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".

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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!