Around 350 elementary and high school students of Davao Region gathered on January 16 and 17, 2015 at the Holy Cross College of Sasa for the Davao Association of Catholic Schools (DACS) Peace Camp 2015.
The camp, which was centered on the theme “We Pray for Long Lasting Peace in Midanao; Give, Share, Live and Proclaim Peace,” was organized by DACS in partnership with the Al Qalam Institute on Islamic Identities and Dialogue, ForumZFD, and the Mindanaoan Youth Development Center, Inc.
The delegates came from 13 member schools of DACS, namely Ateneo de Davao University, Holy Cross of Davao College Bajada Campus, Holy Cross of Davao College Babak Campus, Holy Cross of Bunawan, Holy Cross College of Calinan, Holy Cross of Malalag, Assumption College of Davao, Our Lady of Fatima Academy, Stella MAris Academy of Davao, University of Immaculate Conception, Holy Cross College of Sasa, PWC of Davao, and San Pedro College.
The camp commenced with a Holy Mass followed by the Opening Program with DACS director Jimmie-loe Dela Vega welcoming the delegates to the event.
The plenary session on Mindanao: The Past and Present followed with Fr. Roberto Layson, OMI sharing facts on the history of Mindanao.
The delegates gathered at the HCCS Grounds for the Bonfire Ceremony and the burning of their outputs in their reflections during the Group Discussions.
Each camper reflected on the question: As a youth/student, when do you say you experience peace and war? Varied responses on those questions were shared by the pupils, which they collated to create a slogan they presented to the other delegates during the Socials Night.
As the highlight of the event, the campers conducted break-out sessions on promoting peace through music (song writing), dance, theatre arts, visual arts, and creative writing.
Marichelle de Ramos, the Coordinator for Student Activities of the AdDU-HS, introduced non-verbal theatre skills to the campers and emphasized the importance of learning the art of characterization.
EC G. Paler of the Groove Unlimited Dance Company (GUDC) shared how the students can integrate proclaiming the message of inter-relationship through bodily movements.
Victor Dumaging, a Mindanao visual artist, discussed basic skills in arts and exposed the participants to Synergy Art.
Angel “Angel 01” Josol, a female rapper and known Mindanao musician, shared her experiences on how she maximized her musical talents in spreading her advocacies and taught the delegates how to compose a song for peace.
Lastly, Matias Regis Jr., a member of the Board of the Mindanaoan Youth Development Center, motivated the participants to maximize their writing skills in awakening and influencing other people to take part in actions for the promotion of Peace.
The camp concluded with the presentations of the delegates’ outputs in their breakouts session and the testimonials of selected participants on what they learned from their sessions.
Rosendo Meriwan, Chair of DACS Committee on History and Culture, acknowledged the organizers, facilitators, and participants of the camp.
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