Empowering youth with media literacy in the Philippines

Residents of the Lanao provinces are well-acquainted with the effects of violent extremism. In 2017, they fell victim to the Marawi Siege – a five-month-long armed conflict from which many of the locals are still recovering. Engaging the community’s young people is critical to preventing a repeat of these events; by promoting mutual respect and understanding, as well as increased tolerance, the younger generations can become the primary drivers of change.

Recognising the pivotal role of media literacy in interfaith dialogue and tolerance promotion, People in Need (PIN) recently held a two-day, conflict-sensitive media literacy training camp in the city of Iligan for 12 young adult leaders from the Lanao provinces. Participants learned about communication, media and information literacy, conflict-sensitive journalism, and other digital skills such as blogging and vlogging. Equipped with these new skills and inspired by the training, all 12 participants decided to work as local peace communicators. Together, they form an important peace force in Mindanao, addressing the religious, ethnic, and social divides that have been a source of conflict.

The training was conducted with financial support of the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR) by PIN teams in Slovakia, the Philippines, and Myanmar. It is funded by the European Union, and implemented together with the Pailig Development Foundation, Inc., a local organisation.

Stories from the siege

Janisah "Janie" Dimalotang, a 31-year-old single mother from Marawi City, took part in the training. Dimlotang, an internally displaced person, experienced the Marawi Siege first-hand and interviewed children whose parents had lost their livelihoods to the war. This experience opened her eyes to the struggles with poverty in her own community. "I asked the children why they are always playing, and they said it’s because they forget their hunger when they play," Dimalotang says. With this in mind, she set up a project called “Feed the Children, Feed the Future.”

Dimalotang adds: "My goal is to create a feeding programme that will provide children between the ages of four and 10 with a balanced meal every day."

Sittie Asia Mai, a 26-year old resident of Marawi, has also experienced war directly. She was displaced from her home when violent extremists threatened her city and her house was illegally demolished, strengthening her resolve to speak out against injustice. “Every time I hear of people affected by the violation of human rights, I join rallies and give my moral support to advocate for peace,” Mai says. Four years after the Marawi Siege, she is just one of the many locals who are still not able to return to their homes.

At the age of 21, Hamza "Zayn" Deguro was one of the youngest participants of the training. He recalled his experience with the siege, which began while he was at the Mindanao State University’s Marawi campus during the break between semesters. "We were scared because we were in the mosque and the rumours were that ISIS would recruit us, and if we didn't join, they would kill us," Deguro says. In order to calm their fears, he and his fellow classmates read the Quran, and acted as though it were their last day.

Since then, Deguro has grown passionate about youth empowerment. His university has played a big role in this, as it actively teaches the fundamentals of peace education, offering courses on youth advocacy. The curriculum aims to produce professionals who are also peace ambassadors. “We need to educate the youth, and teach them what peace is, what is the true ideology worth fighting for,” he stresses.

The value of media

In today’s political climate, conflict sensitivity and media literacy are essential in promoting peace. “Using media has its advantages and disadvantages,” says Mai. “Sometimes, the youth does not know how to use media, and there is a possibility that they will believe whatever they see. With media literacy, we are trained to practice critical thinking so that we can understand and critique what we see online,” she adds.

Mademoiselle “Maddie” Singcay uses social media as a platform for promoting the efforts of her community’s youth council of leaders, or “Sangguniang Kabataan”. The PIN training helped her develop skills in online content creation. “After Typhoon Sendong, I realised we have to take care of our environment to prevent disasters from happening again,” she says. “We conducted clean-up drives and outreach programmes in the hinterlands, using social media to raise awareness about our activities.”

Deguro sees media as a tool for education. “When I was in my hometown of Taraka, there were no other active organisations promoting peacebuilding among the youth. When I got to Mindanao State University, I participated in seminars and programmes to gain more skills in this area.” He realised that one of the main deterrents to harmonious relationships in his community is the proliferation of fake news. “If we let fake news continue to spread, it will create conflict and fear in people. I want to teach them to verify sources,” Deguro says. He also recognises the importance of inclusive speech in defending against gender and cultural bias. “Instead of using terms like businessman, we can use entrepreneur so as not to exclude anyone,” he suggests.

Many road to peace

As a master’s student in biology, Singcay is a strong advocate of environmental protection. “Toxic wastewater from the dumpsites causes clogging in Iligan’s canals. I feel the government is turning a blind eye to the problem of water pollution,” she says. She believes that it is essential to educate people on the benefits of proper waste disposal. After learning more about peacebuilding during the PIN training, she realised that everything is interrelated. “We only have one earth, and although we have varying beliefs, we must attain peace because we have the same goal of preventing environmental destruction.”

Mai has been involved in a variety of advocacy activities since she was a teenager. “I was an advocate for sports in high school. We owned a karate club where we would train youth and women in self-defence, and we instilled self-discipline through sports,” Mai notes. She became interested in social enterprise and agricultural entrepreneurship in 2019. “I joined the UNDP Empowering Solutions Competition, where we focused on creating alternative sources of livelihood for farmers, out-of-school youth, women, and internally displaced people,” she recalls. She discovered that economic empowerment was essential to addressing the roots of conflict. “We want to alleviate poverty because that is why there is no peace in Lanao. In the siege, so many families were poor and could not eat. If we let people continue to live in poverty, violent extremism will always be a danger.”

Since her experience with the training, Mai has gained confidence in strengthening her own advocacy and in encouraging others to take part in the youth empowerment movement. “When I started this journey, I was scared of public speaking,” she says. “But we recently held a youth leadership summit at my organisation, MARADECA. I was honoured to be invited to speak on media literacy. In my talk, I echoed everything I learned during my training with PIN.”

Deguro believes that young people play a much bigger role in society than many of them believe. “As youth we have to show that we are empowered, especially when talking to older people.” He realises that this is valuable in societal conversations. “A lot of young people today are participating in the public discourse. However, if you really observe arguments, most people do not really listen to the other side.” He stresses the importance of developing listening skills in order to prevent conflict. “Before giving your perspective, make sure it is right.”

Respecting diversity is key to promoting understanding and increased tolerance in a community. “I always say to the youth I meet that we should not be a wasted generation,” says Mai. “We should be thankful. There is such a huge focus on young people’s skills today, and there are so many opportunities that were not available to previous generations. We shouldn’t limit ourselves. Because we can do anything!”