At the end of the third day of training, we received a chain of messages from a youth named Khun Lar Bway who had to return to his native home in South Shan State after two days of Play for Peace training. He was so motivated by the sessions that he wanted to take the teachings to his friends and needed the list of games and other details so he could share with others. As we sat for dinner that night he sent us pictures of the Practice Peace Session that he and his friends held with local children.
Day 2 in Mandalay As election fever swept through the country and Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi and the National League for Democracy (NLD) party pushed for change, Play for Peace’s Agyat Mitra and Swati Bhatt continued to plant the seed of tolerance and compassion in local communities. After a successful Day 1 in Mandalay, Day 2 was about reviewing the games played during the first day as well as new activities and renewed discussions around how to facilitate understanding between people and communities. One of the exercises was about raising awareness of peace and violence in one’s community.
Participants poured through old newspapers looking at headlines, images, and symbols that depicted both harmony and conflict. They cut out segments that were most impactful to them and created their newspaper of peace and violence which they shared with others and explained why each element was chosen. After lunch and a few more activities, participants spent a good amount of time discussing how they wanted to take their Play for Peace learnings forward. Many agreed to conduct Practice Peace Sessions (PPS) consistently and register as a club in their communities.
Day 3 in Mandalay Despite being voting day and election fever all around, the team still had twenty-two participants at the beginning of the session. It is not surprising that so many committed to attending after Day 2 since the day was all about practicing peace sessions (PPS) and an opportunity for participants to lead the games. One group even made a structured session plan for when it was their turn! By mid-morning all the participants had joined the training and the room was filled with laughter, games and fun. During the occasional moments of nervousness, team members would come together to help and ensure that the momentum of the games would not be interrupted. “It was good to see the participants in action and we were very pleased to see that everyone stayed in the session until the very end,” said Agyat. After the participant-led sessions, everyone reflected on their experiences of being a leader of a PPS. All were happy (and tired!).
Some expressed how challenging it was to keep the group engaged and the difficulty in working with shy children who were not as participative. But while time was spent on reflecting on the challenges, there were also moments of enlightenment. One participant said that she realized that the key was to be cheerful and that happiness is highly contagious and can quickly spread. Next, the participants worked together to choose a name for their Play for Peace club in the Phaungdawoo Monastic School and design its logo. The group also decided on the day and time for their weekly practice peace sessions. To close the day the children played a few of their favorite games including the “I want, I want...” from South Sudan which they saw on a video produced by Agyat and Swati during their visit to the region. The PFP team could not think of a better way to conclude a training session than with a game that transcended cultures or other dividing lines!
Final Note from Agyat and Swati in Mandalay “At the end of the third day of training we received a chain of messages from a youth named Khun Lar Bway who had to return to his native home in South Shan State after two days of Play for Peace training. He was so motivated by the sessions that he wanted to take the teachings to his friends and needed the list of games and other details so he could share them with others. As we sat for dinner that night he sent us pictures of the Practice Peace Session that he and his friends held with local children. One participant said that she realized that the key was to be cheerful and that happiness is highly contagious and can quickly spread. The session in Mandalay has been very satisfying.
The Phaungdawoo Monastic School has over 1,000 children who are going to get touched by Play for Peace as the 30 youths we worked with share the practices with them. Our encounter with Khun Lar Bway has created another window of opportunity to extend Play for Peace beyond the school.”
