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Filipino Deaf youth will recount the pivotal stories that have shaped the community during the 30th Deaf Festival in celebration of Deaf Awareness Week.
Themed 30 Years, Countless Stories, this year’s iteration aims to move forward with its mission to provide platforms for the Deaf to promote mindfulness and appreciation of their unique identity.
The celebration was established in November 1995 by the Deaf students from the School of Deaf Education and Applied Studies (SDEAS) of the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB).
Industry experts and academicians will facilitate lectures and dialogues, workshops and discussions. These will empower Deaf individuals to navigate challenges related to education, career, and language.
Likewise slated is a seminar that introduces attendees to Filipino Sign Language (FSL) literature and encourage them to write stories and poems in FSL.
A series of competitions is set to be an avenue for the students to showcase their talent. Tilts may be in preparing Frappuccino and pastries, upcycling discarded fabrics into modish fashion pieces, or producing short advocacy films on Deaf experiences.
Photography, painting, and literary contests likewise encourage participants to channel their ingenuity and eye for the arts.
The Deaf Festival Games feature tournaments of Basketball, Volleyball, and Patintero, to Human Chess Challenge, Quiz Bee, Solve the Puzzle, and Guess the Word.
The winners of the respective events will be recognized during the Awards and Gala Night.
The festival concludes with a fundraising cultural show, a theatrical adaptation of the iconic fairytale Ibong Adarna by Filipino poet and litterateur Francisco Balagtas. It is spearheaded by Deaf choreographer, director, and trainer Myra Medrana and features Silent Steps, the official Deaf performing arts group of Benilde SDEAS.
The 30th Deaf Festival opens on Monday, November 11, 2024, and runs until Saturday, November 16, 2024, at the Benilde Taft Campus.