By: Jocelyn P. Alvarez
ZAMBOANGA
CITY, 22 OCTOBER - - Madrasah Youth Promoting English
Advancement for Community Empowerment
or MY PEACE project was launched in Sarang Bangun Learning Center, Zamboanga
City, Tuesday, October21, 2014 with Mr. Macon Philips,
visiting U.S Department of State Official and Coordinator of the U.S Dept. of
State Bureau of International Information Program along with other U.S
officials gracing the event.
MY PEACE is a year- long project of the U.S Embassy in
Manila, in partnership with the Voice of Mindanao-Zamboanga Peninsula and the
support of American Field Service, Fatwah Foundation and the HMIJ Islamic
College. It empowers at risk-Madrasah students in Mindanao by providing English
language and life skills training as positive alternatives to joining armed
groups.
According to Ms. Frances Carreon, Voice of
Mindanao program head, “this project is being implemented by a local youth
NGO in Mindanao, Voice of Mindanao, Inc., in partnership with the Department of
Education in Zamboanga City, and USG Alumni.
The project has two outcomes: teaching English to Madrasah students
(Islamic schools); and providing the students with life skills training.”
“This project takes a two-pronged approach,
combining English language learning with life skills. The project began with a training of trainers
(TOT) for 30 trained teachers from Zamboanga City with a high level of English
proficiency, who participated in intensive 5-day training on English teaching
methods. Following the TOT, the MY Peace
Teachers will provide 10 hours per session of English language instruction and
8 hours of English Language Application activities through social enterprise
workshops and other lifelong learning to 60 students for one (1) year,” Ms.
Carreon explained.
The project consists of 13 sessions which
will be conducted on one to two weekends a month. During the project period,
the 60 Madrasah students will receive two (2) hours of life skills training per
session also delivered by U.S. government exchange program alumni, and
entrepreneurial/business/work skills for six (6) hours based on curricular
programs of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA),
under the guidance and supervision of TESDA-certified trainers from MEIN
College.
Carreon informed that Sarang Bangun
Learning Center will serve as the base of implementation of MY PEACE project. “This center is furnished with internet
connectivity and computer equipment. In
the final three months of the project, the students will be encouraged to put
what they have learned to use by creating and implementing community projects,”
she concluded. #
