February 10-11, 2006 saw delegates from the EDSOR Consortium of Schools, La Salle Greenhills, Saint Pedro Poveda College, Immaculate Conception Academy, and Xavier School, gather together for the 6th EDSOR Peace Conference held at the Fr. Rafael Cortina, S.J. Sports Center in Xavier School.

      The theme for this year’s conference was “Heroic Citizenship” and the delegates went through various activities that aimed to teach them that ordinary citizens can do their part to help make this country a better place to live in.

      Throughout the conference, various groups and organizations were invited to give talks to the delegates in order to give them a brief background of the respective issues they have devoted their time and efforts for, as well as an overview of what they have done and continue to do.

      These groups and organizations include the Visayan Forum, Pathways to Higher Education, Rock Ed Philippines, Link Center for the Deaf, and more. The issues tackled during the conference were the advocacies of these Non-government Organizations (NGOs) and some of these included the nature of poverty and its harmful effects, education for academically gifted yet financially incapable students, waste management, child trafficking, and how people with disabilities can still achieve success in their respective fields.

      The delegates also viewed an award-winning documentary entitled “Riles,” which painted a clear picture of poverty in the Philippines as depicted in the life of a family who used to live along the railroad tracks in Manila . After the film viewing, the delegates got to meet the featured family and the assistant director of the documentary.  In an open forum, various questions were asked regarding life on the tracks, the family’s outlook in life, and many more.

      During the conference, the delegates also got a chance to interact with one another as they were divided into twenty groups, or tribes, named after various characteristics that Filipinos are generally known to embody. The tribes underwent an activity called “Heroes’ Race,” which aimed to instill values among these young leaders like discipline, patience, perseverance, unity, and confidence.

      Of course, a Peace Conference would not really be meaningful if nothing came out of it and this is why towards the end of the conference, the delegates were grouped with their respective schoolmates and they came up with action plans aiming to solve at least one issue brought up during the conference by a target date: February 2007.

      The issues that the schools will try to work on include helping underprivileged children study and alleviating poverty. The EDSOR schools will try to achieve their goals through various fund-raising activities like band fests, variety shows, and of course, their respective school fairs. All four schools presented their action plans in creative and humorous manners and this is only a testament to the success of this year’s conference.

      The delegates not only learned new things about certain issues in our society and met new friends, but they had fun as well. At the end of Day 1, the EDSOR participants were treated to a free concert of Itchyworms brought to them by MTV through its program entitled “MTV Homecoming.” They also got to watch performances from Dance X, Sick Chased and Levi’s Jeans dancers.

      At the end of Day 2, the delegates watched a variety show, which featured talents from all four schools. The Povedans presented a poem that talked about one’s love for country. La Salle Greenhills boasted of a young Grade 6 singer who can belt out very high tones in the song “Through The Fire.” The ICAns displayed their natural flair for dancing as the ICA dance troupe presented a ballet number. Of course, the Xaverians also displayed their talent through a performance by the Stage FX, which showcased a scene from its upcoming March production, Jesus Christ Superstar.

      The theme song for this year’s conference was “Posible” by Rivermaya, which was also used as the theme song for the 23 rd Southeast Asian Games, which saw Team Philippines garner the most number of gold medals during the event.

      Truly, with the future in the hands of these young leaders like the EDSOR delegates, as well as more of the youth getting concerned and involved in certain issues in our country, achieving a brighter future for the Philippines will be possible.

       The next EDSOR Peace Conference is slated for 2007 at the St. Pedro Poveda College.

EDSOR Peace Camp Photo Gallery

MTV: Homecoming Photo Gallery

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