Richard Hogan: How a tribe in the Philippines is bringing out the best in our young people 

"We teach children in Ireland to fit in, to be careful of their emotions, and not to let them show too much; we teach them it’s weakness. And the Badjao show them the joy of being yourself"

Richard Hogan in Davao in the Philippines with members of the Badjao tribe, in June, 2023

I have again sailed the holy seas of the Pacific and arrived in Davao, Philippines. 

Joining me are eight wonderful alumni of The Institute of Education. 

I am always so pleased when past students contact me wanting to get involved in the Embrace Badjao charity. 

They could be anywhere right now: Summer holidays with friends, saving for the year ahead, preparing for Erasmus or even sleeping, but, instead, they choose to give up two weeks of their summer to travel across the world and work with the incredible children of the Badjao tribe.

We hear so much negative talk about millennials and Gen Z: ‘Oh, these kids can’t handle anything, they lack resilience, they’re so bloody selfish, how will they manage the real world?’. 

I don’t know whose voice that is, maybe it’s mine! But the voice is wrong.

The students that have joined me this year, like all the others I have worked with over the years, have given themselves fully to the experience. 

One student who travelled with me in 2019 messaged me to say he saw we were travelling to Davao and wanted to join the project while he was travelling in Asia. 

He cycled the coast of Ireland in 2019 to raise funds for the school we built this year. Such is Breffny O’Reilly’s connection to the Badjao tribe.

The reaction of the Badjao children when they saw Breffny was truly moving. They were unconcerned about gifts or presents. 

They only celebrate that you have taken the time to be with them. And being with the Badjao is a truly spiritual experience.

We met the Badjao children and brought them all to McDonald's. It’s always a highlight of the trip.

Just watching our students interact with the Badjao children is fascinating. 

We are so guarded in the West. God forbid we express an emotion or show that we like something. ‘That’s so embarrassing’. 

I try to help teenagers out of that kind of thinking when I work in schools in Ireland. 

I explain the importance of being yourself, that it’s the greatest gift you will ever have. 

I tell them to avoid getting caught in the error that they must fit in to please someone else’s idea of who they should be because I know that leads to confusion and self-loathing later in life.

Being authentic is such an important aspect of human happiness. But the moment our students step into the unfiltered, unguarded world of the Badjao, it changes them. They become unguarded and more authentic. 

Embrace Badjao in action.

One of the students on the trip said to me, ‘I don’t know what it is I’m feeling being with the children, but they are all so authentic’.

It is that authenticity that appeals to Irish students. We teach children in Ireland to fit in, to be careful of their emotions, and not to let them show too much; we teach them it’s a sign of weakness. 

And being with the Badjao shows them the joy of being yourself, unconcerned with social expectations.

That is always such a learning moment for our students. They realise they have been living under a misapprehension, and that being connected to each other and unworried about making a fool of yourself is liberating. 

I think our students feel liberated. I see the impact it has on how they connect with each other. 

They become a little more tactile and caring, a little less concerned with being embarrassed. It is such a wonderful thing to see. 

They are also not on their phones while they are here working with the Badjao. There is no wifi in many parts of Davao, and our students take so easily to living without it.

As I write this article, they are all sitting next to each other, talking about what they will teach tomorrow. The laughter and conversation are a joy to witness.

They have all commented on how refreshing it is to take a break from their devices. We have come to believe we must have our devices with us at all times, for fear we are missing out. 

But it disconnects us and keeps us in a state of flux. The irony is we miss out on so much. It’s sad to see so many people plugged out from life going on all around them. 

I have certainly fallen into that at times, and have to really work to make sure it isn’t a constant feature of my everyday lived experience. 

'Manong' Richard Hogan, with some of the young people of Embrace Badjao, earlier this year.

Watching our students, who all grew up with ubiquitous technology and smartphones, disconnect from them so easily and connect with each other, is wonderfully uplifting.

I see how quickly we can move out of the habit many of us are caught in, but I also know from experience how quickly they will all move back into that habit. But, for now, it’s lovely to see.

For ten days, these students will take a break from their lives and live with the Badjao children.

They have come here to work with the children of the Badjao tribe, but I know they will learn more about themselves than they ever thought possible.

They will learn so much about who they are and what they are capable of. Once again, it has been an incredible honour to be with the Badjao tribe.

It is one of the greatest privileges of my life to be welcomed into the tribe, as a friend and to witness young Irish adults give their time and be authentic with the tribe. What a joy!