2008 Earth Camp

2008 Earth Camp

URGENT GREEN BARRAGE! A global crisis calls for ACTION!

Rationale:

The yearly Earth Camp is a progressive set of workshops that sustains or maintains the momentum of the environmental education for the students and teachers. This two-day activity is an intensive workshop for a specific output based process as the final product of GAME for Children Project.

The conception of the "children's biodiversity pictionary in Kinamiguin" is an ambitious project to showcase the art works of the children put together into a functional resource book.

The Earth Camp is a hands-on experiential workshop on eco-campaign book production as final preparation for the book design with direct production participation of the local students and teachers.

The workshop in itself is the process of the grassroots participatory of environmental accountability. This is a tangible exercise with functional result as a dynamic output of ideas put together as a collective vision.

A deep awakening needs to happen to our communities for us to be able to sustain our lives. It may start with the young minds who still have the purity and their voices are valuable for this is about them and their future.

Objectives:

1. To produce eco campaign art books as the voice of the children and youth for international exhibitions.
2. To finalize book design and content of the "biodiversity children's pictionary"
3. To train facilitators for "green barrage" pep talk in schools
4. To explore creative recycling and design for functional art

Venue: Enigmata Treehouse

Date: September 13-14, 2008

Participants:

Participants on the first day is composed of seven science advisers and seven elementary students from seven chosen schools from four municipalities such as:

1. Hubangon Elementary School
2. Catarman Central School
3. Mambajao Central School
4. Yumbing Elementary School
5. Bonbon Elementary School
6. Sagay Cental School
7. Tangaro Elementary School

Participants on the second day is composed of eleven teachers and eight students from ten schools from all five municipalities in the island.

1. Tupsan National High School
2. Lawigan-Bura National High School
3. Mahinog National High School
4. Yumbing National High School
5. Sagay National High School
6. Camiguin National High School
7. Guinsiliban National High School
8. Mambajao National High School
9. Fatima College of Camiguin
10. Bonbon National High School

Facilitators:

Cristopher N. Salem – recycling and music

Owen S. Jaen – theater and production design

Jims Jozar Vericio Abanero – theater and production design

Ramon Jorge Sarabosing – writing short story and making a statement

Oliver Paderanga – marine biodiversity and coral reefs in Camiguin

Roberto S. Rufino – turtle and bird conservation

Rosalie Zerrudo – overall coordinator and facilitator

Roselyn Jurial – co-organizer

Schedule of Activities:

Day 1

Registration

· The opening ritual was a participatory performance with Enigmata and Actor's Quarter artists and the participants

· Words of Welcome – Mrs. Roselyn Jurial, Education Supervisor - Science

· Inspirational Remarks – Maam Elena Borcillo, Schools Division Superintendent

· A prayer in a spiral walk with grains of rice

· Story telling in participatory theater form about Dodong Pawikan and Daday Pawikan

· Presentation of the "Pawikan" video and biodiversity update by Mr. Roberto Rufino, Department of Natural Resources Protected Area Superintendent

· Trivia game on biodiveresity

· Biodiversity new media film presentation

Story telling with the teachers by Ramon Jorge Sarabosing

Outline of Story-Telling Workshop

1. Drawing out of participants writing experiences
2. Inputs on story telling
1. Parts of a story
2. Characteristics / elements
3. Do's and don'ts guidelines
4. Question and answer
3. Writing the story
1. Collective "germination" / discussion of story
4. Critiquing the story
1. The facilitator checking the draft story
2. Re-writing the draft
3. Finalizing the draft

Bird Call Story telling and Mantigue Island: a biodiversity model (DENR)

A DVD video documentary on birds and "pawikan" was shown to give a backgrounder on the habitat of birds and sea turtles needed for the production design.

A simultaneous workshop followed with teacher's on the story telling workshop and short story writing on marine biodiversity. The teachers came up with about a turtle in an island.

The students engaged in line drawing for familiarization of animal parts and line curves. Then later using water colors and brushes they painted colorful sea turtles in the thicker papers. The mounting of characters was done individually then after they made a two dimensional model of their character in clay for the animated pictorials. The students used the story made by the teachers and played with their characters for the animation and photography during the mounting.

The students had fun and shared their experiences by the end of the day in a symbolic web making to represent the connectedness of biodiversity. We played with yarns while dancing to the music signifying our oneness.

A short sharing of experience by each participant has very positive outcome and new discoveries and learnings about recycling and the importance of the environment.

Day 2

Registration

The opening salvo was done in the manner of gathering the indigenous community where everyone sits together facing each other in a circle. With a musical instrument in hand, each participant played a beat that complimented the person next to each other. A unifying beat was created as each one experimented with an indigenous instruments such as kubing, kulintang, agong, dabakan, chango, marimba etc.

A symbolic prayer lead the participants to a sacred walk where they planted the seeds in the labyrinth sculpture as their connection with the earth.

A story telling started the first workshop with participants playing spontaneous characterization. The story showed the importance of the sea and the creatures that lived in it. It also emphasize on the protection of the natural habitat. A fun and participative atmosphere got the participants ready for the next workshops.

The coral sea and the local fishes was the next discovery. Each participant was challenged to give a voice to one local Camiguin sea creature by giving life to lines and colors. Pens and water colors were used to paint the identified species of Camiguin.

A special lecture on the coral reef environment in the island was given by Oliver Paderanga, marine biologist.

Green Pep Talks facilitator's workshop

The facilitators presented ideas and how to get the message across through a short action performance plug using minimal props and short statements about environmental slogans. The importance of telling your own story is when it comes from a personal experience. It was stressed by the facilitator that it is important that the person must first believe in oneself and the values that goes with it.

Lunch

The book content translation was not yet necessary since the story line still needs to be finalized.

Printed Voices workshop (art book making)

In the afternoon, all the participants looked for materials they like to be able to express their stories and ideas. The art book making vary in size, shapes and colors. Each participant has the freedom to explore all creative possibilities. The materials used were recycled materials and some glitters. After the workshop was a showcase of all the art book and awarding of special tokens.

Book Art Awardee

Best art book

Hyazil Tagupa (Camiguin National High School)

Special Awards

Apple Ty Silda (Mahinog National High School))

Roemme Maria O. Dulhao (Tupsan National High School)

Verlyn T. Genoso (Sagay National High School)

Bazil T. Sabacajan (Yumbing National High School)

Fabio A. Capito Jr. (Camiguin National High School)

The chosen art books will be exhibited during the 5^th YES (Youth Environmental Science Camp) with Regional participation of Department of Education Schools from all over Region 10. Some of the best works will be brought to Korea for the Asian Eco Camp on October 16-19, 2008 sponsored by Korean Federation for Environmental Movement. The creative outputs were rewarded with simple tokens and certificates of attendance for the participants.