Disaster Response for Recovery and Rehabilitation in the Philippines

The Asia and Pacific Alliance of YMCAs is closely collaborating with the YMCA of the Philippines to organize, plan and implement a disaster response for recovery and rehabilitation with the implementing local YMCAs of Cebu for Ormoc, Leyte and Daanbantayan northern Cebu and Iloilo for Tambaliza, Concepcion areas. The YMCA of Cebu plans to help rebuild two (2) separate building structures in Ormoc, Leyte. The first one is the 3-room cottage - one room for YMCA Coordination and Kindergarten Center and the two others for shelter. The other building is a row house with 3 rooms for shelter of displaced families.

On the other hand, the YMCA of Iloilo conducted a needs assessment, validation and prioritization during a workshop/planning conducted by YMCA on December 16. The identified priority needs are on livelihood, for which fishing has the biggest number. All of the fishing boats, nets and other fishing paraphernalia were destroyed. They also identified on-farm activities, both planting crops and hog raising, and others are for buy-and-sell of local produce. The second set of priorities are for schools’ roofing rehabilitation, tables/chairs provision and other school supplies, both for elementary and high schools. Almost all of the houses and shelters have been devastated and thus, support for rehabilitation is a priority if only to help people recover and get back to normal lives. Solar lights have been recommended since this community has no electric power. All of these identified responses will be implemented through a process which includes social preparation, orientation, organizing, planning and training for different interest groups and focus areas. The YMCA of the Philippines and local staff will work together with the local people to identify effective strategies for speedy yet beneficial approach towards recovery and rebuilding of lives and livelihood.

The APAY has received a total contribution of US$ 60,964 from YMCAs in Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Hong Kong, Macau, Penang Malaysia, Metro Y Singapore, Taiwan, Argentina, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands and New York USA. Other contributions came from Y Service Clubs International, other individuals from Netherlands, Switzerland and the 31st Advance Studies participants. Y Care International sent direct contributions to YMCA Philippines which has been used for emergency and relief response. The program budget requires a total of US $104,310 to implement all the building reconstruction in Ormoc, Leyte and the recovery process and rebuilding of livelihood, shelters and school building and other needs in Concepcion, Iloilo. Other detailed information and plan can be requested from the YMCA of the Philippines and/or APAY.

The APAY deeply acknowledges and appreciates the generous inflow of support from the YMCA family around the world. It recognizes the challenge of being a good steward and caretaker of such gifts which will go a long way in rebuilding the livelihood of the severely affected victims. In their behalf, we sincerely thank all of you.

~Eloisa Borreo, Executive Secretary, APAY

YMCA World Challenge 2014

Over 432,000 people in 85 countries celebrated the YMCA on the same day in World Challenge 2012, for the first time we were able to tell the YMCA strong to thousands of communities at same time. We did it as one united movement with one voice. The Challenge will take place in a very special movement to our movement. On June 2014 the YMCA will celebrate 170 years of existence. In June we will do it again together arm in arm 119 countries. It is the perfect movement to show the world how the YMCA has empowered millions of young people worldwide all these years.

All local YMCAs are invited to organize an event open to everyone in the communities to show in World Challenge 2014. APAY suggested June 5-8 to plan local event on June 6 as it is the main date of the world challenge around the world ( in order to stay flexible for different contexts and needs, event organize on 5-8 will be part of the YMCA world challenge).

In 2012 world Challenge used basketball as the uniting element for all events. You can adapt any planed activity, ( sports event, education seminar, environment activity etc..) programs or on-going campaigns to the World Challenge 2014 framework by adding main activity Collecting signatures from participants and support for the Global statement for youth. In 2014 each event and its participants will sign the YMCA global statement for youth. A simple & easy understand short written affirmation of YMCA support for young people. It’s signed by world Challenge 2014 event participants all over the world. The YMCA is an environmentally friendly organization. APAY will actively promote “GREEN” event for the World Challenge 2014. This movement is watching the world. It’s the perfect chance to show the best of your YMCA.

The statement will influence on-going local, national and global youth policy development, show the importance of young people’s need and their vital role in society, emphasize the need listen to young people at all level of society; demonstrate the mobilization power of global YMCA as social movement.

Let the World know that the YMCA has been, is & will all ways be with and for young people. World Alliance of YMCA (WAY) will count the number of official signatures.

World Challenge initiative it is important that your registration. Identify a national coordinator and send him/her full name/direct mail/phone number/YMCA position to World Alliance of YMCAs. By joining the world Challenge 2014 your local event will help us collect more signatures in support of youth and show the world how the YMCA can move together.

Wake up sleeping giant together. When we act together globally we make our organization more visible at all levels. In time, the YMCA will be recognized as the leading organization for young people in the World.

~Roger Peiris, Youth Program Officer

One Million Voices

The World YMCA is developing a project to raise the youth voice from local communities to global platforms to work towards a better quality of life for young people. Together with 119 – member national country YMCAs all over the World, the World YMCA plans to conduct a transformative global citizen’s opinion survey known as One Million Voices (OMV)

The One Million Voices research project is to collect and understand young people who are 15-24 years old, their perception of their current situation and what it should be in the context of their individual and collective opinion. The project will contribute to the understanding of youth perspective on social justice issues and barriers and opportunities relating to employment, health, civic engagement and environment that the YMCA can help raise their voice and influence policy at the global level. It involves designing the questionnaires to collect relevant information formats using both self-completion and interviewer administered questionnaires. Research has been undertaken in individual countries but a global research project involving up to 60 countries and more than 200,000 young people in local communities has to be realized. The project will include qualitative approaches to directly engage the population.

The learning from the research will have significant implications for issues of collective and individual orientation on individual, family, and society and present and future orientation the outcomes of this process can inform the policies and practices of youth serving agencies everywhere, and hopefully inspires new programs funders and advocates for empowering youth.

The support will consist of designation of the OMV National Coordinators by the National General Secretaries who will become Chief Executive Officer in each implementing country. The National Coordinators’ role is anticipated to begin from period beginning in January 2014 and ending by December 2014. The National Coordinators will be responsible to work in coordination with the technical team for the research project. The WAY will work with National YMCA leaders to provide training for orientation and knowledge of the goals and conceptual framework of the OMV research project and share expertise related to interviewer-administered questionnaires with YMCAs. 270 Change Agents will be responsible for training and orientation on national and local levels. Asia and Pacific Alliance of YMCAs will arranged an OMV research Project Orientation Training for member YMCAs during upcoming Executive Committee meeting in March 2014 in Hong Kong.

We fervently request all the National Movements of our region to actively participate in the Project and make it a success. This will surely secure our position in the global community as a representative youth organization, striving to respond to the present day youth concerns and aspirations.

Third Module of SOP Begins in Sri Lanka

When Interfaith Cooperation Forum (ICF) began its School of Peace (SOP) in 2006, the program was held in India for 14 weeks and was open to participants from throughout Asia. In 2013, however, ICF changed the format of the program and the composition of the participants by splitting the curriculum into two parts and primarily inviting people from the same Asian subregion to take part.

Thus, under this new arrangement, activists from Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka met in Pamunugama, Sri Lanka, in August 2013 for two months for the first two modules of the South Asian subregional SOP that also included two participants from East Timor among the 10 young people taking part.

After a break of two months for the participants to put into practice in their own communities what they learned during the first two modules, the third module of this subregional SOP began on Jan. 7, 2014—this time in Kallar near Batticaloa on the east coast of Sri Lanka. During this last module, the participants will focus on community organizing, photography and other tools for transformation, deep listening as an important skill to react to conflicts, ways to respond to people experiencing trauma and other sessions related to power and powerlessness, gender, oppression, the arms trade and a democratic economy. The participants will also take a field trip to an area affected by Sri Lanka’s long civil war before the SOP concludes on Feb. 4.

~Bruce van Voorhis, Intefaith Cooperation Forum

New National General Secretary of NCY Malaysia

Cheryl Lee is a committed Catholic who has left the business world in 1996, desiring to translate faith into life transforming action - to build a better world. She undertook further studies in the East Asian Pastoral Institute, Philippines in 2000 and graduated with a Masters of Arts degree in Pastoral Studies from the Ateneo de Manila University, Manila, Philippines in 2002.

She has headed Church organizations and civil societies and worked with people living with HIV/AIDS, Indigenous Peoples, vulnerable women and children, urban poor, migrants and refugees. She has also served in the Malaysian National and Kuala Lumpur Archdiocesan Office for Human Development. Her last engagements before accepting God’s call to be the NGS of NCY Malaysia are, as a UNHCR volunteer teacher to Myanmarese refugees in Kuala Lumpur, resource person for the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences – Office for the Laity and Human Development, and as consultant for formation matters in the Episcopal Commission for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People in the Bishops’ Conferences of Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei.

Cheryl is energized when she is with nature, reading, listening to music, travelling and encountering people and cultures. She is excited to work with all the wonderful team of co-partners in mission - to build God’s Kingdom through the YMCA family.

Highlights in 2014 by Kohei Yamada

I would like to share our views and expectations for the year 2014 which can be grouped into three areas, as follows:

1. ECM trainings and fellowship among top leaders of National/Regional movements: After conducting mid-term evaluation of our Strategic Plan, we realized that there is a need for leadership development as a priority work for the APAY. The board decided to conduct a Lay Leadership Conference for one and a half day before the ECM. This time we will invite Bart (former GS of the World Alliance and APAY) and Johan (present Secretary General of the World Alliance) to join us in this training on March 4. We will also conduct training by the Youth Committee in the morning of March 5.

2. Global Citizenship Institute (GCI): We will conduct GCI (2 week course) in May this year. Global Citizenship Education has been the core the YMCA as a youth empowering organization. It has been done in several countries but I feel it is not enough for the local levels of the YMCA. There are many issues in each community, and young people have sensed that something needs to be done. But by whom and How?. They might feel that it is not their priority. I feel each local YMCA should take this role as its unique missionary work for the young people. Let young people learn about the issues in community and understand the real situation of people under difficulties. Then let the young people plan for their own actions. Involve more youth as well as seniors to support such ideas and action plans. This is our Global Citizenship approach. GCI will be a good training for the staff members.

3. Promoting National Trainings: We have had several workshops on various issues and programs in 2013. These include Green Ambassadors, Alternative Tourism, Gender Mainstreaming, Disaster Management and Risk Reduction, Interfaith Cooperation and Resource Mobilization. Regional Training has been done in those areas of work. Now it is time to conduct National level training so that the actual work would be encouraged and promoted in local YMCAs. We believe that the Local YMCA is the place to fulfill the mission of the YMCA. National and Regional/Global YMCAs are the supporters for the local YMCAs. APAY has trained 40 Green Ambassadors, conducted two Disaster workshops, encouraged more sites for Alternative tourism (currently 12 sites), conducted School of Peace (SOP) in various countries and ran resource mobilization workshops in 6 movements, etc. Let’s move to the next stage by really promoting the local YMCAs through National initiatives.

~ Kohei Yamada, General Secretary, APAY

APAY wishes everyone all the best and the blessings that the Year of the Horse brings!

Kung Hei Fat Choi!

Announcement:  Our office will be closed from January 31-February 3, 2014.