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By Gaile R. Ramirez, Communication &
Information Division Haribon Foundation
Everything is interconnected—This is probably
the statement that has made its deepest imprint in the young minds
in front of us. Yes, welcome to this year’s serving of the
European Commission-funded Golden Forest’s awareness-raising
activity dubbed as Camp Kabataan Para sa Kalikasan—the General
Nakar Edition.
Energized and excited, our team traveled for
almost four hours to the well-kept Catablingan Resort in General
Nakar, Quezon with four things in mind: to celebrate our dear
planet’s month, to increase the environmental awareness of the
youth sector, to provide a venue for the formation of the youth
environmental organization and of course, to have fun. I chanced
upon an opportunity to facilitate this camp and here I share the
tale of our jam-packed two days with our youth advocates.
Meeting and greeting new faces
One hundred two students and nine teachers
greeted us with ear-to-ear grins. They came from three different
schools in General Nakar: Paaralang Sekondarya ng Heneral Nakar (PSHN),
Mount Carmel High School and Batangan National High School. The heat
of the extended summer sun did not shrivel the enthusiasm of the
students. These adolescents became more energetic as we progressed
through our first day. Equipped with an open mind and abundant
creativity, the teams, named after local species, gamely
participated in the structured learning exercises we prepared as if
it was not their first time being together. Bright minds trapped in
youthful bodies, indeed.
True to the camp’s objectives, everything we
did was directed towards adding on to what the participants already
knew about biodiversity and teamwork. They knew a lot even before we
started. The group activities were designed to show the participants
that their teams are not different to biodiversity and nature—all
elements have an important role to play, making them interconnected
and interdependent.
Two lectures were held that afternoon: First,
they were astounded to find out how rich their place is in terms of
biodiversity. Second, they were all in awe as they watched video
clips and pictures of the tragedy that happened in their hometown
four years ago.
What struck me the most was how this formed a
huge mark in the participants’ lives. They, only nine to 12 years
old that time, could vividly recall the stories of how they suffered
from it. As day one slowly turned to night, this emerged as the
common theme in all the group presentations performed. Participants
voiced fears about another ecological backlash and illustrated ideas
how to prevent such catastrophes through acting, poetry reading,
singing and even dancing. These survivors are definitely determined
not to let similar disasters happen again.
The power of the youth sector was realized that
night. They are full of ideas on how they can mobilize their own
flock towards doing something for the environment—for their
environment. They are very active. They embody spirits of zeal and
passion. The youth group they baptized as Luntian was born. Their
task is simple—to spearhead the youth’s campaign for
environmental protection and conservation in General Nakar, Quezon.
Action
The second day was dominated by physical
activities that would further give opportunities to put knowledge to
praxis. The day could be summarized in one word: walk. Our morning
started off with an exposure trip at the mouth of the forests. While
our Haribon biologist-forester told the group about the different
plant species around us, it was also the perfect time to show them
the interconnectedness and interdependence of both living and
non-living things. They became both ecstatic and inspired about the
whole forest trip. One participant remarked, “I’d also like to
become a forester.”
With so much more to do, we decided to head back
to the resort halfway through the morning. On the way back, we did a
coastal clean-up by picking up non-biodegradable flotsam and jetsam
along the way.
Bottomless Energy
The participants were charming by the day and
enchanting by the night. It was already a bit late by the time they
fished but one could still hear the teams singing pop songs
cheerfully. And at the end of the coastal cleanup, they were still
eager to do some more walking.
The experience of the entire camp does not come
cheap. It involves a lot of sweat. But it defines what we call
fulfilling. We ended it with the Youth for Environment Walk of four
kilometers under the heat of the sun and through the dusty, potholed
and bumpy road that we traversed on our way to the Closing Ceremony
venue. Each participant whole-heartedly shouted the theme of the
camp—Ating Kalikasan, Ating Kinabukasan (Mother Nature, our
Future). Their promise of continuing what we have started took away
all the body aches we felt from the two days of work.
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