The Blue Connection

CEBU, Philippines – It is said that the more consolidated the force, the greater the impact. Coming from three nations, miles apart, Filipino, Dutch and Belgian youth came together to learn about the environment and help protect it.

Under the recently concluded Pinoy-Dutch eXplore (PiDeX) hosted by the Eduardo Aboitiz Development Studies Center of the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI), 13 youth from Cebu, 14 delegates from Netherlands, and one from Belgium experienced a fun-filled youth integration activity last July 24 and 25 in the towns of Moalboal and Badian.

The three-week PiDeX youth exchange program, anchored on the sister city relationship between Cebu City and Haarlemmermeer, The Netherlands, aims to promote knowledge-sharing, cross-cultural understanding and cooperation, and development service among young global citizens.

Hence, the PiDeX's youth integration activity carried the theme "Blue Connection," referring to the blue color present on both the flags of the Philippines and the Netherlands that represents peace, friendship, water, and life.

Joining the Dutch delegates for the first time is a test representative from Kortrijk, Belgium, another sister city of Cebu City. This is an initial delegation from Kortrijk who is also looking at the possibility of an exchange program.

On the first day of the youth integration activity, the young participants traveled to Hale Mana Resort in Moalboal where they learned about the environment and participated in fun games that strengthened their friendships.

The foreign delegates have already been spending some time together in a tour of Cebu City, in an experiential and adventure education at the Kool Adventure Camp of RAFI, as volunteers for the Children's Festival organized by the Dolores Aboitiz Children's Fund of RAFI, and through visits to various trade and social welfare institutions.

The Youth Integration activity, featuring lectures about biodiversity and ecosystems in and outside of the Philippines, gave the delegates another enjoyable and enriching opportunity to interact with each other and with the Cebuano youth.

The participants were divided into four groups assigned to different areas in order to observe the environment in both the beach and the coral reefs.

Late in the afternoon, during low tide, the groups walked on the shores to check on and observe the area. Nandavan Dijk, one of the Dutch adult leaders, was disappointed to find a dump of garbage just in front of the beach resort and locals merely passing by it.

However, the young participants were amazed at seeing various sea creatures-starfish, crabs, fishes, and sea cucumbers, among others.

They also went snorkeling to observe the different types of corals and to identify which corals were hard, soft, alive, and dead.

In the evening, the foreign and Cebuano youth enjoyed each other's company over sumptuous dinner complemented with fresh fruits and vegetables.

Dutch delegates and best friends Joyce Hulsebosch and Annelij Clemens shared one of their culture shocks-the Filipinos' love of rice. Back in the Netherlands, the staple is bread.

"We knew before we came here that rice is popular in Asia but (we) didn't expect you guys to eat rice in every meal, but the food is very good," Hulsebosch said.

After dinner, there was more time for the youths to associate with each other over billiards and music.

The following day, at 4:30 a.m., everyone was up to catch the low tide in Barangay Malhiao and plant mangrove seedlings. From the lecture the day before, they were taught about the nature and benefits of mangrove trees.

Unfortunately, their transportation was delayed in picking them up so when they arrived, the tide was already high-up to the chest. But this did not stop the youth from planting. They aimed to plant at least 5,000 mangrove seedlings but only few were planted due to the rising sea level.

According to one of the locals, the group is considered the first to plant during high tide.

"It was worth the try and experience. I still enjoyed planting them," Thijme van Brunschot, a graphic designer back in the Netherlands, said.

The last destination of the Youth Integration Weekend was Kawasan Falls in Badian, Cebu where the young delegates were shown how the waters were connected from the spring to the waterfalls to the river then to the sea and how one part of this connection could lead to the destruction of the other parts.

The Pinoy youth were then paired off with a Dutch and Belgian youth under the strategic buddy system throughout the remaining time of the day, engaging the three cultures in more discussions about the current events of each other's countries.

Florven Reambonanza Doctor, YMA Season 4 scholar, noted that differences between the Dutch and Filipinos, especially in terms of ideologies wherein the Dutch are more liberated than the Filipinos.

YMA is a youth and leadership development program of RAFI designed to enhance the young people's awareness of the dynamics and challenges facing the community.

At the end of the PiDeX's Youth Integration activity, the delegates learned to connect with each other and with the environment.

"This whole trip is really an eye-opener," van Brunschot said.

He, along with the other Dutch and Belgian delegates, went back home to the Netherlands early this month with the realization that the Philippines is blessed with its active and hopeful youth.

(Maryanne Benedicto is a third year mass communication student of the University of the Philippines in the Visayas-Cebu College who volunteered to cover the Pinoy-Dutch eXplore Youth Integration activity.) (FREEMAN)