The 63-year old teacher and participant commented how the Play for Peace session made her feel like she has 36 again!
After their first successful training session in Myitkyina, Play for Peace trainers Swati Bhatt and Agyat Mitra had an opportunity to work with a second group of participants with a completely different demographic. Unlike the first group, this second session in Myitkyina included many more public and private teachers as well as members from local and national organizations including Humanity Institute, CLAY (Center of Learning Alternative for Youth) Centre, Pinnya Tagar Academy, Kachin State Education Network and Naushawng Education Network.
What made this group of 27 even more interesting was that the ages of the participants varied from 14 to 63. While most Play for Peace sessions focus on children and youths, adults (especially older ones) can play a critical role in promoting harmony and compassion within a community. One of the first exercises that the group undertook was playing a game called “As You Like It” where they discuss issues that affect the community. In this case, the group discussed the use of physical violence as a disciplinary tool in the school system. “What was interesting about the discussion was that the senior most member of the group thought that beating children was not right while the youngest member of the group said that it was required. It illustrated how young people see violence as the reality of life” says Agyat.
After a few more games and exercises, including the cap-making exercise, the 63-year-old teacher commented how the Play for Peace session made her feel like she had 36 again. Mary, a local educator, said that her students are bored by the conventional style of teaching and that the Play for Peace exercises have inspired her to make some changes. Another teacher commented that it takes her a long time to organize the necessary materials to play a game with her students but with this training, she has learned about games that do not require props and will enable her to play more games with her students. Other thoughts on how to incorporate Play for Peace in the community included using the games in camps for internally displaced people and at Sunday schools. Participants from the CLAY Centre said they would like to combine Play for Peace with their sports leadership program to train facilitators and use it as a tool to encourage social cohesion. The public school teachers thought that Play for Peace could be incorporated into their curriculum during the physical education period.
All agreed that Play for Peace techniques can be used as a reconciliation tool to enable peace in a community. According to Naw Htoi, host of the training session and member of the Humanity Institute and Kachin State Education Network, “All of the participants are very happy with the training and the tools and techniques provided by Play for Peace provides a perspective about games that is often missing.” Want to see more? Check out our Flickr album for more pictures of the laughter and fun being had in Myanmar!
