After their CO-CD Training last January 21-22, 2021, 25 indigenous youth from Barangay Daraitan, Tanay, Rizal attended a writeshop activity last February 8-9, 2021. Organized by PAKISAMA, in partnership with AFA and RMI with the support of the YLA and VOICE, the writeshop aims to develop the skills of IP Youth in basic writing and photography which can be used to narrate their own stories, the story of their community in the midst of modernity, as well as the learnings they gained from the Being and Becoming Indigenous project. By capacitating the IP youth with these skills, PAKISAMA and its partners hope that the IP youth will take the lead in promoting their own culture and indigeneity, and in increasing awareness of the general public on the situation, struggles, and challenges that their community faces.
Writing
As a warmup for their writing workshop, the participants were asked to write a short biography narrating their life stories, memories, feelings and emotions, and aspirations in life in congruence with their experiences as indigenous youth living in their community. Participants shared their dreams and aspiration for themselves and their families through their writing.
Norelien, a participant, shared that her dream is to travel the world with her family. She said she wants to travel to different countries and experience different cultures. Meanwhile, Michael narrated his aspiration through an illustration. According to him, his aspiration is to improve his parents’ livelihood of farming and eventually buy them a new house and car.
After sharing their work, they proceeded to the main part of the program. The IP youth learned about practical tips on writing a good story and poem. The discussion was also paired with workshop exercises that are meant to guide the participants in developing their outputs. Examples of these exercises were writing random things on the top of their heads, practicing using language to describe things poetically, linking their aspirations, and eventually creating a short but personal narrative.
Photography
After their writing workshop, the participants had the photography workshop which aims to give participants fundamental tips in photography to help them translate their experiences into good photos. They learned tips and guides on basic photography such as lighting and compositions for a great photo. In order to apply what they learned from the lectures, the participants were led by the facilitators to a photowalk where they explored different parts of the community to practice and take photos which concluded the first day of the writeshop activity.
Presentation of outputs
On the second day of the writeshop, participants shared their outputs which consisted of poetry, essays, drawings, and the photos they took from their photography session during the first day. The participants’ works revolved around their personal relationship with their community especially with their families, the people surrounding them, and the physical spaces where they live.
Some artworks depicted the environment in their community and its importance. Those that performed spoken poetry talked about their personal experiences and what they did to overcome hardships or advice for their fellow youth. A few participants who were a part of the photowalk presented their photographs showing structures and areas in their community that they deem important or relevant to their lives. The outputs of the writeshop can be found on this link IP Youth Outputs
For related stories, search these hashtags on social media:
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#BecomingIndigenous
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