Bitiala with the older generations
WHAT the older Bangsamoro generation needs from the young Bangsamoro is an invitation to an equal dialogue; They need to listen to each other, and elders cannot demand or tell them what to do.
Like the older generations in the past, our elders now believe that their influence and control of the community -- especially in our youth -- are still in place. However, we see a different context within the Bangsamoro today. With what happened in Marawi City, it is the youth that are influential and who are being recruited in the ISIS groups.
With the emergence of different groups and societies among the youth, not only within the Bangsamoro, various factors and elements that contribute to their wellbeing and ideology are also formed.
Thus, there is a need of setting up a “communication network” to foster connection and understanding among each other. We need to promote peaceful coexistence is a very important step to engage them and have a deeper understanding of the situation on the ground.
Regarding issues of intra-faith and interfaith intolerance, problems concerning violent extremism are subjected to a number of Muslim youth in Mindanao. Action must be taken to address such events. This includes, but is not limited to forums, networking, and information dissemination.
We also face the challenge of teaching the concepts of pluralism and multiculturalism as ways to promote interaction among the country’s young people. The idealism and energy of the Mindanaoan youth is badly needed in order to spark a momentum for change.
We need to take note that youth’s participation may lead to development, a cooperation which can be based on broad, national-level policy dialogue and strong capacity for all development actors. Moreover, peace-building and nation-building can also benefit from these youth by involving them as leaders and agents of change.
However, several obstacles still prevent the young people’s potential for development to be fully harnessed. Too often, young people are seen as either part of the problem rather than part of the solution, as passive targets of development policies, or even worse, as a security threat when associated with the idea of armed youth gangs and social unrest.
In order to address this, we in Al Qalam Institute started the the Bitiala Series (“Bitiala” is a Maguindanaon term for “dialogue”). Bitiala is not a means for debate, but rather is a platform to present to the present stakeholders the current issues and challenges faced by the community in a meaningful dialogue.
It also aims to engage various sectors and individuals who seek to be understood to express their thoughts and opinions. This allows them to unleash the hidden and too often wasted potential of the youth for communal understanding and peace-building.
We hope to conduct more Bitiala sessions in Mindanao and within the Bangsamoro, and to promote these dialogues as a means for a progressive change.