Peace Village Framework and Objectives

Mindanao is host to some 18 million Filipinos who live off the island’s rich natural resources. It has been home to Muslims and indigenous people since the 14th century. Christians from the country’s other islands started settling in the area since the 16th century and began to predominate in the 1950s.

So, the Mindanao that we know today is a land of mixed faith, cultures and beliefs. Cultural diversity defines and influences the relationships among the tri-people. It’s one reality that we Mindanaoans face, along with some advantages and disadvantages that come with it.

Cultural differences tend to make it more complicated and difficult for two groups of people to know and relate with each other, or live together in a community. A cultural and social artifact like language spoken differently by two cultural groups, for example, could bar contact and communication between their people. You then have a situation that tends to lend itself to misunderstanding, mistrust and mutual suspicion, chauvinism, or animosity.

But the tri-people share the same fundamental belief in justice, democracy and self-determination.

Peace Education aims to foster the values and attitudes conducive to living harmoniously and peacefully amid cultural diversity. It seeks to achieve a state of oneness among the tri-people. Thus, it works to promote tolerance, goodwill, and respect for and understanding of diversity among young people. And all these by way of learning activities that encourage them to:

1. Share stories that foster understanding, tolerance, and goodwill - and learn from them;
2. Share thoughts and feelings on peace and its elements in communities of mixed faith, cultures and beliefs;
3. Celebrate similarities and diversity;
4. Experience the beauty of music, arts and crafts, dance and folk tales borne of different cultures; and
5. Play games and compete in sports, and hone skills and talents in the process.

Objectives

The key Peace Village activities have aimed to allow the participants, both learners and educators alike, to -:

1. Revisit values & attitudes towards diversity, cultural differences, tolerance, and human dignity;
2. Manifest behaviors showing camaraderie and brotherhood with fellow participants regardless of culture, tribe, creed and socio-economic status;
3. Promote the spirit of respect and understanding of one’s cultural beliefs in a complex and culturally diverse society;
4. Develop social interaction skills to promote peaceful relations among people of diverse groups and communities;
5. Demonstrate that there are alternatives to violence and develop positive approaches to dealing with conflicts.