North Cotabato youth camp for peace begins

From the Philippine News Agency (Mar 22): North Cotabato youth camp for peace begins

Thousands of Grade 5 boys and girls from different public elementary schools in North Cotabato have gathered in Barangay Dualing, Aleosan, North Cotabato today for the 6th Gov. Lala Taliño-Mendoza Summer Kids Peace Camp (SKPC), a three-day camp initiated by Mendoza to promote peace, understanding and appreciation among Christian, Moro and Lumad children or Tri-People living in the province.

Norito T. Mazo, Community Affairs Officer I and SKPC provincial coordinator, said the youth of the province has been anticipating this event.

“It is the much awaited activity every summer where we gather as many fifth graders and teach them the importance of peace as well as developing leadership skills among them,” Mazo said in a statement.

As in previous youth peace camp, the participants have started exploring differences in religion, culture, faith, belief and tradition then find common denominator.

Mazo said this yearly the youth have already recognized their crucial roles to play in the universal efforts for lasting peace in North Cotabato and in the island of Mindanao which has been beset war and conflict for decades.

“To put the children in the activity and let them talk about personal beliefs and how they view things as well as telling their stories, are the things we want to happen and these are brave and noble acts from the young participants,” Mazo said.

For the past six years, the camp has helped more than a hundred thousand children to better understand themselves and their peers through the lectures and trainings of SKPC.

From Aleosan, the three-day camp series will be conducted in all the municipalities and lone city (Kidapawan) throughout April and May.

As her brainchild to encourage unity, camaraderie and peace among the Tri-People by engaging the youth, Mendoza hoped that children will be opened to new doors in SKPC.

“Through the camp, we aim to make the youth understand the complexities of their religious identities, culture and the rest of their beliefs and developed a sense of trust and confidence with each other and erase animosity, confusion and fears,” Mendoza said.

In 2015, close to 25,000 5th graders successfully completed the three-day camping held in various public elementary and high schools in North Cotabato where they acquired peace initiatives, leadership skills training and even environmental protection and basic survival skills.

At the end of the three-day camp, Mendoza believed that the participants, after spending three days together will develop good relationships and create a stronger bond among Christians, Moro and the Lumads.

“The camp aims to find a way for children of different religions to appreciate each other’s important place in the society and develop consciousness that despite their differences they need to learn to exist together peacefully,” Mendoza said in a statement.

Dr. Omar Obas, DepEd Cotabato schools division superintendent, described the youth camp as “life-changing experience for children” as they blend and connect with another, celebrate their differences and eventually create stronger, inclusive relationships.

Aside from DepEd, the SKPC as a peace initiative gained support from local officials who provide logistical and other support to ensure the success of the activity.

Children aged 10-11 years old are selected to undergo trainings in SKPC because as incoming Grade 6, they still have one year to apply all the learning and re-echo these to other grades or to their respective communities.

For many participants, it would be first time for them to be away from home for three days. But knowing the significance of the camp, parents and guardians gave their permission to their children to join and let the facilitators, trainers and support staff take charge of them.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=869193