US-backed youth camp aims to protect nature

CEBU, Philippines — Junaina Sharief, 21, had always marveled at the beauty of Marawi City since she was a little child.

But after months of siege by Maute rebels, her beloved home place turned into a ghost city – devastated, desolate, lifeless.

Sharief, who was among the participants of the Sea and Earth Advocates (SEA) Camp of the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI), learned that she has to be proactive this time in the cause to protect Mother Nature.

“We didn’t realize its importance until we saw it ruined. For me, being proactive is the best kasi ang sakit kasi like pag-andoon na, pag wala na eh. Sasabihin mo na sana inalagaan ko. Sana may mga panahon nga kaya ko pang i-prevent, may magagwa ako,” she said.

“I came to realize that we should prioritize our environment kasi ang dami nang nangyari kasi it affects people, and it affects our homes, our environment, everything. If something na may male-learn ako, I must share it, not just to keep it in my mind and in my heart,” she added.

Sharief finished her master’s degree in public administration at Mindanao State University in Marawi.

She shared that she came across the YSEALI program on Facebook, and sent her application at 3 a.m. one day since internet is very slow in their area at daytime.

She hopes to get more insights on marine conservation, as well as on leadership and good governance.

Another participant, Marian Llanes from Cagayan de Oro City, said she wants to raise awareness on conserving the seas and marine life.

“There is so much the youth can do to protect the environment. I want to raise awareness to help in the preservation and protection of the rich Mindanao land and waters,” she said.

At least 25 young individuals from different areas in Mindanao went through the marine conservation camp and leadership program, which is supported by the US Embassy in the Philippines.

According to Carolyn Glassman, US Embassy public affairs counselor, the program is initiated by the embassy's partner Save the Philippine Seas, whose goal is to empower the youth in terms of addressing environmental concerns and to widen their knowledge about the matter.

The environmental and natural resources management is one of the three programs or critical topics focused by YSEALI, aside from civic engagement, and social entrepreneurship and economic development.

“The YSEALI program has been the most amazing and a great learning experience for me because I’ve seen such creativity here. I’m absolutely so pleased with the creativity, the power, the optimism the endless wealth of ideas of the young people here. A lot of what we do in YSEALI is focused on environmental sustainability and protecting the environment,” Glassman said.

Anna Oposa, project director of SEA Camp and executive director of the Save the Philippine Seas, said the youth participants will go through eight days of intensive training, including community immersions, to be able to come up with “out-of-the-box ideas” in terms of saving the seas in their own little ways.

This is the 10th SEA Camp supported by the US Embassy which is being held at Alta Cebu Garden Resort in Cordova, Cebu from January 23 to 31.

Most participants joining in the week-long workshop are aged between 18 and 23 years old. They come from Davao, Tawi-Tawi, Zamboanga, Surigao, General Santos, Cagayan de Oro, Marawi, Coron, and Bukidnon.

Oposa hopes that the experiential education through SEA Camp will empower the participants in preserving the seas and be applied in their respective communities.

“I want to see them make ripples of change and then it is a multiplier effect, right? I want everyone to feel empowered and to love the Philippine seas. It starts with loving and experiential learning. If you get the connection and affiliation with the environment, then you’ll start doing things to protect it,” Oposa said.

The next SEA Camp will take place in Bohol in March with young leaders from Southeast Asia as participants. (FREEMAN)