by Marty Go (H2H)

Art sessions, a talk, a pilgrimage, a play, and different groups composed of fun-filled minds, bodies and spirits. These make up the 8^th annual EDSOR peace conference held in ICA last February 1 & 2, 2008. It was an event filled with fun, advocacy, friendship, and more fun.

Day 1

It started with a witty yet inspirational talk with the one and only Mr. Francis Kong. He told us of success, downfall, simplicity and perseverance plus its rewards.

After this, we had a snack and moved on to a team-building activity. This is where every group (by the way, every group is named after a non-government organization e.g. Silong Tanglaw, UNICEF, Gawad Kalinga) got to know each other more by playing games.

Then we went on a solidarity pilgrimage, synonymous to the Grade 6’s Bukas Palad Night when we experienced what our unfortunate siblings out there are going through.

We had lunch after this and moved to the art sessions of our choice - Fantasy Story Writing, Photo Essay, Wire-sculpting, etc.

We ended the day with a closing prayer which was creatively presented by the Black Theater Art Session group, innovatively presented by hands forming glow-in-the-dark figures on stage in the ICA MPH.

Day 2

The day began with fun spearheaded by the Dance Workshop Art Session group! Yes, you guessed it right. We danced to the beat as a morning exercise.

After this, everyone got the chance to recap the previous day’s activities via an exhibit showcasing the fruits of the art sessions.

After a snack, we watched a hilarious yet upright play by PETA (not the animal rights organization) which was entitled “Batang Rizal.” This showed us the virtue of living your life to inspire other people.

Lunch then followed and we made shirts with statements of what we’ve learned throughout the conference, especially the play.

A mass ended the day, leaving everyone sad yet happy that they made new-found friends.

This peace conference was entitled “The Simple Life – Step Out of It!: Challenging Your Comfort Zones” and it really made everyone step out of theirs, even a bit. Most learned that life should be lived with an attitude to inspire and perspire for the future. Being leaders of today in and also out of school, we also learned that we are the future and hope of the country, and that each of us bears a name of a future hero.