APAY Green Ambassadors Training Geared Towards Greener Future

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Last Updated (Thursday, 07 June 2018 12:11)

With the objective of educating the YMCA youths the importance of climate change education and taking action on reducing carbon footprint emissions, the Asia and Pacific Alliance of YMCAs (APAY) and Sao Hin YMCA organized the 6th Green Ambassadors Training in Chiang Mai, Thailand last 6 – 11 May, 2018.

Since the training aims to hone leaders that will take initiative in building as well as sustaining Green YMCAs and green communities. The four day training included lectures on; Sustainable Developmental Goals (SDGs) and the YMCA responses by Mr. Nam Boo Won, APAY General Secretary that helped the participants to understand the values and principles on YMCA’s involvement in ecological crisis, including how YMCAs in the region could contribute to reaching the goals of SDGs. Furthermore, the workshop on Carbon Emission Calculation by Mr. Colin Lambie of Y’s Men International made the participants realize how a simple change of human behavior or use of lights in our daily life can bring great impacts on the action towards less carbon emissions as well as our communities more sustainable.

 

The visit to the Environment and Learning Center at Sao Hin YMCA, Mae Moh Power Plant, Mae Moh Mine and Lignite Museum, the organic farm of the Hug Nam Jang Group, and Chae Son National Park made the experience for the attendees more natural. The tour at Environment and Learning Center, Sao Hin YMCA offered different insights as to how the participants can learn from the environmental practice of the said YMCA. The state of the art facilities of Mae Moh Power Plant, Mae Moh Mine and Lignite Museum enabled the trainees to experience and understand how energy is produced and the need to conserve. The warm welcome of Hug Nam Jang Group was also a unique experience for they were able to show that with cooperation and collaboration of the community through organic farming, everybody will benefit more.

 

Finally, the stay in Chae Son National Park, let the participants experience again how to be one with nature, hence making feel each one of us the importance of preserving sceneries like of that in Chae Son, so that future generation can benefit from it.

 

The highlight of the training was the presentation of the good practices of each local YMCAs in each country. Each participant was able to present simple yet unique practices that can be adapted by other participants. After which, action plan for the local YMCA of the participant were presented that served as the output for the four-day training. The integration of lectures and over-all experience were present in the action plan.

 

At the end, everybody went home with aspiration of making small steps that will create a ripple effect for climate change education. Despite the language barrier, the 44 participants from Cambodia, Korea, Laos, Myanmar, New Zealand, Philippines and Thailand, the biggest number of participants in the Green Ambassadors Training were able to form a family, a green family whose advocacy is to promote Greener future. Ms. Patcharin Aviphan, Director of Sao Hin YMCA, coordinated the entire training program.

 

RANIELLE M. NAVARRO

YMCA OF ALBAY INC., PHILIPPINES