode web series helped children recognize and manage their emotions.

It also provided psychosocial support to elementary learners amidst the remote learning setup as it wrapped up its first season.

Pascua, in the last episode of T.A.L.A., said that the program is just among several initiatives of DepEd to focus on the emotional and social development of the youth.

T.A.L.A. was made possible through a partnership with the Cultural Center of the Philippines, Komunidad X, University of the Philippines Los Baños - Department of Human and Family Development Studies, Save the Children Philippines, the DepEd Bureau of Learning Resources, and UPLB Tsikiting Stories.

Providing psychosocial support in a fun way

DRRMS collaborated with other organizations in conceptualizing the child-friendly program, incorporating elements and segments reminiscent of children's shows like Batibot and Art Angel.

DepEd said that T.A.L.A. made a mark on its audience because of its entertaining storytelling sessions and the presence of Arki (derived from Ready Kid), the official DRRMS mascot, who made each episode more enjoyable and relatable for children.

The program has four segments which include Tuklasin which talked about discovery through songs and exercises; Alamin which was the storytelling session; Likhain which featured art-based activities based on the episode's topic and story; and Alalahanin which served as a synthesis of the whole program.

The program also catered to parents, guardians, and teachers through the segment called "Tala Para Sa Mga Magulang" The episodes shared important tips on how to help improve their child’s mental health based on the episode and theme tackled for the day.

Each episode also features a storyteller whether it is a DepEd official from the Central or Regional Offices, a teacher, or a representative from the show’s external partners.

In its last episode, T.A.L.A. showcased the story “Mama, Para! Para kay Mama” to introduce the growth mindset as a dimension of self-efficacy with DRRMS Director Ronilda Co as the storyteller.

Meanwhile, Pascua expressed hope that the lessons, storytelling and art activities of T.A.L.A helped children and their parents during these trying times.

“Ang mga aral na ipinamahagi ng T.A.L.A. ay habambuhay na dadalhin ng ating mga anak sa kanilang pagharap sa mga darating pang pagsubok (The lessons shared by T.A.L.A. will last a lifetime for our children as they face future trials),” Pascua said.

“Patuloy tayong magiging matatag at malakas sa pamamagitan ng pagtutulungan at pagkakaisa, sama-sama nating malalampasan ang anumang hamon ng buhay (Let’s remain strong through cooperation and unity, together we can overcome any challenge in life),” he added.