Loreta N. Castro

Center for Peace Education

Miriam College, Philippines

Introduction

� I have many identities,but my first, before I was anything else:a member of the human family.

� This realization inspires me � to feel compassion and care for all humans� to believe that all humans are connected,

because we have all come from the same Sacred Source or Creator

� I was raised a Catholic

� Vatican Council II & its invitation

� Ethic of human solidarity

� Inter­religious dialogue

� My realization: bridges could be built among religions

� Various Faiths share the same basic teachings:

� Love the other as you love yourself

� Have compassion

� Be fair in our relationships

� “Do to others what you want done to you.”

Backgrounder on the Philippines

Some Facts about the Philippines

� An archipelago of over 7,000 islands

� Population of 100 million

� More than 100 languages and dialects spoken

� Catholic 81%, Protestant 11%, Muslim 5%, Buddhist

and others 3%

� A constitutional democracy­ “Republic of the

Philippines”

� Colonized by Spain, USA and Japan

� 1970s until Feb. 1986 under a dictatorship –

Rise of 2 major armed groups: Communist Party of the Philippines­ New People’s Army­ NDF (CPP­NPA­NDF)

and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF)

� Feb. 1986­ Nonviolent People Power Revolt

� Start of peace talks

� 1996­ Peace agreement between gov’t & MNLF

� March 2014­

Peace agreement

between gov’t & Moro

Islamic Liberation Front

(MILF)

Continuing Challenges to Peace

in the Country and Beyond

� Stalled peace talks with the CPP­NPA­NDF

� Prejudices between Christians & Muslims; between dominant ethnic groups & indigenous groups

� Economic disparities/structural violence

� Ecological problems, e.g., unscrupulous logging & mining

� Government corruption/poor governance

Peace Education and Action as Response

� How and when did my personal history intersect with these challenges?

� A 1979 training on the values of nonviolence, economic equity, social justice & ecological balance: a turning point

� A new vision of education: holistic, human values ­centered, future­oriented

� A conscious journey as a peace educator & advocate

� Peace education: seeks to transform mindsets, attitudes & values as well as behaviors that either created or exacerbated violent conflicts.

What Have I Learned?

1. Start with an important question:

What is my preferred future, my vision?

­ Help establish a society that respects human dignity & rejects all forms of violence;

­ Seek “Peace by peaceful means”

­ Promote peace education

­ Be an effective peace educator­advocate: gather & analyze information; raise awareness & understanding; engage in personal & social action

2. Begin with self, begin with small steady steps

­ Re­examined my own beliefs, attitudes & behaviors

­ Infused my own teaching with the new ideas:

war is not in our human nature, alternatives to

violent ways, violence prevention is better than cure ­ Tried to be an “edu­learner”

­ “Be the change that you want to see in the world”

­ The “medium is the message”

3. Find your kindred spirits

­ Find your kindred spirits within your school or

community & let it be the core of a widening circle of

peace advocates

­ They can help as volunteers, e.g., celebration of special

days, Twinning Project between Muslim & Christian

youth, disarmament activities, etc.

4. Take a holistic approach; a powerful nexus links head, heart & will

­ A “Whole School Approach” is a more effective way of creating change & should be our goal

­ It gives attention to infusing the desired values into the various aspects, incl. curriculum, teaching­learning process, engagement with parents & larger society, etc.

­ It is the working together of the whole school community or all the stakeholders toward common values & vision

Picture credit: ww.peacemakers.org.uk

5. Take a comprehensive approach to peace building

Use a combination of approaches toward the same direction:

­ Promote peace education to build a peace constituency ­ Connect with as many actors as possible, horizontally

(other CSOs) and vertically (gov’t agencies)­ Help build structures and policy frameworks to catalyze

the changes that need to happen (e.g., organizational networks, executive order 570)

Note: Implementation of policy is key, and the value system of the implementers is important

­ Build people­to­people relationships to accompany

the formal peace process

­ Collaborate with regional & international peace

actors to strengthen local efforts

6. Create and nourish hope in others & in ourselves

- Peace work is a long­term process and we need both patience

& perseverance

­ Hope is a key concept in most major world religions

­ Rubem Alves: Hope is like planting trees & knowing that we

might not be able to eat their fruits.

­ It is the conviction that we are doing the right thing & so we

do it; that we may not see the outcome in our lifetime does

not discourage us.

M.L.King, Jr.: “The believer in nonviolence has deep faith in the future…For he knows that in his struggle for justice he has cosmic companionship…some creative force that works for universal wholeness.”

Raising our Voices for Change� As people of faith, we have a long & rich tradition of faith­

based resistance to violence and faith­based adherence to love, compassion, justice, and reconciliation.

� Educate our families, organizations & communities about every one’s responsibility to work for positive social change

� Serve as catalysts to serve the cause of other women

� Raise our voices through statements & public actions

� Whatever is the particular challenge that is present in our own communities, one thing is clear: we can respond to the challenge better by being organized and by working together to resolve it.

� Working for peace and social change is a long and arduous road, and I want to leave you with a quote from Aung Sang Suu Kyi that can help us keep going:

“A perfect peace may not be possible because it is not of our world, but still we should journey to it…”

Photo credit: Kelly Guinan