NEW BATAAN, Davao de Oro - In the service of fostering the culture of peace and youth empowerment, the Youth for Peace Movement Davao de Oro (YFPMDdO) has successfully conducted a peace forum that gathered over 400 youth from the different organizations in Davao de Oro and engaged them in a new form of peace-building via social media.
Entitled "Kalinaw Talks," the said forum was held in celebration of the National Peace Consciousness Month with the theme, "Mithiing Kapaypaan, Sama-samang Isakatuparan" on September 17, 2021.
During the virtual event, various topics on peacebuilding were presented by the guest speakers such as the "Peace Security Situation of Davao de Oro" from Cpt. Roberto A. Escalona Jr, Civil-Military Operations Officer of 1001st Infantry Brigade (Bde), "Kasinatian of a Former Rebel" by Ka Amihan of SAMBAYANAN, and the "Provincial Local Government Unit of Davao de Oro's (PLGU DdO) Peace Initiative: OPLAN PAGBABAGO" by Nenita Pongcol, the Project Development Officer of the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office (PSWDO).
Gov. Jayvee Tyron Uy was also present during the event as he gave his messages to youth being a peace advocate himself.
To ensure that the forum will serve as an open space for the attendees to air out their questions and concerns and at the same time gain new and empowering insights in promoting peace, a conflict-sensitive approach was followed by the speakers and moderators during the whole session.
Following this, the participants simultaneously took their oath in promoting peace, supporting the government, and taking the initiative to conduct activities that will empower the youth sector during Manifesto of Peace.
The "Kalinaw Talks" was made possible through the support of various partners such as the PLGU DdO through its Youth Development Office, Department of Interior and Local Government of DdO, 1001st Brigade, and SAMBAYANAN.
It was also participated by different youth groups such as the Davao de Oro Scholarship Program (DdOSP), Kabataan Kontra Droga at Terorismo (KKDAT), Pag-asa Youth Association of the Philippines (PYAP), 4H Club, Indigenous Peoples (IP) Youth, Supreme Student Governments (SSG), Diocesan Youth Apostolate (DYA) and the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK).
According to Bernadette Festin, the President of YFPMDdO, the "Kalinaw Talks" has further opened the eyes and encouraged the youth of Davao de Oro to join in attaining peace using various initiatives.
"It has opened our eyes that our voice is not the only option to contribute in attaining peace but also by designing and implementing youth-led initiatives for communities affected by conflicts, and by making policies to address youth concerns and issues," she said.
She further expressed that the youth have the creativity, potential, and capacity to make change happen for themselves, their communities, and the rest of the world if only given the opportunity.
"Young people, especially of Davao de Oro, can work for socio-economic improvement, eradicate violence, and foster a culture of peace if only given the chance to participate fully in the development of their communities," she concluded.
Written by: Ronabelle Festin, PeaceCom Coordinator, YFPM Davao de Oro, YFPEM
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