by: Evans Yonson (Philippines)
(Note: This article originally appeared on Global Spotlight, Vol 10, Issue II, 2017. Several photos and links have been added below.)
(Note: This article originally appeared on Global Spotlight, Vol 10, Issue II, 2017. Several photos and links have been added below.)
“Congratulations! We are looking forward to seeing you in
Washington, DC on July 16,” said the email.
I arrived Athens, Ohio on July 6th, more than a week before the Facebook Global Digital Challenge in Washington, DC.
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| With Prof. Yusuf Kalyango, PhD, SUSI2017 Program Director, taken upon my arrival in Columbus, Ohio on July 6th. (Photo by Franklyn Charles) |
While my SUSI colleagues were enjoying Cleveland’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, communing with the Amish-Mennonites, and visiting the State Hall of Columbus, there I was in hot and humid DC with my students. If only I could teleport between Ohio and DC, I would have done it in a snap.
In July 2016, Facebook, in association with EdVenturePartners, asked if I could gather students and implement a peer-to-peer (P2P)
social media campaign in Xavier University (Ateneo de Cagayan).
P2P
is a global university initiative being implemented in 160 universities around
the world. Over the course of one semester, university teams work to design,
pilot, implement and measure the success of a social or digital initiative,
product or tool that motivates or empowers other students to become involved in
countering violent extremism (CVE).
EdVenture
Partners believes that engaging youth in the fight against violent extremism is
crucial, and the P2P program offers a creative and exciting way for students
around the world to become involved in the effort.
Thus, the birth of I Am Mindanao. I Am Mindanao (IAM) aims
to educate college students in Cagayan de Oro City about violent extremism,
strengthen their sense of pride as Mindanaoans, and empower them to take part
in CVE. When we started the campaign, there were a lot of apprehensions but we
were steadfast in our efforts towards peace in Mindanao.
During our first campaign (Fall 2016), we developed original
and research-based materials and activities for our online and offline audience
such as infographics, videos, online competitions, room-to-room lecture series,
a concert, a photo exhibit, and a peace camp. We had a total 15 activities for
this term.
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| Taken during the Peace Camp. (Photo by I Am Mindanao) |
For our second campaign (Spring 2017), we initiated a weekly
dialogue with Muslim, Christian and indigenous students. The regular meetings
brought more ideas into the campaign. We explored the students’ sense of
identity, sense of belongingness, and sense of purpose. This further solidified
our campaign’s efforts towards CVE and achieving lasting peace in Mindanao. For
this campaign, we had 22 various activities spanning from January to June 2017.
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| Student volunteers meet to discuss the plans for summer. (Photo by I Am Mindanao) |
On May 23, an ISIS-related group called Maute Group invaded
the Islamic City of Marawi (100 kilometers away from Cagayan de Oro).
Two hours after the attack, the IAM Team issued a Statement
of Condemnation. The next day, we started a call-to-action initiative, #MealforMarawi.
Our target was to raise 200 US dollars to feed 150 internally displaced
persons. Help immediately poured in. Before the week was over, we collected
close to 2,000 USD.
A post-campaign survey revealed that all 726 respondents are
willing to take part in future activities of IAM related to CVE.
Our social media platforms exhibited unbelievable metrics.
Our Facebook page has a total of more than 38,000 page likes, 4.5 million
impressions. One photo alone was shared more than 100,000 times. Twitter and
Instagram have generated more than 3 million impressions.
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| The I Am Mindanao Team in Washington, DC. (Photo by I Am Mindanao) |
Bangladesh won the top prize, with Nigeria placing 2nd,
Spain 3rd, and the Philippines with the fourth place.
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