A Blessed 2007

From top to bottom: Therese, Becky, Maripi, Michele, our hosts, Elvie and Ed, Marjorie and Edmon, Peachy, Sister Haydee, Evelyn, Greg and Junnie

What a year it was! We can't thank the Lord enough for the blessings that were outpouring to GK Youth Build in 2007. What fitting tribute to toast the year than to have a simple get-together on our Lady's day, December 8, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.

A night of dancing. Good food. Sharing. Praying and most of all a night to bid bon voyage to our dear Marj Mella. It was bittersweet to say goodbye to Marj. But we know our loss is the Philippines gain! More power to you and Edmon.

More power to GK Youth Build in 2008! Here's a slideshow of the night's festivities!

GK Youth Build Honored in GK Heroes' Night

Last Sunday, December 2, 2007, there was snow pouring down from the heavens. That night at the Living Arts Center in Mississauga, it wasn't only a snow storm but a storm of praises and thanksgiving to the many Gawad Kalinga advocates in Toronto.

And as part of the downpour of blessings, GK Youth Build and its core officers were pleasantly surprised to be honored and be part of the GK Heroes' Night 2007 which had Mr. Tony Meloto and Mr. Dylan Wilk as guests of honor and speakers for the special occasion.

From left: Tony Meloto, Elvie, Junnie and Michele, Ricky Cuenca, and Peachy (not in picture, Maripi Leynes)

Of course, the honor is shared to all the youths who volunteered their time, treasure and talent, and to the rest of the youth of Canada who are willing to do the same thing as what Therese, Christine and Aldrich did for 2007. We hope to see you in 2008!

Here are the rest of the images for the night: (click pic to view larger image)

Other groups lauded were: the Toronto Press Corps, Leyte Association of Toronto, Saladmaster, 680 Electronics, Light of Jesus, the Philippine Consulate represented by Consul General Mosquera, the Philippine Chamber of Commerce Toronto, the Ontario Ministry of Immigration, College of the Holy Spirit, Kalayaan, Peachy and Greg Forbes, Emmanuel Moya and family amongst others.

Despite the snowstorm, the attendance was almost perfect. Truly a night of heroes for braving the stormy night.

To all the GK Youth Volunteers, the appreciation is more to you and your efforts for 2007!

Will You Be My Angel

Will you be my angel?
by Lori Canlas

Will you be my angel?
Will you be the light that guides my way?
That will help me through another day;
Redirect me when I am lead astray,
And help me build a place to stay.

Will you be my angel?
When the earth thunders from under my feet;
And all I could feel is the simple patter of my heartbeat.
All that is left is molten clay.
Beneath it is where my crumbled home was laid.
Everything that brought meaning in my life is gone,
I am so enraged.
The blissful memories of a happy home-life I once relished are beginning to fade.
How can I make sense of these sudden occurrences?
It feels like an endless game of charades.

Will you be my angel?
And look deep into my eyes stinging with surmounted pain,
As I am surrounded by my brothers and sisters:
The poor and the lame.
As I fight the demons that suffocate me with despair,
All I need is somebody who is willing to share.
To share the time to help me find,
Hope in this disheveled wilderness.
My life is left in a state of confusion amongst this dilapidated mess.
All I could find in this former happy home of mine,
Is this cold and lifeless body that I caress?

Will you be my angel?
Will you be the light that guides my way?
That will help me through another day;
Redirect me when I am lead astray,
And help me build a place to stay.

Will you be my angel?


Lori Anne Canlas is the Youth Formation Head for GK Youth Build (www.gkyouthbuild.org) and was touched by the first among the trilogy of GK movies, “Paraiso” which was co-presented by GK Youth Build and FSAT/U of T last September 29, 2007. This poem is inspired by the many youth that are among the poorest of the poor in the Philippines and who Lori herself saw first hand when she visited GK Villages in Metro Manila and Quezon.

Our Next Stop :: Ottawa

In Canada, they say that if you want to be heard, you have to go to Ottawa! So after our October 13 presentation in Boston, we were in Ottawa during the last weekend of October.

The audience was totally different as we presented to the various heads of GK-Ancop from across Canada and the head of GK-Ancop in North America and in Canada, Ricky Cuenca and in the USA, Rose Cabrera. The experience was nothing but exhilarating as we swept through the presentation. Elvie Tan exhorted the group that there are different callings and various ways of evangelizing. Lori Canlas presented the platform of youth formation needed by the next generation. Junnie was able to connect all these as he presented GK Youth Build, while Therese ended with her sharing and transformation and inviting their youth members to join us in next year's Immersion and Build.

After Toronto, Boston and Ottawa - our next stop :: Back to Mississauga. See you there!

Our First Presentation :: Boston

In October, GK Youth Build was busy doing a roadshow moving from one city to another - sharing their wonderful experience from their most recent immersion trip in the Philippines.

The first stop was Boston. GK Youth Build was invited to speak in front of Boston University, Harvard and Boston College students. The team also was given a chance to share during the night's concert featuring Joey Albert. Therese Cruz was able to share her experience of transformation both as part of the GKYB immersion and also when she had the time to share her knowledge of jewelry making with the villagers of Marinduque!

The drive with Peachy, Therese and Junnie was close to ten hours but among friends with a lot of experiences to share, it didn't seem so. We caught Boston in its most beautiful weather - fall! The trees were turning from crimson to gold. What a sight to see!

Our next stop is : Ottawa!

Maybe the next stop will be your neighborhood, watch out for GK Youth Build as we share and evangelize the beauty of God's gift to our Youth = their caring and compassionate hearts filled with Christian love!

GKYB 2007 in Video : Episode 7 : Paraiso

Press Play and Add Volume ("Paradise" by Sade)

When the twin typhoons visited Bicol and Marinduque in December 2006, no one really knew how the smaller of the two, being Marinduque, would be able to survive. The devastation was massive. Houses along the shore were washed away. Coconut trees and banana plantation were fallen. Rebuilding would have taken a number of years - if not for its government and institutions such as Red Cross and Gawad Kalinga.

Fast forward to July 2007, barely 7 months since the tragedy, you'd see the effects of Christian Love, Caring, Compassion, Courage and Cooperation - the same building blocks of GK Youth Build - working its way to fulfilling God's mission for the heart-shaped island.

Marinduquenos are proud people who'd never allow fear get in its way. They've risen so quickly that you'd think the typhoons never came. The smiles of the villagers in the GK Village, their new found pride, their passion to life evident in their daily affairs, and how they welcome guests like us with such warm and tight embraces.

Everyone who has been to Marinduque and who plans to visit Marinduque will be touched in different ways.

We were.

Maybe if John Milton wrote another poem after writing "Paradise Lost" - he would have written about Marinduque as being "Paradise Found".

********

Marinduque will be among the provinces which will be part of the Canada GREAT Adventure Tour (GAT) from January 4 to 10, 2008 and GK Youth Build in the summer of 2008. Please email gkyouthbuild@gmail.com to reserve a slot in any of the 2 build programs.

GKYB 2007 in Video : Episode 6 : Thank You

Press Play and Add Volume ("Thank You" by Dido)

One of the most important aspects of the GK Youth Build is the part when participants plan for their "give back" projects. This is the program that brings to full circle the experience of building the Youth. Post-Activity programs such as: Promoting awareness of the GKYB experience through presentations (video, blogs, photo albums); being compassionate and caring to the communities we visited by coming up with community programs (library materials, book, sports equipment collection drives) and long term partnership with agencies to help in waste management, sanitation and environmental issues that the participants were able to see during their immersion.

We started planning for these last September 8 with the GK Youth Build team present during the participant sharing and post-activity planning. From there we were able to initially share the videos that have been presented in the last 6 weeks in this blog as well as map out the next steps leading to GK Youth Build 2008.

Other activities followed:

Last September 29 - the GK Youth Build had a Photo Exhibit which targeted attendees and participants to the triad presentation with YFC University of Toronto and Ancop showing of Paraiso. It aimed to present in visuals the experience to close to 200 who showed up at the Innis Town Hall.

More activities to spread the word are planned in the coming weeks:

On October 12-14 - the GK Youth Build will be part of the powerful sharer-speakers in Boston's roadshow of the GK Trilogy movie, Paraiso. It will present to MIT, Harvard, UMass graduates and students and try to bring them the experience as vivid as possible and hopefully touch them to be home in the Philippines.

On October 26-28 - GK Youth Build will be in Ottawa, Canada for the GK Summit and will share the experience to more Canadians. They first presented last year in Vancouver when the program was being hatched.

The Post-Build Activities may also include: programs for the communities we visited. Therese and GKYB are in the works for putting up a Livelihood program for the mothers in Gasan, Marinduque aligned to their Jewelery making workshops.

Christine and GKYB will be targeting to put up a library of books and sending crates of crayons, markers and other school supplies.

These activities seal our resolve to strengthen ties with the villages but also give back and thank the Lord for the life-changing experience!

GKYB 2007 in Video : Episode 5 : Immersion

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"Immersion" as defined in the dictionary is (n.) The state of being overhelmed or deeply absorbed; deep engagedness.

For a week, from sunrise to sundown, we were in the Gasan Village in Marinduque. Alongside the manongs (our elder brothers) and manangs (elder sisters), we exchanged stories and joked around while helping them build their houses. We never realized and never cared that for hours, we were under the heat of the sun. The sharings with the villagers were enough to while the time away. It was always a "good tiredness" when shared with people you care about.

As the children came from school, Angel played with them, Christine had sessions introducing Canada and Aldrich and Norson were there to teach them new sports, like Hockey. For the mothers in the village, Therese conducted Jewelery making which hopefully would be a potential livelihood project for the village.

With our conversations with one of the villagers, Aling Amalia, we were introduced to GK, the first baby to be born in the village. GK, being Gian Karlo is the youngest of the 2 children of a household whose house was blown away by the Dec 2006 typhoon. Now they have a much stronger house, Aling Amalia is thankful to GK that her husband can concentrate in his fishing instead of trying to find ways to build one temporary albeit unsafe shack after another near the beachfront.

The lives of the villagers have been changed. Their dignities as human beings restored. The future of their children has been assured. One villager mentions that "at least, her children will know how to live with dignity and pride, and with visitors like us, can learn new things."

We were deeply overwhelmed with the experience. As they learned from our workshops, we learned a lot from their sharing too. In the end, we both had deep appreciation of our blessings.

It was indeed a true immersion.

GKYB 2007 in Video : Episode 4: Snow Meets Sand

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Snow Meets Sand - what a poignant description of how our experience in meeting new friends from YFC-Middle East was. Those 4 days in Cavite was a memorable experience for all the participants. "I met new friends, and I bonded with them so well," Christine (or Skyy, as there were 3 more Christines in the group "family"), retold during our September 8 sharing with the rest of the GKYB who supported the team with prayers from Canada.

"I miss them." - Christine ended her sharing. Awww, we all miss each other. New friends are like rain in the desert...or sun during winter :)

Yes, snow met sand, in reality that could be slippery and dangerous. But back in Cavite, you wouldn't know, snow, sand, hot, cold, Middle East, Texas or Canada, we were just one - in our desire to help and love the poor.

GKYB 2007 in Video : Episode 3: Cavite Youth Build

One of the best things that happened during the GKYB 2007 experience was meeting 21 other friends and building with them a future of hope for today's youth and for the Philippines!

Our groups, with Dondi and Bai acting the roles of Ate and Kuya, met for the first time last Thursday, July 19 but if it was as if we knew each other for years. The Cavite build was composed of 2 teams now - the GKYB-Canada and Norson (US) as well as 21 Youth For Christ members from UAE, Saudi Arabia and Syria. The 2 teams came from the East and the West to prove that "youth is not wasted on the young"!

The experience was exhilirating. The video can speak for itself!

We miss our friends from the Middle East - we hope to do another build with you guys soon!

Social and Spiritual

The GKYB 2007 program was both a social and spiritual experience.

From the very first time we landed, up to the last moments of our stay prior to flying home we sought help from God through prayers and learnings from each other through sharing of one's experience.

I remember the very first place we visited was the Parish church in Cubao, to ask for strength and guidance for the next 29 days of our stay in the Philippines. We couldn't also forget having joined the Monday assembly in the GK office which started with Praise and worship with all the volunteers participating. It was always a good way to start the day with checking in with the Lord! We realized that this was one way of regaining our physical strength which we continue to offer while doing the build.

Everyday prior to eating breakfast, the teams go for Praise and Worship and as one big family of almost 40 youth and adults, with our CFC Caretaker teams, together we heard mass in Imus. We were proud to have been acknowledged by the Parish priest as we were tasked to march during the offertory.

In the GK villages, we also realized in our rounds with the beneficiaries how thankful they are to the Lord and how the blessings that they received from Gawad Kalinga made them join Couples for Christ. One won't fail to notice their doors with CFC stickers neatly plastered and statues of Mama Mary adorned with flowers.

You can feel the heightened dignity as well as strengthened faith in and around the GK villages. A trait we can't ignore as everyone acknowledges the source of all the blessings that both the beneficiaries and the builders have received.

GKYB 2007 in Video : Episode 2 : Urban Farming

Press Play to View the Video

Myths were debunked! When we had our 3rd day during GKYB 2007, we experienced urban farming and proved 2 things:

That urban farms can be done in Metro Manila and that the youth of today wouldn't mind working under the heat of the sun and getting their hands soiled. This video will prove that!

Watch out for our new-found friends who not only shared their time with us, but also their dreams of leading a better life, if given the chance. We shared with them a chocolate bar and lunch, although we hope we could share more! We could - with your help....

Music: Sowing the Seeds of Love - (Tears for Fears)

GKYB 2007 in Video : Episode 1 : Back in Manila

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We left more than a month ago. The date was July - Friday the 13th. (You know what they say about Friday the 13th.) Nonetheless, we were blessed that not a single misadventure happened. If a 3-hour delay isn't considered unlucky...or sitting beside a snoring Junnie for close to 12 hours isn't torture as well (you can ask Christine)- then it was indeed a Beautiful Day!

Whatever it was, the 16-hours on air, including waiting time, was well worth it. Enjoy!

Music: Beautiful Day (U2), Leaving on a Jet Plane, Manila (Amber)

Words We Learned from our GKYB 2007 Experience

1. sibol: cute kids who will want to cling on you all day long
2. sagip: slightly bigger sibol kids, who also want to play and help build too
3. siga: helpful gardeners who we're sure will be able to make their dreams come true, someday
4. Caretaker Team: our "genies" during the Build - whatever we wish, they give
5. Kapitbahayan team: aka good cooks, great sharers of their talents and time
6. beneficiary family: synonymous to hospitable families willing to open their doors to guests with great pride and uplifted dignity brought about by their beliefs that Gawad Kalinga program works

Of course, there are:

7. Heller!!!!: a kind of greeting for people with like minds; sometimes means, "ano ba yan?"
8. Lazies: families who never got the GK program imbibed into their household despite the various values formation processes provided
9. taho: selling this soya-based glutinous meal on a Saturday morning meant doing a job of one-man with 5 youths shouting "taho" at the top of their voice but not approximating the sale of the lone tahoman; can also mean, a camel stuffed toy given to Canada by our UAE friends
10. kuya: real male angel who will be there always for you; see 5 and 6; can also be Dondi, our service team caretaker, but Junnie is definitely older than Dondi...so this word is not appropriate
11. ate: female no. 10; Bai and Laksmi

There are more:

12. Peektyur Peektyur: this is meant to ask anyone to take a picture of Angel, our good friend from Syria, sometimes a serious pose, but more often than not, a picture Angel would want to be added to his growing modelling portfolio
13. Texas: where Norson comes from. Often is believed to be another country. for example: This is OHagan from the US, and Norson from Texas.
14. Wake Up Time: for some people, one hour after the agreed wake up time.

Lastly, GKYB 2007 stands for Gawad Kalinga Youth Build - a life-changing experience we will all remember for the rest of our lives!

Amen.

Angels In Our Midst

Name : Ate Bai Linda and Dondi
From : GK PMG and Service Teams, respectively
Sleeps : we don't see them sleep
Age : Youth na Youth


The best part of the Youth Build is learning the rudiments from those who have been there, who've done that and are willing to spend time teaching. Bai Linda and Dondi are the best in what they do.

If not for them, half of the time of the Build would've been spent finding our way, literally. They show us the ropes, teach us the tricks and of course - pay for everything that we need to spend on.

More than that, they were with us to share their passion for GK and why they're there inspite and despite of.

Bai Linda, the first Muslim, in a Christian-dominated movement, certainly allowed us to appreciate GK more and its ideals. She was the most patient and proved to have shown real love among all the participants, willing to share her time, her stories, and her food!!!
Ibang klase, ka Ate Bai

Don, or Dondi, was there since we arrived from the airport. He was our "big brother" who even taught us several words we never knew before, "Helller!". Always upbeat and on the go despite the circumstance, it wasn't complete when he had to join the Batangas leg instead of our build in Marinduque. (But he was there too, in the likeness of a small child, 'chong, kamukha mo talaga).

Bai Linda and Don were the real angels in our team. Without them, the build wouldn't feel complete. With them, our experience was a lot more fulfilling.

We hope to get in touch at least once in a while. Hopefully, til our next Youth Build - ulit! Hellllller!

It was a Joy-a with Tita Goya

Name : Gloria or Goya
From : Cagayan Valley
Sleeps : rather wakes up at 5am
Age : Is the most fit among the group - hands down


"I was compelled, no, forced by Maripi to join this group", quips Tita Goya, "and I was happy that she did!", she follows through.

God always has the best plans for the GKYB team. When everything turned out to be bleak as the number of youth participants dwindled down week after week, there were still those who believed that it was quality more than quantity that should prevail.

Tita Goya only made our Marinduque leg, but added more than just quality to the group - but also wisdom and a lot of patience and fortitude to endure.

The inspiration to always be on our toes, literally, waking up at 5am, limbering up at 5:30am and walking with our Yale walker, O Hagan for 3 kilometers at 6:30am, just made the youth seemingly the same lethargic age as I am.

It was also Tita Goya who held us together reminding us of things we sometimes forget - points that we needed to emphasize during our workshops and be the first one to provide the extra push and the tap in the back when we do well.

Yet, despite her maturity, she will be among the first ones to start some random "angel bashing" or sometimes get us ribbed with some side comments that we never anticipated.

It was great Tita Goya joined us in Marinduque. We couldn't imagine if the trip would be any different without her - maybe more quiet, more serious, and yes - more sleeping too!

Norson - Canada's Adopted Son

Name : Norson
From : Texas - another country apart from USA
Sleeps : with an Angel
Age : Don't be deceived by his boyish looks. But actually he really is a child-at-heart. MidEast Youth call him "Kuya Norse" - do the math

Norson heard about the GKYB program scheduled for July 2007 and started emailing Michele, GKYB's coordinator since early March 2007 for possibilities of joining in case there is no US Build/GAT. Monthly, he was diligent enough to inform us on development of his plans in the Philippines. In fact, in April, he had once said he wouldn't be able to join but in the end, last July 16, 2007, he was there as USA's gift to the Youth Build of Canada.

He wore the Canada cap for 17 days, didn't mind sometimes being introduced as part of Canada, went with us during the visit to the embassy (not the known club at the Fort) and CIDA and really was Canadian for most part of the build.

His being part of the build program added another dimension to our interesting group. He was the only YFC member, he added spice - the Texan point of view of things, and acted as our brunt of jokes about his lovelife and his patience to putting up with different personalities during the whole 2.5 weeks.

Overall, the first communication in March that ended with a great parting last July 31st wasn't for naught. We added a friend, a brother, an advocate of the GK Youth Build program in his hometown in Texas. Hopefully we will see each other in future builds and will not be "lazies" in answering emails.

We will miss you Norson! Good luck on your Campus-based U of T (Texas) plans of conducting a build soon!

GKYB 2007 - a life-changing experience

What else can be said other than the fact that the past 2 weeks were such an enjoyable experience for all!

It can be truly said that lives have changed, not just for the villagers and beneficiaries of the houses we built, but also for us- the participants. We found new friends, met old ones, built houses and relationships, and bridged the gap between social classes and nationalities.

We all look forward to the last 2 days, but for now, let the above slide show and the other two (see below) suffice. Our stories are all made offline as we didnt have the luxury of internet access for the past 12 days. Thank you for all your prayers!

Here are some short words from the participants:


From Aldrich: Last day!!!!! i can't believe this, its kinda mixed feeling of happiness and sadness, we will definitely miss everything and everyone, this build is an experience i will never forget every single day of it...........




From Christine: My last days with the GKYB were amazing. I really enjoyed having a group of friends from Toronto that was able to travel to the Philippines. I really enjoyed meeting new friends from the Middle East. Hanging out with them was a great experience because I was able to open my mind to them. My experience in Marinduque was memorable. When i was at the GK site, the kids were able to help me gain self confidence. This experience with the Gawad Kalinga was a blessing for me and I hope that I will never forget it.



From Therese: The past few weeks have been phenomenal. It was the first time I felt this mix of emotions all at once. I feel fulfilled, blessed, overwhelmed, and some more...This two-week 'stint' isn't just something that happened coincidentally- it was all part of God's plan for me. It was definitely a life-changing experience, simply because I have grown so much as a person by being part of it. Like Christine and Aldrich, I will not forget every single part of it. And I will see you soon...

Becoming GREEN-minded

"Ang kabataan ang susi sa kinabukasan"

Just like the seedlings we planted in the first urban farm in Metro Manila, GK Selecta Village Farm, the youth was the best natural choice to plant a different set of seeds for the future.

The seeds of compassion, love for country, and love for neighbor isn't always automatic for today's youth who are either slumped into one corner playing their PS3s and WIIs, Ipods or PSPs.

The organic traits of youth for philantrophy and giving back needs nourishment and continued cultivation, watering and ensuring that weeds of bad habits don't creep in to destroy the crops of youthful nation-building.

*******

GK Youth Build was able to provide the same seeds to both the first and only urban farm in Metro Manila, but also to the Youth participants of the program.

We committed ourselves as early as 7:30 am to travel from Cubao to Cainta to be immersed in a day of urban farming. The produce, of course, is a source of livelihood for the nearby GK Village. The discipline of watering before 9am and another time before 4PM, can be likened to providing nourishment and consistent disciplining of our youth. Watering too much, or too late can be damaging, as in providing love too much spoils the child.

Moderation is always key.

Can We Offer Pictures For Now?

Our First 48 Hours