Youth Primer

Come… See... be one with us!

We Dream....

We Care...

We Share...

And We Dare.

Introduction

The Silsilah Youth Program aims to promote the Culture of Dialogue, Path to Peace among the youth - Muslims, Christians and other living faiths - so as to sustain peaceful and harmonious relationships among them even as they belong to diverse religious beliefs and cultural backgrounds.

We Dream… of being part of a school and community environment where there is deep respect, genuine peace and harmony among young people and groups who belong to different cultures and religions.

We Care... about our relationship with God from whom all good things come; with ourselves for we are potent instruments for personal and social transformation; with other people regardless of their religious beliefs or cultural background for we believe that all are creatures of God; and with all of creation, especially Mother Earth, for it is our common home.

We Share... each other’s talents, gifts and experiences for the realization of our dream of helping build a peaceful, just and humane society, starting within our families, by being instruments of peace ourselves.

We Dare... to live the spirituality of life-in-dialogue and to promote the Culture of Dialogue, Path to Peace.

A Quick Glimpse at the Silsilah Dialogue Movement

Silsilah is a dialogue movement promoting deeper understanding and better relations between Muslims and Christians, and together, with peoples of other living faiths. Touched by an experience of conflict between Muslims and Christians in Mindanao and inspired by God's dialogue with peoples of all cultures and religions, Fr. Sebastiano D' Ambra, PIME, with a group of Muslim and Christian friends, started officially the Silsilah Dialogue Movement in Zamboanga City on May 9, 1984.

What is meant by the word Silsilah?

"Silsilah" is an Arabic word which literally means “chain or link”. As used by the Sufis (Muslim Mystics), it describes a process of attaining an experience of the Divine. The same root word is used to refer to a "genealogical tree" which implies a spiritual chain of humanity as created by the same God.

The Silsilah Youth Program or SilPeace

The promotion of dialogue and peace among Muslim and Christian youth is one of the priorities of Silsilah. In 1999 the "SilPeace" Youth Program was organized. “SilPeace” stands for “Silsilah Peace be with you Chain of Commitment”. It envisions promoting a positive experience of friendship and relationship among the youth in spite of differences in their cultural and religious backgrounds. These differences become the basis for rediscovering the mysterious plan of the love of GOD in dialogue with us and with the whole creation. As SilPeace developed along the years, it moved to key schools and communities in Zamboanga City, giving attention to the students and youth from the communities.

Who can be in SilPeace?

They are Muslim and Christian youth and youth of other living faith who are 13-30 years of age and willing to dedicate themselves to advocate for, promote, and live a life-in-dialogue towards sustainable peace. SilPeace Chain of Commitment can start among students in their schools, college graduates and workers in their work places or associations, and youth in the communities.

SilPeace in Action

Moved by the Spirit of God and acknowledging the importance of relating with each other as brothers and sisters within the universal family, SilPeace seeks to share the experience of the Culture of Dialogue, Path to Peace.

How is the experience provided?

ON-GOING FORMATION
The core group members of SilPeace attend twice-a-month sessions on different topics in the Dialogue and Peace Module. Others in SilPeace attend at least the introductory session on the Culture of Dialogue.

CHAIN OF FRIENDSHIP
These are different activities designed to create and strengthen the chain of friendship among Muslim and Christian members. These activities are undertaken to sustain the enthusiasm and fervor of the youth in promoting the vision and mission of Silsilah among their age group.

YOUTH PEACE JOURNEY
This is a 2 -day live- in seminar conducted quarterly that focuses on the four pillars of relationship - Dialogue with God, Dialogue with Self, Dialogue with Others and Dialogue with Creation.

COMMUNITY VISITATION & FORMATION
Basic Orientation Seminars on Culture of Dialogue are conducted in identified communities and given by SilPeace members to the youth of those communities. This involvement serves as an avenue for them to engage in promoting the vision/mission of Silsilah and at the same time experience expressing themselves and sharing their individual uniqueness as a gift to others.

SOLIDARITY EXPERIENCE
Exposures and immersion experiences in significant places, events and solidarity communities where they join in the different cultural, traditional and spiritual practices of individual or community members of the chain.

Our invitation: Come so you may discover the beauty and see the differences and uniqueness of other young people from different walks of life.

Be one with us! Make this place a harmonious and peaceful community to live in.

Youth for Media

Muslim and Christian youth with skills in writing and reporting were identified in an early stage of the youth program and a new track within the program emerged, the Youth for Media for Dialogue and Peace (YDMP) which was organized in 2001. YMDP's thrust is to encourage and train young people who show potential to become responsible media practitioners in accordance with the Vision-Mission of the Silsilah Dialogue Movement.

Who can be in YMDP?

Writers for their school papers, or those who show a strong interest in writing, and who are willing to share their time, skills and talents in advocating for the Culture of Dialogue, Path to Peace through media are warmly welcome in YMDP.

One way by which the youth could use their voice to clamor for peace and development is through the YOUTH BULLETIN. The contributors to this publication are writers who come from different schools and communities.

We accept contributions related to dialogue and peace. So what are you waiting for? Be heard and express your dream for peace, let the world know that you care and share your talents as we dare you to take the challenge. To understand how media may be used effectively in promoting dialogue and peace, and to harness their creativity in becoming engaged in media, the youth are given more information about using all forms of media.

MEDIA AWARENESS SEMINAR
This seminar is undertaken to assist young people to know more about media and to understand how media works so that they can take a more critical view of media and its contents. The seminar aims to expand the participants' knowledge and understanding of: (l) What is media; (2) The different forms of media; (3) The role of media in society.

YOUNG WRITERS’ GATHERING
This is a 3 day live-in seminar-workshop on news and feature writing to promote peace through cultural and gender sensitivity in writing. Time is also set aside for presentation of ideas on Culture of Dialogue, Path to Peace.

OTHER OPPORTUNITIES
SilPeace provides other opportunities for the youth to showcase their talents. One such opportunity is the “Rhythms of Peace”, a rock band concert which has been organized as a contest for both performance and composing of music with peace related themes. A corollary aim in this activity is to connect with the youth through music and send the message against the use of prohibited drugs.

Youth Breakthroughs and Challenges
SilPeace groups, school- and community-based, and the Youth for Media for Dialogue and Peace have continuously reached out and touched young peoples’ lives. Schools, institutions and organizations in Zamboanga City and other parts of Mindanao have invited Silsilah to extend its youth activities and form linkages with them. Encouraged by these developments, in 2006 the Silsilah Youth Council was set up. The members of this Council are committed young professionals, students and youth coming from different communities.

YOUTH COUNCIL takes the Lead
The Silsilah Youth Council acts as a Steering Committee for the planning and the execution of activities of the SilPeace Youth program. The Youth Council works with the Coordinators of Silsilah’s youth program.
Among the activities in which the Youth Council has a strong presence are the following:

SILSILAH SOLIDARITY YOUTH CAMP (SSYC)
This is a one-week summer activity that brings young people together to address and face with hope different issues in society. The camp provides an experience of a simple lifestyle and opportunities for making deep friendships with other youth in spite of differences in religion and culture.

HARMONY YOUTH DAY
Youth who joined Silsilah-sponsored activities and were inspired by the experience they had come together in December for the Harmony Youth Day.
This affair aims to establish and strengthen links among youth organizations, groups and institutions of Zamboanga City and provides an avenue where they could express their talents in the form of songs, dances and theatrical arts.

YOUTH SYMPOSIA on PEACE
The youth are gathered to listen to what people aspire for in terms of peace and how these aspirations are being addressed in other places. They then identify and plan on implementing their own sustainable activities for their schools and communities.

Life-in-Dialogue as a Vocation and Mission
The youth program of Silsilah nourishes individual faith experiences and encourages each young person to be a better person, promoting dialogue in their field of work as young professionals. It gives an opportunity for them to grow spiritually as young Muslim and Christian believers, and in accordance with their own faith tradition reach out to the youth of other living faiths.

Other Forms of Engagement with Silsilah:

YOUNG PROFESSIONALS FOR DIALOGUE AND PEACE Young adults in their early 20’s who are willing to live the spirituality of dialogue in their field of work as young professionals who are role models of dialogue. Members find time to meet regularly to share experiences, to pray together for peace and participate in social advocacies and community outreach.

MUSLIM WOMEN FOR DIALOGUE AND PEACE (MUSLIMAH)
This is an initiative of Silsilah to involve Muslim women, single and married, in uplifting socio-religious conditions of the Muslims living in multi-cultural communities, strengthening their belief and spirituality, as they build harmonious relationships with people of other faiths. The MUSLIMAH envisions being part of the community of people of sincere hearts. Its members promote the culture of giving and the value of collective efforts in developing peaceful communities, continuously strengthening each others’ compassion as brethren through consultations.

EMMAUS DIALOGUE COMMUNITY (EDC)
This is a group of Christian lay women who, inspired by the spirituality of life-in-dialogue promoted by the Silsilah Dialogue Movement, consecrate their life to God, serving the universal family formed by people of different cultures and religions and promoting the Culture of Dialogue, Path to Peace. The members of EDC, called to remain single, live the baptismal promises and are guided by the “beatitudes” of Jesus as rule and vows of commitment. Each one dedicates her life for the mission of dialogue and peace and brings the spirit to different sectors of society.

The Silsilah Presence in WMSU
The establishment of the Silsilah Students’ Center within the campus of Western Mindanao State University (WMSU) highlights what can be done at the school level.

In the year 2000, a group of student leaders belonging to fraternities and other organizations in the university attended the training on the Culture of Dialogue, Path to Peace given by Silsilah in collaboration with the university administration. As a result of the training, the student leaders of these groups agreed to advocate for and promote dialogue and peace in the university among their groups.
Some years later, with the desire to strengthen the collaboration between WMSU and Silsilah, the Silsilah Students' Center was inaugurated with simple rites on May 12, 2004 with the full endorsement of the Administration of the university in the presence of Fr. Sebastiano D'Ambra, PIME, Founder and Ms. Aminda E. Sano, President of Silsilah.

Formation and Increase of Young Dialoguers in the Campus
The Silsilah Students' Center is open to all students, faculty and staff of the university, people coming from other school and institutions and those who are interested to read printed materials on dialogue and peace for their own purpose or to conduct research; those who would like to build friendship by coming together, praying together and sharing aspirations and dreams for a common goal of peace.

The student center offers the following:

BASIC ORIENTATION SEMINAR ON CULTURE OF DIALOGUE
Regular activity of the center which accommodates 20-30 college students and each session runs from 2-3 hours.

VALUES FORMATION and MEETINGS
This is to guide the core group members of the student center using Dialogue and Peace Module. An opportunity
where they could regularly meet to share more of their life experiences as Muslim and Christian.

MINI LIBRARY
Available books and other readings on Dialogue and Peace, Interreligious Dialogue, Peace and Development, and other topics.

AUDIO-VISUAL CENTER
Students may use the Center to watch documentary films, movies related to dialogue and peace and other media materials that could help them grow and open their minds to engage in dialogue for peace.

CONNECT and LINK with SCHOOLS, UNIVERSITIES AND YOUTH ORGANIZATIONS
Silsilah makes an effort to maintain a strong partnership with the different schools, colleges, universities and youth groups and organizations in this part of the region. It creates linkages among students who belong to youth organizations such as Muslim Student Association, Campus Ministry, Fraternities and other groups, seeking to build good relationship among them, marked with mutual understanding, deep respect and harmony within the campus and thus, creating a ripple effect outside the school settin