LOS ANGELES – Two Filipino students recently took part in a Summer Youth Leadership Institute, a youth camp organized by LA-based advocacy group Peace Over Violence (POV). They took part in four weeks of training and workshops to master skills needed for effective violence prevention.
Kristina Rebullar and Jose Meneses (both from Benjamin Franklin High School) were part of a group of 21 students and seven youth leaders, who underwent two weeks of training on preventing domestic and sexual violence.
It was followed by two weeks of internships focused on using new media, songwriting, and community organizing to promote their violence prevention advocacy.
During a press availability session on August 1, the Asian Journal was able to catch up with Rebullar as she talked about their participation in the leadership institute, and what they learned from it.
“Sa Pilipinas, ang dami nating problema, ang daming violence. Gusto kong matuto kung paano matulungan sila,” Rebullar, 16, said. She said that she wanted to learn how the youth can defend themselves against violence and how they can stand up for themselves.
Rebullar, who originated from Cavite City in the Philippines before moving to Los Angeles, said that the workshop taught them about the roots of violence and cycles of violence. Towards the latter part of the summer camp, the students collectively wrote songs that talked about their experiences with violence, and about POV’s core message of empowerment, Rebullar said.
During the course of the program, these songs were turned into two public service announcements (PSAs) with the help of representatives from the KPFK radio station. Through the workshop with the radio station experts, the students were able to come up with a 30-second PSA and a 60-second PSA, both of which will be performed at the Youth Leadership Institute Culmination event on August 9 at CARECEN in Los Angeles.
According to a media advisory from POV, Mayor Eric Garcetti and other elected officials are among the guests invited to the culmination event.
Rebullar and Meneses were joined by other local high school students , who represent communities such as South LA, Highland Park, Pico-Union, Koreatown, and the San Gabriel Valley.
Institute facilitators included nationally recognized violence prevention experts, including POV executive director Patty Giggans, and Grammy winner Martha Gonzales, lead singer of East LA band Quetzal.
A source close to POV said that Gonzales came on board the program to help the participants in crafting their original songs for the PSAs.
Melodie Kruspodin, a youth coordinator for POV, said that over the past few years, the program has had three Filipino students take part in the leadership institute. Kruspodin said that they have been “really instrumental” in taking the summer training and education and spreading it in their respective schools and communities.
“They have taken on leadership roles while excelling at working in team settings with other youth in the community,” Kruspodin said via email correspondence.
Rebullar said that she felt proud and empowered to be one of the two students who represented Filipino youth in Los Angeles. But she acknowledged that the work doesn’t stop at the summer institute – they’ve only just begun.
“Hindi naman tayo titigil dito. Ilalabas din natin ito sa community, sa school namin, sa lahat,” Rebullar said. She expressed her eagerness to return to Franklin High School with Meneses to work with their school organization, STOP Club or Students Together Organizing Peace.
Meneses, a past president of STOP club, was also a youth victim of violence which he can share in promoting their advocacy, Rebullar noted.
“May hope pa,” Rebullar said. “May mga tao pa who will be there for you. Hindi kayo mag-isa.”
She said that victims of violence should never be afraid to fight back because it’s their right to defend themselves.
Victims of violence, Rebullar noted, should not shoulder the burden of the blame, nor should they put it on other people. They should instead take the proactive step of reaching out to people who are willing to help them deal with their issues.
(www.asianjournal.com)
(LA Weekend August 3-6, 2013 Sec A pg.9)