COTABATO CITY—Significant roles of the Bangsamoro youth in peace promotion and community development were highlighted in this year’s culmination celebration of the Mindanao Week of Peace in the region.
Chairperson Marjanie Macasalong of the Bangsamoro Youth Commission (BYC) said the youth are “valuable innovators and active agents of positive change.”
He also noted that the Bangsamoro youth have had a big contribution in the Bangsamoro struggle.
“Young people played an important role in the Bangsamoro peace process, and they continue to play an important role in safeguarding this peace,” Macasalong added.
The culmination activity, which stood on the theme “Zooming-in the Bangsamoro Peace Narratives’, was held on Thursday, Dec. 3, at the Bangsamoro Government Center in Cotabato City.
It showcased inspiring stories of selected youth peace advocates and leaders in different fields of governance, education, active citizenship, environment, health, and peacebuilding.
Al-fatah Abdullah, who himself experienced the hardships of having a ‘rido’ or family feud, led a campaign, pushing to end rido in their community.
“Retaliation is not, and will never be the solution,” Abdullah noted.
Faced with numerous cases of rido in their community, he engaged his fellow youth to resonate acts of peace and sort to peaceful negotiations through their “RIDOnt for Lasting Kamapiyaan” campaign.
Each year, the Mindanao Week of Peace is celebrated throughout Mindanao from the last Thursday of November until the first Wednesday of December.
This celebration was simultaneously commemorated in Mindanao with local peace advocates and youth in taking part of building a culture of peace in the island.
The BYC led the program, together with Positive Volunteers’ Initiatives in Bridging and Empowering Society (VIBES), and Alliance of Magnanimous Youth Leaders (AMYL). (Bureau of Public Information)
