70 Youth Volunteers Attended COP and Teambuilding Seminar Workshop

SOCSARGEN Peace Network invited 70 youth volunteers from various schools, organizations and tribes mostly in General Santos City to attend the Culture of Peace (COP) and Teambuilding seminar workshop on June 7, 2012 at a military camp transformed to a peace camp of the 73^rd IB named Fort Santiago.

                                       LEARNING TEAMBUILDING THROUGH PLAY

Fr. Angelo Buenavides facilitated teambuilding through play like “breaking records” and “theory of evolution”.  The learnings after the plays were shared by participants who were further processed by the facilitator. The concepts and values learned include the value of having good strategies before going to an activity, unity, and excellence.

                                          

APPRECIATING PEACE THROUGH SONGS

MSU-Kabpapagariya Ensemble, the official performing arts group of the Mindanao State University – General Santos City, perform acoustics and entertained the participants peace and environment songs like “Kapayapaan” and “Bathala”.

DEFINING PEACE

Participants were asked to find an object that will symbolize peace.  Some get balls, stones, slippers, broom stick and some plants and construct a peace symbols.  Some themes that surfaced include playing football introduces peace to the children, peace is unity.

Facilitators Nova Masoco and Gina Misoles gave an input on peace.  They shared that “PEACE means stillness and calm, a sense of well being. Harmony and cooperation.  A reality when societies are just and fair to all.  It exists in the society when conflict are resolved non-violently and when there are practical efforts to satisfy the basic needs of people in a fair and reasonable manner”.

TECHNOLOGY AND PEACE BUILDING – SOCIAL MEDIA

Danny Sabino of SOCSARGEN Peace Network, shared how technology and social media contribute to peace building like introducing and re-enforcing various peace advocacies.

Social media was defined -“Social media includes web-based and mobile based technologies which are used to turn communication into interactive dialogue among organizations, communities, and individuals.”

Social media offers a good platform for the youth to converge… knowing that majority of the populace is youth.  The platform offers a good venue to share good practices of volunteerism, generate informed decisions and get immediate feedback.

“But at the end, it is also good to shut down the computer and meet people personally.”  says the speaker.

UNDERSTANDING CULTURE: RESOLVING PREJUDICES.

Youth Volunteers were grouped by Tribes.  The composition resulted to groups of Illonggo, Cebuano, Ilokano, Tagalog and Maguindanaon. Each tribe will be asked to put positive and negative traits which they observed to other tribes.  Participants were then asked to explain why they write those traits and asked each tribe to comments on the traits that were given to them.  After the activities, the tribe somewhat lay down their prejudices.

Nova shared that “Culture is the way people think and behave.  This includes the way they dress, the type of food that they eat and the language they speak.  Example, Muslim eat halal meat, women cover all parts of their body.”

Furthermore, the facilitator shared “Prejudice is a baseless and usually negative attitude toward members of the group.  Common features of prejudice include negative feelings, stereotyped beliefs, and a tendency to discriminate against members of the group.

RESOLVING CONFLICTS

Seven volunteers were asked to hold each other with arms crossed.  Everybody thought of a spot without talking to each other.  The workshop resulted to a tug-of-war scenario where everybody wanted to go somewhere else and movements were chaotic.

For the second round, the volunteers were allowed to talk to each other and plan where they want to go. The result were happy and harmonious movement where they plan to go.

The facilitator then gave an input, “That, conflict is natural.  An on-going and dynamic process.  That conflict can result to a positive change and that conflict is embedded in all types of relationships”.

COMMUNICATION.

A message relay was conducted.  Participants formed 4 lines with equal members each.  The workshop were processed and consolidated with an input  that “There is a good communication if one’s thoughts, feelings, and needs to others are clearly understood.  Communication is sending and receiving of messages.  A dialogue is knowing where you stand and meeting each other and seeing what we can do together. “

“Negotiation was introduced as a problem solving tool and MEDIATION is a satisfactory solutions through facilitation of third party”.

CULTURE OF PEACE.

The whole day activity was highlighted with an input on Culture of Peace (COP). “Culture of Peace is the wholeness of life where every persons can live with dignity… where there is an appreciation and respect for the integrity of all person.  A way of life that promotes the well-being of all human beings, regardless of different cultural backgrounds and historicity… where the group of people grow in dignity, self determination, service and solidarity with their fellow human beings.

After the seminar workshop, Lt. Sumbong of 73^rd IB Community Extension Officer, allowed the participants to move around the camp where peace messages abound the landscape of the camp, bonsai can be seen all over the place, and at an elevation and good angle, you can see the panoramic view of Sarangani Bay and the mountains of Maasim.

Football players from the participants played with the soldiers while waiting for the transportation.

The venue of the seminar was offered free by 73^rd IB.  LGU of General Santos City  through the office of the city mayor,  shuttled the participants from General Santos City to Maasim and vice versa.