Culture of kindness fires up optimistic children

Life is not a walk in the park. Yet, how each one approaches anything and everything is the key. It starts at each one’s home where parents use the key.

Let’s take it from Stephanie Jean P. De Guzman (9), Celine Madison Matondo (10), Angela Jewel Omega (10), Rhoven Azriel V. Vinuya (11), Leianna Samara C. Julaton (10), Chloe T. Tagle (10), Raphaella Grey R. Morata (11), Austineth Jaustine L. Burgos (12), Alexandria Melisse C. Apolinario (9), and Zireh Athena G. Esquivel (10) – collectively known as the BKIDZZZ that represented the UAE in the Junior Category of the “World Supremacy Battlegrounds 2025” at The Space of the Dubai Investment Park.

Unperturbed that the gold got snapped by their fellow Filipinos, the Gboyz Juniors that represented their homeland. That the three-day competition, from July 10 to 13, let them go through the zigzag of emotions against other pre-teens from Australia, Hong Kong, Macau, and South Africa. These third culture kids, with five still in their nappies upon arrival in either Abu Dhabi or Dubai, as the rest were born-and-raised in the UAE, demonstrate that this worrisome world, where strife and struggle are definitely components, still has the fighting chance to become a better world.

“Dreams do come true as long as you pray and work hard for it and never give up. I know that my parents will always be there to support me and my siblings,” said Shining Light Academy online Grade 5 student Esquivel.

“It depends on how we look at it. It is already a privilege to be dancing and sharing the stage with all the best around the world. I genuinely feel that I won already, albeit not trophies, but experience, learning, friendship, appreciation and most importantly memories we have created along the way,” said USA-born Matondo.

Matondo’s parents, Nestor and Maria Cecilia, were so grateful that a few weeks after they landed in the capital in 2011, aside from opportunities to flourish career-wise, they “found a Christian Filipino community.” Later on were encouraged to have their only child grow into the performing arts.

“We don’t see it as losing. We see it as learning. We also got so many cool ideas from other teams. They had different styles and stories to tell. The biggest thing we learnt was how to work together as one family,” said De Guzman.

De Guzman is appreciative of her long-time UAE resident parents, Jes and Remi who have jotted down among their to-dos, the regular updates with BKIDZZZ founder/handler Christy Angel Gelena and head coaches Ricardo Daniel Esquivel and Ralchie Gelena, about her Type 1 Diabetes.

“I have come to understand that true success lies not merely in winning. But, in the courage to try, the discipline to improve, and the heart to uplift those around you,” said Tagle.

Tagle’s father, Brayant, “was once an accomplished dancer in the Philippines” who makes it a point that their family remains grounded on the “values of grace, discipline and humility while nurturing their God-given talents.”

BKDZZZ is the second dance group Gelena formed in 2024. It is melded towards modern hip-hop and K-pop.

The 12 out of over 40 applicants were selected not only through their “genuine love for dance and definitely not forced by their parents,” but more importantly, their sense of respect and optimism.

“It is essential to create a culture of kindness, mentorship, and generosity where each generation supports the next,” said Gelena.

Gelena formed years back, the still existing Fuzion Dance Crew with her son, Ralchie as one of the members, who had developed his abilities with the assistance of “many people.”

Burgos’ guardian, Janeth Lalamonan, urges families to indulge their children in worthwhile activities. Doing so hones “important life skills such as teamwork leadership, confidence and creativity that are just as important as academic achievements.”

Apolinario’s mother Bennelyn did not mince on the exhaustion and “challenging financial costs” that come with having children get into both co-curricular and extra-curricular activities: “At the end of the day, we are not just investing in a skill or a hobby. It is investing in who they are becoming, stronger, braver, and more fulfilled versions of themselves.”