An Inspiritional Journey

Peace Boat

After meeting Change Agents at the World Council last year I was thoroughly inspired to find out more about the programme and whether or not I could get involved and be part of the change. After an in depth chat with my CEO  and a Change Agent Adi Davies from the first cohort I decided I really wanted to participate and see how I could be a part of developing my YMCA and getting stuck in globally as well as having the opportunity to network and learn from others.
The first part of this 2 year journey was participating in the Regional training and I was lucky enough to be going to Zurich in Switzerland where we were thrown into a camping experience that I wont be forgetting anytime soon. Each day we were hiking through some beautiful landscape and talking and getting to know all the other participants from Europe, finding out about their roles in the YMCA and how they had made in on to the same path I had and how we were going to work together to inspire each other and be the change and make a difference. I came away from Zurich with lots of new friends and an excitement inside me that if I could communicate and learn from a group of 30 and come away with some new thoughts and ideas, then meeting 150 change agents on a boat from around the world was surely going to be something amazing........

Well I'm glad to say it was beyond anything I could have imagined, after a rocky start and having my luggage in Istanbul and me in Japan it didn't dampen my spirits after a short bus journey from the airport and we rocked up Yokahoma port to be greeted with the Peace Boat, and what a sight it was. For a person who hasn't been on a cruise ship before I was very impressed and looking forward to having a look around and it exceed all my expectations. The staff on board were so friendly and helpful and it was great to see some many other participants wandering around probably feeling similar to myself a mixture of excitement and nerves.
After everyone arrived a settled in, as much as you can on a moving boat, the programme began, and I will admit the first time I saw the programme I was blown away by how much was on it and how much we were going to learn and how engaged I would be through out it all.This is as for different parts of the programme we were in different groups, and doing it this way meant we met a variety of people from different countries and cultures and having smaller groups allowed us to all tell our stories and be able to give our inputs and be heard and acknowledged. In my small group the countries represented were, Dominican Republic, Lithuania, Zambia, Korea and China and having this diversity really allowed some very interesting discussions and we have come away with each others contact details and ready to keep in touch and share and be there for each other to support where necessary, which I believe is a key factor in this programme.
During the first 6 days there was a mixture of small group discussions, workshops and working groups, topics included strategic planning, fundraising, Christian identity, Japanese culture and movement strengthening, all which were very informative in there different ways. One of the group's projects was to plan an hour and half session for a group of 60 students we would be teaching at the Talisay City College in Cebu in the Philippines, our group again very diverse worked really well to come up with a plan of engaging the students in a range of leadership tasks as well as giving them the chance to tell us about their stories of injustice and giving them knowledge of the world YMCA and the Change Model. I was looking forward to seeing Cebu, for many reasons, a) it had been a while since I'd seen any land so was looking forward to it and b) I really wanted to see how the YMCA impacted a community completely different to my own.
The Philippines really didn't disappoint, it was actually the day that has had a lasting impact since I've been home and even though we only had 24 hours it was enough to see the great work the YMCA does. Arriving at the school we were made to feel like celebrities and entering the hall to a room full of students singing the YMCA was incredible and overwhelming and I believe a moment that will remain in the minds of all the Change Agents. Teaching the students was really humbling and hearing them share their stories of injustice was great and hopefully us being at the school will help the students to realise that they too can make a difference and feel empowered to do something about their communities. Leaving the school on a high we went to the city hall to watch a cultural performance, which was fantastic and seeing fellow Change agents perform as well was great and the icing on the cake was everyone dancing together at the end in celebration.
We had a comfortable stay in the Cebu YMCA and after a long day we had an early start the next day to see the feeding programme that the YMCA do. We were all woken in the morning to the YMCA being played 9 times and to the sight of the staff dancing with the children who were their to get some breakfast. Being able to take part in giving food out to children, women and men who were greatly in need was a strange feeling as we were told to be strict on what we gave out which was difficult when people clearly needed and wanted more, but a truly great insight into Filipino life.

 

The last part of a voyage was to Singapore and a great deal of time was put into musical rehearsals for The Untold story of the YMCA,I was involved in doing the choreography for the Happy dance, the finale of the show and through a lot of sweat and hard work we pulled of the performance and it was great fun. The whole musical was about presenting the true aspect of the YMCA's work in the form of the four pillars of civic engagement, employment, environment and health and it was performed to all the participants on the boat after a very interesting Japanese talent show. It was a really great way to end the trip and 'see you soons' were exchanged rather than goodbyes as meeting each other and creating partnerships is just the start and I am thoroughly committed and intrigued to see what the future brings.

Posted on behalf of Karina Barnett 

“Leadership is For Service Not For Power”

Firstly I would like to apologize for not blogging in real time but hope the wait was worth it! :)

We arrived in Yokohama port and were instantly greeted by the beautiful Peace Boat (actually quite a large ship) 'Ocean

Dream', where she was getting ready for her 88th global voyage. The Peace Boat is a Japan based Non-governmental, non profit organisation that promotes human rights, peace, equal and sustainable development and respect for the environment that works towards influencing positive social and political change in the world. We met and heard from Co founder Yoshoka Tatsuya who shared his inspirational journey of success and leadership, that aged just 22 with absolutely nothing he created this social movement, that is continuing to grow and be recognised around the world.

Our training days were full of various learning styles, from lectures, group work to 'fish bowls'. It was a valuable space to share the diverse skills, abilities and experiences and learn from each other. Whilst acknowledging our individuality and differences as local non profit organisations We explored the mission and vision of the YMCA as a collective movement; What is that we truly stand for? What is our DNA and sole purpose?? The answer... YOUTH EMPOWERMENT.

As a world wide social movement we want to awaken the 'sleeping giant' of our roots and be able to reach out to more young people in need within our local communities. To do this we need to first reveal the untold stories of injustice towards young people around the world. For example; the hungry street children of Cebu , the people in Fukushima, Japan continuing to be affected by the Nuclear disaster and radiation following the 2011 earthquake. Some of my fellow Change Agents who couldn’t get off the ship in either the Philippines or Singapore because in some countries, Kosovo and Palestine are not recognised as independent countries. Or to something a little closer to home such as 18-21 year olds not being entitled to housing benefit. Each story so very different yet a social injustice that impacts heavily on the realities of those young people it effects. It is social injustices like this that we want to change . "If a lot of small people in a lot of small places do a lot of small things, together they add up to big things – and these can change the world". - (Mari Cruz, CA from Spain )

We learnt more about the 'ONE MILLION VOICES' research conducted from 68 countries on the issues that young people face around employment, civic engagement, health and the environment. This research will help to give economic, social and political empowerment and participation of young people with a real reflection on their needs of not only their local community but as a global VOICE. This information will be invaluable and I cannot wait to read the reports in November.

Each Change Agent took part in 'working groups' which were , Devotions, Morning Show, Musical, Declaration and Party Committee. Within these groups we had limited time to prepare and present something each day. Nonetheless ideas were quickly put into action and each group delivered successfully. This revealed just what can be achieved when you put your mind to it and work together.

Using the 'fish bowl' technique we held debates about our Christian identity as an organisation growing in inclusiveness and diversity. There were a range or different views and opinions on this matter from dropping the C, completely changing our name to Christianity being our DNA and solidarity. I think its fair to say that Christianity and other religion aside, ask us (YMCA) what we believe in and we could simply say 'people' we believe in ourselves, each other and the (young) people we work with and those we are yet to reach, to be the best person they can be.

We sampled Japanese culture, from using chop sticks, making our own green tea, origami and even dressed to occasion in a Kimono. Along with this we were lucky enough to see (and some of us be a part of) a culture show, including African dancing, eastern European music, salsa and lots of other beautiful performances.

Just when everyone began recovering from Sea sickness we had a stop over in the Philippines, where we visited a local university and stayed in the YMCA Hostel of Cebu. From the moment we stepped off the ship we were surrounded by the realities of injustice and inequalities faced by the young people and adults in the community of Cebu. Yet we were equally welcomed with a warmth and kindness that I have never felt before. It was one of my most difficult and uncomfortable experiences meeting the street children of Cebu and serving them there breakfast. The group challenge at Talisay City School was a moving and truly inspirational experience. The students felt our passion and belief that we hold the power to create change.

It was at this very moment that I realised the power to create change and empower young people is already in all of us and together as a WORLD WIDE organisation there really is no limits. The true value of the Philippines experience was to look past the injustice in their living conditions, lack of quality education or all those things they don’t have and focus on what they do have and how they can use that as opportunities to improve their realities and to become the best that they can be.

 So as Change Agents we began our journey as individuals from more than 60 different countries, some a little unsure, expectations unclear and quite scared to say the least. But it is  without doubt that we departed as family with a clear mission and expectation of our roles as Change Agents. Our journeys did not end when we departed the Peace Boat but are a continuum of self discovery, hard work, hope, courage, love ,fun and of course CHANGE. 

For more pictures of our Global Gathering and time on the Peace Boat please see 

World YMCA Flickr: http://tinyurl.com/psdudlf

Change Agent 2015 Global Gathering

Okay... I have never written a blog before so this is very new to me & I am hoping I am doing it right!             

As a fairly late starter to the YMCA Change Agent Programme my plans all happened rather quick! With less than 5 weeks to go to the Global Gathering I booked my flights & confirmed with Romulo that I would be there!

As I packed my bag I started to worry at what had I got myself into! Nervous about travelling half way round the world to spend the next 10 days with 150 other Change Agents from 62 Countries all there for the same reason- to make the world a better place for young people & promote Youth Empowerment. My nerves were quickly settled when I met two of the change agents from England at Heathrow Airport, after quickly getting my flight socks on we boarded the plane for our adventure!

Departing England & arriving in Tokyo all seemed to happen rather quickly & didn’t feel like nearly 13 hours of travelling! We arrived in Tokyo around half 10 in the morning & met some of the other Change Agents awaiting our arrival at the airport to leave for Yokohama. We boarded a coach & started the introductions with an excited buzz from everyone!

We arrived at the Peace Boat & I was amazed at how big it was! I am not sure what I expected as I have never been on a boat before... unless you count a pedalo! The greeting from the Peace Boat staff was amazing! I felt like I was in a 5* hotel, everyone was so friendly & welcoming! I checked in & was taken to my cabin, met my new roomies for the next couple of weeks- there was Steph from Scotland, Ani from Georgia & Anastasiya from Belarus. I quickly unpacked & went to lunch.

The rest of the day was spent introducing ourselves & getting to know each other which was great- so many interesting stories from so many people, it was really overwhelming to hear what other YMCA’s do & what people do within their projects. In the evening we had Emergency Training.. we were told to grab our life vests & head straight to our muster stations! This was executed to perfection & we all felt safe in the knowledge that should anything happen we knew what do (even if that was just to follow the person in front!)

The first few days absolutely flew! With the programme starting bright & early in the morning before anyone knew what time it was it was time for bed! The sessions were informative & thought provoking & gave us lots to talk about when we split into smaller groups to come together & look at different ideas- this is always good because you get other people’s perception & opens minds. The small groups consisted of around 12 Change Agents & each time we went into small groups we were given exercises to complete that were challenging but created lots of healthy debates. The sessions consisting of Strategic Planning, Future Focus, Strengthening Our Movement, Leadership, Risk Assessing, Fundraising, Negotiation, Facilitation & Problem Solving- these are just a few of the big team sessions before we went off to our groups to develop them further.

We started preparations for the Philippines on day 4, we were split into 12 working groups & were tasked with putting a 90 minute session together to facilitate at the Talisay School in the Philippines, this was a tough task in itself as we only had 3 sessions to put it all together ready to present!  The schedule for the Philippines was a busy one; we disembarked from the boat at 2pm & we were taken via coach to the Talisay School where we were greeted by 500 happy smiley school children all waiting for us in their sports hall! It was an overwhelming greeting & I cannot describe the feelings we all had walking into that hall, I feel emotional just thinking about it. We had a welcome from the Principle of the School, a dance performance from the students & a small concert by the choir which was amazing we went off with our students to start our sessions. I was astounded by how well the sessions went & how responsive the students were, so positive even when telling us the disempowerment & the social injustice that they face growing up in the Philippines. These students are the lucky ones (very loosely said as they too suffer sever hardship) & are only able to attend school as they have gained a scholarship (usually by distant family members) which is no easy feat. I heard one student tell us that she wanted to be a teacher when she finished her studies but her father has said she has to be a chef, I find this really hard that she cannot make her own decision even though I am sure her father only wants the best for her but she gets no choice at all. We asked the students to write down what they believed the main issue for them is in the Philippines & all of the said poverty, corruption, drugs & bullies. I cannot imagine the things they have seen whilst growing up. Nevertheless they were so happy for us to be there with them & it was truly an honour to meet them.

 

We left the school late afternoon heading back onto the coaches & set off to the Talisay Town Hall where the students & the local community had put together a celebration for us, they know how to party! It was extremely humbling & meant so much that they had gone to so much effort for us.

We arrived at Cebu YMCA approximately 10pm, we found our rooms & dropped our bags. The rooms are very basic but clean. Toileting is interesting we had to fill a pan of water in order to flush as the system is not modern.

A few of us decided to head into the city to take a look around, at first it was very developed with big buildings & cars whizzing past, we found McDonald's after filling ourselves up we travelled further down the street.

This is when I realised that the Philippines is developed in so many ways but leaving its people behind. We were met by a child as young as 3 sleeping on the pavement with a car parked watching her, on approaching the child the car turned the headlights on in order for us to see us- the aim of this is so we go to the child & give her money etc which the people in the car would take- I was heart broken. I have been fortunate enough never to have seen this before & I was left completely gobsmacked, devastated & soul destroyed. Every part of my being wanted to pick that little girl up & take her to safety but there is no where. On waking further down the road there are adults, young adults & children sleeping on the pavements whilst cars & buses are racing past. This has to be the hardest thing I have witnessed & I have been naive & sheltered for too long.

On returning to the YMCA all be it in tears I listen to a change agent at reception stressing that she does not have the wifi code & demanding she must have it- I think this puts into perspective the troubles that we face are a slight inconvenience compared to the plight of the street children/adults! After listening to this for a short while I decide to return to my room & try to sleep before getting the opportunity to feed the street children in the morning. Also being very mindful of the native Philippine bugs... there were a few roaches stomping around! I lay in bed trying to sleep but it wasn’t happening, I couldn’t stop thinking of the poor children I had seen, I just lay reflecting on how fortunate I/we are.

 

An early start to Thursday, myself & another change agent met early to have a look at Cebu City first thing to see how different it is during the day. Whilst returning we collected a couple of street children & took them with us back to the YMCA.

It was amazing seeing over 200 street children, adults & scavengers arrive at the YMCA to eat. It started with dancing & singing which the children enjoyed as well as the Chang agents! It was so interesting to learn that to feed all these people it costs 1500P a day which is the equivalent to £20 roughly a day, which for less than 20p a day per person they are getting a fully nutritious meal which included bread, porridge & sausage.  After breakfast the children all went for a swim in the YMCA pool again another enriching experience as this ensures that the children are clean, have a wash & what fun they had! We left the YMCA at 7.45 with 3 groups all heading somewhere different, group 1 went a rehabilitation centre for Filipino people who have disabilities such as deafness, blindness & mute, group 2 went to plant Mangrove Trees to help protect the land in typhoons & group 3 which was my group went to a fair trade centre where they focus on recycling, this was fascinating it is run by Filipino women- Tungkop Women's Organisation they are making products out of rubbish, which I can tell you is unfortunately in its plenty. It was wonderful hearing from these women that who have started this group as it enables them to work around their children & earn around 350P £4.78 a day. The women are a group of 150 age ranging from 18-63.

We left the Tungkop Women's Organisation to have a walk around the church in Cebu which was beautiful. One thing I noticed was security is high & our bags were checked when waking into most places including the church & shops.

From there we went to a shopping mall which has been very well developed & clearly a lot of money has been spent on this mall, this was a bit raw due to the fact that no less the 10 minutes down the road there are children sleeping in the street which left a bitter taste. From what I can see from the Philippines they are working so hard to develop & improve the country but there is still a long way to go. All the Filipino people that we met were so positive & happy even the people that are living on the streets which is almost hard to believe. It has confirmed to me that you can have all the possessions & money in the world & still not find happiness, these people have nothing but each other & little support from their government but have to be the happiest people I have ever met.

In the afternoon we returned to the Peace Boat where we met to have a debrief of what everyone brought back from their experience in the Philippines. I discovered that for some change agent the experience with the children was something that they experience on a daily basis at their YMCA & for others like myself it was shocking.

 

The next few days were rather sombre & gave us a good time to reflect on our experience which is one I will never forget. The final days ploughed on through the programme at a good pace & spirits were raised by The Musical Team who put on a fantastic production.

 

We were all excited for what the future holds for the YMCA & before we knew it, it was day 10 & time to say goodbye which was sad but definitely a see you next year rather than goodbye. A lot of hugs were shared & facebook adds whilst travelling back home.

 

 

I am so lucky to be a Change Agent & cannot wait to help contribute with my fellow 150 colleagues (more like friends!) to help make the world a better place.

 

 

 

 

     

 

                                          

The end of the Beginning.

So, where was I... I must admit my short stay in the Philippines already seems weeks ago, especially considering I'm now back in Europe having experienced the wealth of Singapore and comfort of Zurich.

It was sad to know that when we got back on the boat we were starting our journey home. After a relaxed debrief most of us returned to our rooms to catch up on sleep while others made use of the swimming pools and Jacuzzis on board. My girlfriend won't be too pleased that I've been sunburnt for 3 days!

For our final four days of programme we covered subjects of fundraising, risk assessment, negotiation skills and individual planning for ideas to implement when we return back home, where I have a few ideas many of which were obtained from my working group detailed in my first blog post. We were also lucky enough to have a sneak peek at the findings of the One Million Voices survey, which has views of young people and their issues from all around the world. It gave me great satisfaction that my YMCA had played a small part in building the figures. The full set of findings included those specific to Wales will be published in a few months.

Throughout the week I had also been located a slot on the party committee group. While other groups concentrated on daily issues such as  devotions, a musical or a 'Morning Show', we had the task of organising a quiz night and the goodbye party. Being a keen quiz goer myself I decided to write up the questions to suit all participants while the team worked on prizes, hosting and challenges. With a late start of 10.30pm I was slightly worried how people would come along but by the second challenge - an egg and spoon race but with popcorn and chopsticks - the teams were deeply involved and maybe a little over competitive! A huge success and a great team effort especially with the hosts Stuart and Danielle.

The one low point of the quiz was that we learned after that one of the Australian girls I have made good friends with had a problem back home. I gave her a hug and remember the substantial pain from my sunburn but in comparison I had no reason to complain. It must be so frustrating being helpless and trapped in that situation and I hope the support of staff and fellow Change Agents gave her a little comfort for the remainder of the trip and she remains in my thoughts. She played a big part in devotions so if there is the big man up in the sky I hope he is looking after her and her family.

The final evening seen us participate in the Peace Boat talent show where we had a twenty minute slot. I had been roped in to a role beforehand and although I had my initial concerns it was again a huge success with the majority of the 700 guests on board dancing to Pharrel Williams 'Happy' song to finish.

Oh, did you want to know my role? It may or may not have been dancing to the Village People... In a wedding dress... next to the CEO... In a santa outfit. Fancy dress was at a minimum it is safe to say. Forgive me if photos do not appear on my Facebook page! The performance was purposely cut short after the first chorus and the rest of the musical focused on what the YMCA is really about with acts portraying civic engagement, employment, health and environment.

Afterwards we invited everyone to join us in celebrating which we did in style thanks to our Jordanian DJ and Peace Boat staff long into the night.

The first half of the next and final day was a time for us to say goodbye, although we constantly reminded each other that it's "see you soon" rather than goodbye. From what I gather the World YMCA are hopeful of us joining the Peace Boat again next year, but sailing through Europe and taking in more on land experiences which seemed to satisfy most of the 150 Change Agents including me. We all dispersed on buses to the airport or into town and that was that - for now.

Or at least as a group of YMCA leaders. I still had time to do a bit of tourism which I'll cover now for my personal memories.

Originally I had no intention of leaving Singapore airport but with help of some of my ebay customers of all people I was easily persuaded to gamble on a few hours in the city. And boy am I glad I did. Singapore has the same population as Wales yet a fraction of the land. Land which is full of wealth. I got off the metro in the middle of a shopping mall that was as big as many airports. A different world away from Cebu, I did wonder what challenges young people in Singapore face. I only came across two street buskers and was confident they had a roof over their head that wasn't a shop front or cardboard. After an hours walk I took the metro to the Marina when I had one of those "oh, that's where it is" moments. I had disembarked from under the Marina Bay Sands hotel. A 50+ story hotel away from the city that swallowed it's surroundings. The Marina and gardens nearby were a delight to walk through whilst I felt chuffed I had made the decision and returned to Changi Airport with hours to spare.

By this time I had already decided to spend some of my nine hours in Zurich going to the city and after plenty of sleep on the 12 hour flight I was on the tram to the Swiss capital. No skyscraper in sight here however, with Church towers taking over most of the skyline. After a required coffee I strolled along the river which opened into a huge lake, with what I had hoped were part of the Alps in the distance. An hour here mulling over the past fortnight and I was done!

I'm now in the sky on the way back to the UK. I'm accustomed to flying but looking down on life below is remains weird! We've broken through the clouds into sunlight and now it's time to prepare for work in 13 hours time!

A big thanks to all of my fellow Change Agents for making me feel so welcome and everyone who supported and sponsored my bike challenge to enable me to experience what I have done, even my employers outside the YMCA have been great to allow me to attend the programme during difficult times. The second part of the programme will be this time next year so I hope these blogs can encourage you to support me again as I help the YMCA to empower young people locally in Newport, nationally in Wales and globally like in Cebu.

Chris

24 Hours in the Philippines

We have just returned to the Peace Boat from a day in the Philippines. No doubt the longest 24 hours of my life and a rollercoaster of emotions.

We embarked off the ship onto buses that would take us to a local college for 16-21 year olds in the Talisay area of Cebu. I wasn't quite expecting to see masses of slums and polluted waters within seconds of leaving the docks and this was a continuous part of the view for nearly all of our stay.

Once we arrived at the college we received a celebrity welcome from hundreds upon hundreds of pupils and teachers. Every young Filipino wearing wide smiles and taking any opportunity to say hello, shake hands or high five. All this while the Village People blasted out and the obvious moves to accompany it. As soon as we settled I had to pull down my sunglasses to cover up the emotion trying to take it all in. Although internet access is minimal to us, I'm sure the Change Agents you know will soon be uploading their versions of events at this moment and I think it too will be overwhelming.

Anyway, after a few obligatory speeches, impressive dances and singing from the College we broke up into our groups and headed to our classrooms to engage with the young people and learn from each other. And that we certainly did. My personal group were energetic and keen to hear our introductions which included a few laughs where the slight language or accent barriers arose. We then went on to invite the young people what the YMCA was to them before we filled in the few gaps in what we believe our movement represents. The meat and bone of the exercise was for the group to discuss issues of social injustice that are current in the Philippines and the response raised several issues as expected. Finally we asked the group to note what changes they would like to see in the future of the Country and a personal favourite from my small group came from 16 year old Lorena who wrote "As we can see today there are lots of people who suffer from poverty. In my opinion we can help them to have a better life by not just giving them food but also love and respect even though we may have different situations". Going through the notes now this is only one example of fantastic input received.

After a bazillion cumulative selfies with every possible combination of pupil/CA we headed off to the City Hall for an official welcome. The City Hall was nice but not over extravagant compared to what you've seen in major cities, but when you knew around the corner there were families living under corrugated metal sheets it certainly did feel unjust. Another enjoyable two hours of talks and performances and we were heading to our accommodation for the night at Cebu YMCA.

Unless you've stayed in a YMCA you'll never know what to expect until you do and this differs from every Country. This YMCA was welcoming however for some of the team who didn't expect 2 inch mattresses, no Wi-Fi, ten beds in a room and the odd cockroach in the toilet may have not had the greatest of stays! This was slightly helped by a McDonald's five minutes up the road and surely enough once baggage was dropped we packed out the joint. Maybe "the amount of chicken nuggets consumed in one hour" can be the next YMCA World Challenge?!

We were located quite close to the built up city centre so the slums were no more, what awaited us was worse. Many groups of us went for a further stroll and what we seen will stay with me forever or at least until poverty is fully eradicated. Dozens of homeless people aligned the street sprawled out on cardboard bedding, and especially a girl of probably three years old sleeping, alone and shoeless in the middle of the pavement caught the attention of everyone, and not just for that moment. It was the first thing I brought up with my girlfriend shortly after via phone which was the first time we have spoke in 8 days. The sadness, then fun, then utter disbelief of the days events resulted in a solemn evening and suddenly our accommodation was perfectly suitable.

As I have done most mornings on the programme I woke up around 5am and seen the sun rise. Today though I was really looking forward to the planned feeding of the homeless children, some of whom we would have seen the night before. By 7am the forecourt was full of 80 or so young people. Nine renditions (yes... NINE) of the YMCA song to entertain the children and wake up the sleepy heads amongst our group followed before the children were finally invited to come up for food served by the awesome team of YMCA Cebu volunteers and fellow Change Agents. They were served a healthy serving of porridge accompanied by a sausage, bread roll and piece of fruit. There wasn't any waste. Interestingly we discovered that this project only costs about £40 a day to feed 100 people. It was great to hear so many people saying they will be getting on to their local and national movements involved to support this and similar causes.

We went to breakfast separately, which I usually would raise an issue with but at this time the young people were enjoying free swimming lessons also provided by the YMCA, before heading back out of town for some alternative tourism which consisted of a group of people who are turning un-recyclable waste such as crisp packets and rice bags into colourful, sustainable handbags, purses and pencil cases. Photos to follow.

Before boarding the boat we visited an enormous shopping mall (again only a stone's throw away from poverty) and lunch. I'm sat gazing at the sea while joking to Stuart from Dumfries YMCA that we've probably done more in 24 hours than even Jack Bauer can manage.

What an experience.

N.b. I've been asked by a few other Change Agents from England and Wales to tell you that they will be posting when back home. I'm currently £30 into internet usage on board so hope you can understand their difficulty in accessing the blog and I'm sure their experiences will be well worth the wait.

Life on board the Ocean Dream

You all wait months for my blog post and here I am throwing another one out a day later. Life on board the "Ocean Dream Peace Boat" remains pretty much the same, although I'm glad to report I've discovered fried chicken and chips at one of the bars rather than the alternative menus - which today consisted partly of jellied pig ears... delish!

Shortly after I posted yesterday the Change Agents joined one of the many separate Peace Boat events. It focused on a major although somewhat covered up issue called Hikikomori. This is a situation pretty much only applicable in Japan, where young people shut themselves away in their bedrooms for years maybe decades, with no physical interaction with family, friends or school with many never recovering and leading to suicide or starvation. Shame is a huge focus point in Japan and the families of these people incredibly allow it to happen, and do not seek help as this would bring shame to the family. It was difficult to take in at the time and even now cannot fully understand how this goes on.

Staying with this, Danielle a fellow English Change Agent and I somehow got talking to the owner of the boat last night in the karaoke bar and the next thing we knew, we had scheduled a meeting later the next day, feeling rather privileged. True to his word we sat down with _____ in the afternoon to discuss Hikikomori in more detail and other problems facing young people in Japan, most of which have historically have been given hardly any coverage until now. He was immensely proud that the Peace Boat works as a good tool to get young people to escape from Hikikomori but problems also facing young people and society do not end there. 

A fact I find hard to accept (and if internet resources were available would certainly double check) was that the suicide rate in Japan can rise to 20% of the population. Imagine one in 5 people you know taking their own life. Again bringing shame on one's self or family is the reasoning behind it, with something like bankruptcy or homelessness a common example, as they see this as repayment for their errors. It's certainly something I will look in to further once home.

The ship arrives at the Philippines tomorrow afternoon and we have a busy programme planned as expected. We start by introducing the YMCA to over 500 university students in Cebu before meeting the mayor and staying the evening in Cebu YMCA. By 6:30am on Friday we will be on our way to help serve breakfast to homeless and vulnerable members of the Filipino society. Whilst this is something I am used to in my role of employment, I haven't got a clue how I will take seeing so many young people in these situations that we're told to expect. I hope that I can keep it together and genuinely look forward to meeting the worst off in the Philippines. For YMCA movements - mostly outside of the UK - who don't do a great deal of work with vulnerable people I hope it will encourage them to engage more in this line of aid and support.

I hope to report back when we return to the Peace Boat on Thursday... our time!

Chris

From Newport to Yokohama

It's been a long 5 days on the "Ocean Dream" Peace Boat, where I am together with another 150 people from 60 countries. After 22 hours leaving Newport in South Wales to the cruise ship via Heathrow, Vienna, Tokyo and Yokohama we're now in day 4 just about to start proceedings. (I'm actually in Devotions which is rather rare for me, although not participating I am certainly enjoying the interactive performances and song).

Life on board is good even if the cuisine takes some adapting to. While pushing boundaries of what I'm used to, raw fish is still vacant from my diet. 

To the delight of many of my Facebook friends I'm sure, internet access is expensive and patchy at best so the usual 20 updates a day are absent but it's not due to the lack of activity and enjoyment. My environment has been the same for days. Blue sky and blue sea. I'm still not fed up of it by any means.

I'm living with Gareth from England and Simon from Denmark who I first met in Estonia in May. I've already made good friends with the other Brits including some compatriots Carlie and Ashleigh from Swansea. What has surprised me is how many other friends I have made with little effort. It is common on board to say hello to whoever you pass in the corridor and mealtimes are always with new people, including the 600 non-YMCA residents.

The programme (the important bit I guess) is now in full swing. After being introduced by Johan Vihelm Eltvik the CEO of the World YMCA and brief details of what to expect from the week we went straight into our group meetings to discuss how empowerment (and dis-empowerment) affects our own communities and what the YMCA is doing to tackle issues. With the group consisting of participants from Senegal, New Zealand, Russia, Denmark, South Africa, Italy, Jordan, Japan and Australia you can imagine the diversity of problems facing young people around the World. While my YMCA aims to tackle inclusiveness into society, the movement in Cape Town tackles young people who can - and do - so easily get caught up in drugs and gun crime.

A useful talk on facilitation followed, which I contributed well, joking that I probably said more than the presenter. Yesterday we looked in detail at the World YMCA strategy and discussed in groups how we are going to present the YMCA to 500 Filipino students once we reach shore. Our group has some simple group exercises but I believe others are doing shows and a play which should be educational and if not at least entertaining! 

We're about to start a session on leadership, where I hope I can learn new ideas and thinking that can support me personally and my YMCA. 

I'll hopefully be back in touch in a few days, after our session in The Philippines.