Passionately Curious

From the development communication courses that I’m currently taking, I learned that there are several
characteristics of a development-oriented topic/ output so I just listed some and ranked them. And here
goes my top three!

1. It should have an orientation. An orientation towards progressive change. This orientation will be the
guide to executing the activities of development planned by students, organizations, government, and
such.

2. It should have a goal.

I’ve observed that the topics or most kinds of outputs are required to meet development goals like
Millennium Development Goals, Sustainable Development Goals, and CDC Values and Guiding Principles
(4 Es).

3. It should have a progressive change.

A development-oriented topic/output makes the previous development the basis for further
development. Enhancing capacity within communities and empowering the belief that solutions to
problems are needed to be addressed from the ground up.

But I think that what I learned is still not enough so I thought of asking an alumna about what she thinks.
I asked someone in CDC that I admire, Ate Loren. For me, she gives the best advice in both academic and
extra-curricular activities. I always appreciate how she makes time to answer my questions, like this one,
even with her tight schedule. So, let’s see!

participatory

A development-oriented topic should be a result of participatory approach. It means that the

topic is identified and deemed necessary by the community .

In-depth

It should also be in-depth. Stories should be a series of events covering the changes that
occurred in the community during the implementation of development projects.

Audience-centric

Lastly, it should be audience-centered. This must tackle the community's identified need
/problem and the solutions must be angled to their own benefits for them to have ownership
over it.