Bridging Gaps with Technology

Friday was a busy day. Traffic was horrible and others were rushing to finish work before the week ends. Well, freelancers don't always have a weekend break. Nevertheless, I decided to take time off to see the live video conference between Cotabato and Manila highschool students facilitated by PeaceTech. The event is made possible by livestreaming of large quantities of data over a dedicated line (via PLDT).

3500 highschool students from Metro Manila

Live Video of Cotabato highschool students

The forum was intended to open the students to ideas and discussions on peace. There were two facilitators, one from Cotabato and one from Manila. One would wonder how to encourage all students to join the activities. Well, have a look at the photos and see how cooperative and attentive the students were.

Ice breaker

Cheering for Peace

Student representatives were chosen from different public highschools in Metro Manila to attend the video conference. I've been wanting to know why some teens express hate messages in various social networking sites. Well, Facebook and even Friendster came in too late so my batchmates and I did not have that luxury of click-n-shout. Personally, I diverted my energy through sketches, but I rarely get to do that now :( It was a good thing I met Mr Ed Salas, a faculty from Sta Elena Highschool. Speaking from 16 years of teaching, Mr Salas explains why young people vent. In this video, he shares what he has learned from attending this forum.

Realizing that peace starts with them, student volunteers patiently helped as group facilitators and were also tasked to assist and orient the guest students. From usherers to FGD leaders, despite the heat and restless crowd, they still managed to give their bright smiles. Well done!

Student Volunteers as Youth Ambassadors for Peace

Posted in: Cotabato, Manila, Peace, PeaceTech