Despite having the most valuable contribution to the fight against Climate Change, the youth and children remains the most vulnerable sectors to the impact of Climate Change. Youth and children who are members of the Indigenous Cultural Communities (ICCs), whose economic survival is very dependent on the integrity of the forest for livelihood, are the most vulnerable of them all.
The Indigenous Cultural Communities heavily depend on their day-to-day survival in the forest for food and shelter. For centuries they protected the forest and sustained its ecological services and integrity. Despite this, they are still the most neglected and forgotten sector who suffered much of the brunt of the effect of Climate Change.
This is the underlying reason why the Foundation for Development of Agusornon Incorporated (FDAI), in partnership and with support from Kindernothilfe-Luxembourg (KNH-Luxembourg) hosted and facilitated the 3-days Youth Camp from July 26-28, 2023. With the Theme: “Youth Participation and Involvement on Climate Change Adaptation, Mitigation and Resilience in Indigenous Communities”, the youth camp focuses on the contribution of the IP communities in the fight against the impact of Climate Change.
Held at Hygeia Full Humanity Development Center, eighty-one (81) youth and children participated in this 3-days Youth Camp activity. Participants mostly came from the communities of Agusan Marsh, the area most vulnerable and prone to regular seasonal flooding in the entire province of Agusan del Sur. Participants from Agusan Marsh mostly came from the Municipalities of San Francisco, La Paz, and Talacogon. They were also joined by the youth and children from the Municipalities of San Luis and Esperanza. In 2021 communities of Agusan Marsh suffered much of the brunt of Climate Change when they were inundated with relentless floods for 11 months.
This 3-days activity commenced with the offering of a Manobo Cultural Ritual on the first day officiated by Datu Mantao(Modesto Bingga Jr ). The ritual was purposely held to seek the blessing of the nature spirits mostly revered by the members of the Indigenous Cultural Communities to demonstrate respect for mother nature. This was also offered to underscore the in-depth connection between the theme and the Youth Camp activity itself. Lectures to enlighten the participants on the effect of Climate Change followed, along with a series of workshops.
On the second day, participants were challenged with the Survival Game. During the game participants actively and courageously undergo a series of obstacle races to experience challenges related to the disaster brought about by climate change. This was to help them internalize how indigenous communities survive amid crises. The rest of the day was devoted to a series of lectures and workshops. A cultural night was also held on the second day. This was to provide a venue for the participants to showcase their different talents in the form of songs, dances, and spoken poetry.
On the 3rd and last day, participants propagated different fruit seeds. It was explained to them, that the fruit seeds they propagated will be utilized as planting materials in next year’s Arbor Day Celebration in their respective communities.
The 3-day Youth Camp was officially capped with the sharing of reflections from the participants.
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18Gyn Magsigay Oliveros-Hegina, Rizalito Benito and 16 others