SIPDM Year 3 Concludes; ‘Batch MUGLAOM’ Vows to Champion Youth Leadership and Peace
The Summer Institute for Peace and Development Motivators (SIPDM) successfully concluded its third year, producing a new breed of youth advocates under Batch MUGLAOM 2025.
Anchored on the theme “Youth Leadership in Peacebuilding and Development: From Empowerment to Action,” the intensive 10-day training served as the core of Program 1: Transformative Education for Youth (TEY). Far from a traditional classroom setting, this immersive experience functioned as a laboratory for social cohesion, bringing together the “Tri-People” of Mindanao—Christians, Muslims, and Indigenous Peoples. Through this platform, TEY moves beyond academic instruction to facilitate unlearning biases and building intercultural trust. The initiative is part of the broader Peace and Tri-People Dialogue (Phase 6), designed to amplify peace and development by translating these local educational breakthroughs into global linkages and long-term community resilience.
The camp functioned as a microcosm of a unified Mindanao. By gathering the Tri-People youth —Christians, Muslims, and Indigenous Peoples—under one roof, the institute deliberately engineered a space where historical divides could be bridged by personal connection. The friction of cultural difference was not avoided but utilized; it became the catalyst that forced participants to trade prejudice for trust, impatience for understanding, and pride for humility.
The program emphasized that these lessons are not merely for personal growth but are tools to be carried forward into the communities the graduates will serve.
The success of the program was attributed to the leadership of Project Director Dr. Elma M. Neyra, Program Head Dr. Maechille B. Quiñones, and Youth Development Officer Ms. Jeanyline M. Alvarado.
The institute also highlighted the value of continuity in leadership. The sessions featured returning alumni from the 2021 cohort who transitioned from participants to facilitators. This cycle of mentorship allowed former graduates to guide the new “babies” of Batch Muglaom, fostering bonds that transcended the classroom walls.
Special recognition was given to the project implementers, including Mr. Bryan James Lopez, mr. Jake Sarte, Mr. Geffrey Bedoya, and the food committee for ensuring the welfare of the campers throughout the two-week program.
As Batch MUGLAOM 2025 stepped out of the training grounds, they carried with them the challenge, “Padayon ug Lakaw” (Continue and Walk On)—moving from mere empowerment to tangible action in the pursuit of peace.
