EDSOR Peace Camp 2010 Lights Up the Torch of Ninoy and Cory’s Heroism

The hopes and dreams of the young, so grand and yet not too impossible. The words and thoughts of the young, so ideal and yet not too far.

These are the words, the thoughts, the hopes and the dreams of the young – the young who are forever young both in thought and in deed.

With Heroism as its main theme for the year, the EDSA-Ortigas Consortium of Schools (EDSOR), in coordination with the iamninoy-iamcory youth movement, held its annual Peace Conference at the Xavier School in San Juan Greenhills from January 15-16, 2010.

The event, which gathered more than 200 high school students from all the EDSOR member schools consisting of Xavier, La Salle Green Hills, Immaculate Conception Academy and St. Pedro Poveda College, gave an opportunity for the young participants to discover their purpose and do something about their inner desires. Further, the students were also taught about the virtue and values of patriotism and love of country through the example and heroic lives of the martyred Philippine opposition leader Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. and the late President Corazon “Cory” Aquino.

All through the two day-Peace Conference, the students were guided by their youth facilitators, who come from various backgrounds, experiences but with one purpose: To live out the spirit of sacrifice exemplified by Ninoy and Cory through the career paths and academic endeavors they have chosen. The youth facilitators and trainers shared with the EDSOR students what they have done in life and how they, the students, can also become like them, if not surpass the things they have done. Furthermore, video clips about dreaming and realizing one’s dream in life were shown to the students to inspire and motivate them.

More importantly, during the group discussions, the students learned the various simple ways through which heroism can be expressed such as patronizing Filipino-made products, throwing trashes in the proper garbage bags and trash bins, following road signs, obeying parents and helping the elderly and the disabled cross the street. And in response, the young students also shared their views on how they can help the country through self-expression like reading and watching books and documentaries, respectively, on the lives of Ninoy and Cory. The students also enthusiastically tackled the country’s pressing problems such as corruption, poverty, hunger, disease and pollution alongside the iamninoy-iamcory advocacy campaign’s five levers of change: governance, livelihood, education, environment and health, or simply GLEEH.

To express their heroism in a creative way, the students were divided into about twenty groups and each group was given one lever of change to discuss and tackle. After they discussed the levers of change and how these can effect change in society, the groups went on stage to present their assigned levers of change. Some groups made a skit on bad governance and election fraud and lack of livelihood and opportunities in the rural areas while others made a video campaign on the condition of malnutrition and disease in the country. On the one hand, the rest of the groups performed lively poetical and colorful musical presentations on the situation of education in the country and the pollution of the environment.