Mga Kasama sa Kabalai,

FYI and as a way to discuss how we will standardize our orientation on Kabalai, I would like to report on the orientation about kabalai I did this afternoon to about 30 2nd and 3rd yr HS students of Adamson University. This was organized with the support of the Adamson Kabalai Cell members.

May i invite everyone to start a discussion on the best way you thnk we should organize our orientation sessions.

The presentation this afternoon in Adamson basically followed this step:

1) Participants were asked to give a word that they associate to environment. As expected, most of the participants associated it with elements of nature (living and non-living) and some with relationships and processes (ecology). But all did not mention human beings or "tao" in the associated word. This provided an entry point for explaining the ethno-centric view of nature that is prevalent in our world view and the danger associated with this. This view puts nature as something external to human's concerns and therefor not essential for our survival and humanity.

2) I then presented the kabalai manifesto principles which basically focuses on the more wholistic view that human being are part of nature and that it it essential to our survival and humanity.

3) I then link this with the idea of Kabalai (balai-home) and reminded them that it is natural for all of us to be concern about our own homes and that we tend to protect our home and make it wholesome and conjusive for happy relationships with harmony and balance. With this is a basic premise, i then discussed that in Kabalai, we define our Balai as our sphere/scope of engagements in our work. And one way to determine this is to ask 2 fundamental questions: a) what are the elements that allow us to survive-ano ang bumubuhay sa atin (basic requisites of life such as food, water, etc) and b) what are the elements that make us humane-ano ang nagpapakatao sa atin (intangible elements that allow us to feel and act more humanely or that which expresses our full humanity like our respect for human rights, etc). I then capped this portion by saying that to be a Ka' Balai means to know what our Balai is given the aswer to these 2 questions and to bee able to define them physically from your home as starting point (i made an example that metro manila residents should be fully aware that our water comes from the mountains of the sierra madre range. therefor our concern for water should take us to be aware, to be concern and to act on whats happening in sierra madre,etc.)

4) I then used this as a basis for pointing out that the first step is to "feel" our concern for this. Then once convince at the affective level(heart), to let this fuel our passion for buildin our knowledge and understanding about these key issues (mind) and only after these should it result to actual, tangible actions (the hands)

5) I then likened Kabalai as a self-help support group for those who have accepted that in what we know or not know or what we do or fail to do; we have a profound responsibility for life and the future (inter-generation equity) who have bonded together to learn and work together to change ourselve and reach out to others for the same change. I noted that like "alcoholic anonynous" groups, kabalai is a support group for "environmental violators" anonymous.

6) I then proceeded with explaining that Kabalai is a mass-based organization targetting to train leaders for the next generation who will lead their respective communities to a sustainable future. I explained that given the shift or current Philippine population from urban to rural, most young peple now would be born in an urban setting where it is difficult to observe the natural cycles of nature and its laws and processes as compared to a rural community; thus producing community members without less sense of ecology than earlier generations. These produced people who are less connected with nature and therefor cannot appreciate it. These problem requires two key interventions: a)Outdoor Education on Sustainability and b) Green Lifestyle promotions. Outdoor education for sustainability is essential to get them out to see urban-rural links and let them see the ecosystems and habitat within and more so outside the urban centers and how these ecosystems and habitats still define the very survival and development of our unnatural urban human societies. Green Lifestyle promotion (particuarly on biking, ecowaste and organic food) is essential to reach the gutt level, day-to-day reality of kabalai members as they live their life and make our issues closer to their hearts.This will also lead them to make choices so that they first and foremost stop contributing to unsustianable patterns of consumption and to live fuller and happier lives that will allow them to reach to more people and aspire for a more sustainable and meaningful alternative lifestyle.

7) Before I ended my presentation, I reminded that group that while Kabalai starts with lifestyle and education in our work; we are fully aware that environmental issues are real political issues and that we cannot detached ourselves from political ecology as an arena of our work. However, i reminded them also that development process of individual members in Kabalai boil down to individual choices and level of engagement depending on the level of "balai" or sphere of engagement to protect the "home" that each member defines for itself

Ellen Estares, one of the Kabalai founders who is teaching in Adamson ended the process by reading outloud to the group the moto of kabalai: "Ang Mundo'y ating Balai (Bahay). Pangalagaan at Ipaglaban Ito... Turuan ang Susunod na Salinlahi" (english translation: The World is our Home. Lets us take care of it and defend it. Let us teach the next generations!"

After the session, i had an informal discussion with Ronnie and Jonathan. Together with Ellen, the three of them comprise the core members in the Adamson Cell of Kabalai. They are part of the Kabalai NCR chaptere. Ellen is a faculty members in Adamson. Ronnie is a volunteer scouting leader together with Jonathan in Adamson H.S. Jonathan is a 5rh year engineering student also in Adamson.

Thanks!

Roy