Muslim and Christian youths in the grassroots communities of Tala in Caloocan and Culiat in Quezon City (Metro Manila) have been getting together in their respective communities since October 2009 to participate in the STRENGTHENING INTERFAITH YOUTH LEADERSHIP Program of The Peacemakers’ Circle CC.
The young leaders have been reaching out to one another in the spirit of fun and friendship in a 10-session creative peacebuilding workshop designed by Orlan de Guzman and Sharon Vaswani which Orlan is currently conducting with Alan Berguia, a young Muslim Community Coordinator of The Peacemakers’ Circle CC.
This training program is part of the interfaith peace- and relationship-building work of The Peacemakers’ Circle CC under the URI Peacebuilding Program in Southeast Asia-Pacific, and is being funded by the URI Bowes Award that was granted to The Peacemakers’ Circle in 2008.
Around thirty to forty Muslim and Christian youths (ages thirteen to twenty-five) from each of the grassroots communities of Culiat and Tala get together in their respective communities each week to sit in a circle and engage in inner work and self-awareness exercises that promote dialogue and heart listening for Muslim-Christian relationship-building. They reach out beyond their comfort zones to get to know each other, create a safe space and common ground where they can honor and respect each other’s differences (while appreciating what they have in common), and bend over backwards in physical, mental and spiritual exercises that enable them to center themselves on the ways of peace.
The weekly three-hour sessions are looked forward to with much anticipation and joy by everyone involved in this project--the youth leaders and their supportive elders--who take pride in being part of a transformative force for good in their community. They are working hand-in-hand in support of each other’s endeavors for peace.
It is with much hope that we at The Peacemakers’ Circle CC in Metro Manila, Philippines carry on in this journey along the path of peace in the company of these inspiring young Muslim and Christian grassroots leaders who are well on their way to becoming a growing force for unity in diversity and harmony in our midst.
