CONNECT, EMPOWER; AND

TRANSFORM: A DECADE OF
PEACEBUILDING AND
YOUTH PEACH ADVOCACY
by: Beverly A. Orozco
 Our Journey of Peacebuilding

• During the 2005 Waging Peace Conference -

Ateneo de Manila University, --- peace
advocates realized that it was high time to
organize the youth who can continue the work
of building a society grounded on a culture of
peace.
 Our Journey of Peacebuilding

• During the 2005 Waging Peace Conference -

Ateneo de Manila University, --- peace
advocates realized that it was high time to
organize the youth who can continue the work
of building a society grounded on a culture of
peace.
 2006-Gaston Z. Ortigas Peace Institute
brought together young leaders from different
fields of expertise and political colors who
would compose the youth network…

1) to organize activities promoting the culture of

peace;
2) to support the peace talks and non-violent ways of
transforming conflict; and
3) to discuss the issue of the communist movement,
and the Bangsamoro right to self-determination.
Gaston Zavalla Ortigas (January 31, 1931 - August 31, 1990) was a Filipino
businessman, educator, freedom fighter, and agrarian reform and peace
advocate best known for his opposition to the Martial Law dictatorship of
Ferdinand Marcos, and for his later pursuit of a peace process between the post-
dictatorship Philippine Government and various ant dictatorship movements that
did not give up their arms after Marcos was deposed in February 1986.

He played a key role in the formation of civil society movements for peace, as
one of the original conveyors of the Coalition for Peace, and was deeply
involved in both the National Peace Conference and what would later become
the Multi-Sectoral Peace Advocates (MSPA). In his honor, the Ateneo de Manila
University established the Gaston Z. Ortigas Peace Institute six months after his
death.

In recognition of his role in the resistance against the dictatorship of Ferdinand

Marcos, his name was eventually inscribed Bantayog ng mga Bayani memorial,
which honors the martyrs and heroes who fought the dictatorship.
 With a group of 20 individuals from GZO Peace
Institute, Center for Peace Education Miriam
College, National Anti-Poverty Commission Youth
and Students Sector, Sulong CARHRIHL
(Comprehensive Agreement on the Respect of
Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law),
Pax Christi-Miriam College, Peoples Alternative
Study Center for Research and Education in Social
Development (PASCRES), United Network of Youth
for Peace and Development (UNYPAD) and
Student Council Alliance of the Philippines (SCAP),
Generation Peace Youth Network was
born.
• focusing on peacebuilding, human rights advocacy, and
providing support to the peace processes in the Philippines.
• work on advancing an active, non-violent, youth-led
advocacy towards just and sustainable peace.
• work on strengthening our advocacy through organized and
structured programs — shaping the discourse of, and
mainstreaming peace
• promoting active youth participation grounded on our
principles of opposing all forms of violence
• and ensuring that peace is achieved through peaceful means.

GenPeace helps to strengthen the peace movement by

increasing the number of young peace advocates, nurturing and
providing opportunities for the youth to discuss and build
consensus on issues important to peacebuilding.
Connect: Reaching Out To Young People
• In its first four years, the program, a three-
day training, was composed of lectures
and workshops aimed at increasing the
capacity of Manila-based youth
organizations, and to mentor more trainers
to enable the network to expand and
widen its reach to more young leaders in
the country. With a pool of trainers, we
launched a series of trainings in fourteen
(14) cluster areas where our members were
already present
• From December 2013–August 2015, in
partnership with the US Embassy Cultural
Affairs Office and GZO Peace Institute,
GenPeace focused on building and
strengthening the capacities of indigenous
youth from Bukidnon, CARAGA and
Cordillera. The advanced workshops were
tailored to address arising peace and
conflict issues in indigenous communities,
and introduced practical skills of human
rights monitoring, documentation, and
reporting.
Empower: Building Leaders

PROGRAM FOCUS: on building and strengthening

the youth’s knowledge and awareness of the peace
and conflict situation in the Philippines while
emphasizing the youth’s critical role in peace and
nation building was focused.
• With support from the UN Alliance of
Civilizations, we introduced the Building
Bridges Program aimed at promoting unity
and understanding among cultures and
faiths, as well as creating a common vision
for peace in the country and their
communities. An important component of
the training included deepening sessions
and discussions on cultural and political
issues underlying conflict both at the local
and national levels.
Transform: Translating Learnings to
Actions

LOCAL PEACE DAY CELEBRATION - Nueva Vizcaya,

1 Davao City, Iloilo City, Eastern Samar, Cebu City,
Bacolod City, Butuan City and Quezon City
 Give Peace a Shot: Photo Petition, an online
2 campaign using social media to express their own
aspirations for peace and support for the peace
process
 initiating local city resolutions to institutionalize the
3 celebration of the International Day of Peace
which have been successfully passed in Cebu and
Quezon City with the support of our local
government partners
 initiated the Youth4BBL Study Sessions, where we
4 provided orientation on the Bangsamoro Basic Law
in universities

GenPeace School Tour where regional members

5 organized public forums in schools and in their
communities that discusses the updates on the
peace process in collaboration with our partners
from Waging Peace Philippines.
 In 2015, with the support from the Royal Norwegian
6 Embassy in Manila through Karapatan sa
Malikhaing Paraan (KaSaMa), GenPeace Human
Rights Playschool and Game Kit were launched
where we conducted playshops with high school
and college students facilitated by our school-
based members.
PLAYshop methodology provides tool for adults and children to externalize and self-
regulate emotions in a safe and supportive way and ultimately, develop embodied
resilience and social-emotional intelligence.
The methodology is taught through facilitated group experiences consisting of non-verbal
exercises presented as simple fun and games. Grounded in theater training,
biopsychology and somatic research, these specially designed physical exercises improve
circulation and respiration, regulate internal body rhythms, revitalize muscle tone and
restore flexibility to joints.
Peace education provides the essential foundation in our youth peace
advocacy work and developing a GenPeace youth leader. Education and
understanding peace is critical in creating a more conducive
environment for the youth to engage in peacebuilding work. It is
important for GenPeace that in nurturing future leaders, we focus on
quality rather than quantity. We seek to nurture leaders who can
translate the skills and knowledge they learn into specific actions that
give back to their communities. At GenPeace, as we connect, empower
and transform the youth into leaders, we seek to transform their
weaknesses and fears by building on their strengths and their dreams of
creating a peaceful society.
4
 PAX CHRISTI-MIRIAM
COLLEGE: MAKING A
DIFFERENCE. CHANGING
LIVES
by: Christine Lao
 Pax Christi International is an international Catholic Christian peace
movement. The Pax Christi declares its mission is “to transform a
world shaken by violence, terrorism, deepening inequalities,
and global insecurity.”

HISTORY - Pax Christi was established in France in 1945 through the inspiration of
Marthe Dortel-Claudot and Bishop Pierre-Marie Théas. Both were French citizens
interested in reconciliation between French and German citizens in the aftermath of
World War II.
• A group of former Peace Studies students
approached Dr. Loreta N. Castro to ask if it would be
possible to start a peace-focused student organization

• The student group name itself Pax-Christi-Mirriam

College (PC-MC)

• Adapted the logo of Pax Christi USA

• PC-MC aimed to “work with all towards peace while

bearing witness to the peace of Christ”
• heighten the consciousness and awareness of PC-MC
members and others about peace spirituality and peace
issues such as nonviolent resolution of conflict, disarmament,
and total human development
• increase the commitment of PC-MC members and those
they will reach, to work toward a culture of peace by
articulating the ideals of love, justice, and nonviolence; and
• encourage reflection and action on the peace message of
Jesus.
• an exhibit commemorating the International Day of Peace in
September 1998
• a training session preparing PC-MC members to become
youth facilitators of conflict resolution sessions in October
1998
• a mobilization at the Quezon City Memorial Circle on gun
control legislation, which it co-organized with the Gunless
Society
• a forum on “Alternatives to Violence,”
• a fund raising activity contributing to the Office of Social
Involvement’s “Pasko ng Paslit” project.
Since then, PC-MC has used these and
similar strategies to raise awareness and
inspire the youth to work toward a
culture of peace. Some Pax Christi
activities have, in fact, evolved into self-
sustaining activities that the Miriam
College community looks forward to, and
participates in every year—thereby
deepening the community’s commitment
to building a culture of peace.
Annual Exhibit commemorating the nuclear
attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
“Kites for Peace” – International Week of Peace
and Mindanao Week of Peace
Spoken-word Open-mic Poetry Jam – “Life
Matters”
PC-MC and Mirriam College’s Twinning Project –
Raja Muda High School – Annual Youth
Peacebuilding Workshop
“Lugawan para sa Mindanao”, PC-MC Ukay-ukay,
PCMC Fishball Sale “Peaceballs for Peace” – to
raise awareness and funds for the Twinning Project
of Miriam College
Adoptation of an Arms Trade Treaty
(ATT)
- International civil society campaign
- Aims to adopt a treaty that will prevent the
transfer of arms
- X violation of human rights and
international humanitarian law
- X genocide X crimes against humanity X
gender-based violence