The news "Oasis of Dialogue and Peace" is promoted by Silsilah Dialogue Movement, published every week in a local newspaper in Zamboanga City and envoys through the net to share our experiences in Dialogue and Peace!

2nd Week -November 9, 2011

Teachers for Dialogue and Peace

The SilPeace Youth Program brought together 17 teachers coming from different academic institutions in Zamboanga City on October 22-23-2011 at the House of Peace in Harmony Village. The teachers are the link moderators in their respective schools for activities of Silsilah’s youth program.

The 3-day gathering sought to meet various objectives. One was to strengthen fellowship among the teachers who are actively involved in the promotion of Silsilah activities among selected students in their schools.

Silsilah also acknowledges the crucial role teachers play in the development of future leaders with the Silsilah orientation for dialogue and peace. It was thus natural to orient them to the Culture of Dialogue as Path to Peace, a step called for in the belief that it is easier to share with students values which the teachers themselves have.  The seminar was also an occasion to assess their respective schools’ effort in the promotion of peace and to plan future activities in line with this effort.

The working committee of the SilPeace Youth Program which organized the 3- day event prepared different activities for the teachers. The getting-to-know-you activity allowed the teachers to talk about themselves and the schools they represented. These   are the  Western Mindanao State University- Integrated Laboratory High School, Ateneo de Zamboanga High School, Arena Blanco National High School, Don Pablo Lorenzo Memorial High School, Ayala National High School, Zamboanga City High School Main, Regional Science High School, Landang Gua High School and Zamboanga State College of Marine Sciences and Technology.

The organizers also introduced the vision and mission of the Silsilah Dialogue Movement, the different programs that the Movement has been carrying out for the past two and a half decades. Among the various programs the teachers heard was about the Harmony Chain Initiative which seeks to link people who pursue peace to one another through prayer.

In the morning of the second day the teachers viewed a documentary on the SilPeace Youth Program which became the trigger for an active round table discussion during which the participants recalled different experiences in their respective schools. These experiences included how their schools promote peace and harmonious relationships among the students and the challenges that the schools are facing with respect to conflict resolution. The discussion also identified the various ways that the SilPeace Youth Program contributes to planting the seeds of dialogue among the students and strengthening the attitudes of peace. This second day ended with a Solidarity Night when the participants shared their talents and reflection on what they had learned in the previous activities.

On the last and third day the participants drafted plans of action for the SilPeace Youth Program in their particular school. There was also a careful consideration of the various ways collaboration can be forged between the school and the Silsilah program. At the end of the seminar the teachers declared their commitment to be Link Moderators in their respective schools.

The Silpeace Youth Program, which has Vanessa Andico as the Christian coordinator and Aldhamir Abdulkahal as Muslim coordinator, believes that this event will open doors for future activities that will benefit the young people. This dream will be possible with the help of these link moderators who are teachers for dialogue and peace.

Participants during a session with Prof. Alih Aiyub on Inter-Religious Dialogue – Muslim perspective

Participants during the group sharing