MONKAYO, CVP – After almost five years since it was conducted in 2014, the Youth Peace Camp (YPC) Monkayo, formerly known as Youth Leadership Summit, has been revived here through the collaboration and effort of different peace partners in the Municipality.
With the theme “Malinawong Davao de Oro: Ascending to Genuine Peacebuilding for a Higher Ground of Youth Empowerment,” the activity was conducted on May 16-18, 2019, at the Monkayo Central Elementary School, gathering various young leaders from different barangays and sectoral groups within the Municipality.
Some of the participants are from the Indigenous Youth, Out-of-School, In-School, LGBT, Young Professionals, Sangguniang Kabataan (SK), and other youth sectors and organizations.
The 3-day camp has been winning young leaders in the Province of Compostela Valley and its municipalities since 2009, which started in New Bataan, with the aim of empowering and transforming them into genuine peace advocates.
In Monkayo, it previously happened in 2014 and was continued this year for its 3rd implementation.
The Peace Camp was filled with different lectures covering the issues and concerns of the youth, team building activities with values and life lessons, and other reflective activities that aim to awaken, nurture, and empower the youth on becoming proactive citizens of their Municipality.
According to Christopher Basan, President of Youth for Peace Movement (YFPM) Monkayo, the activity has been revived because of the concern of the different stakeholders such the Local Government Unit of Monkayo, its Youth Development Office, SK Municipal Federation, 25th Infantry Battalion of Philippine Army, YFPM Monkayo, and other peace partners on the welfare of their youth who are being victimized by the lawless armed groups’ recruitment.
“The collaboration of different stakeholders made the conduct of the 3rd YPC Monkayo possible because of our collective goal of empowering and transforming the youth into genuine peace advocates and protecting them from armed struggle,” Basan said.
“Instead of using arms to raise their issues, we are teaching them through the Youth Peace Camp to help the government listen to their call in a peaceful manner, and assist it at the same time in delivering their basic needs,” he added.
Meanwhile, the graduates of 3rd YPC Monkayo are now part of YFPM Monkayo and the growing number of volunteers of the Youth for Peace Philippines. They are expected to help the LGU Monkayo in empowering other youth through their new-found organization.
