At times the group felt discouraged by the difficulty of the games but realized that understanding and cooperation, rather than arguments, helped them achieve their objectives.
After a successful Day 1, the second day at the Naung Taung Monastic Education Institution started with reviewing games played during the first day as well as sharing new games. It was also an opportunity to name the new Play for Peace club for the region. With the creation of the Naung Taung Play for Peace club, it was time for the new trainees to transition to mentors so they could facilitate their sessions. First, the participants split up into groups and developed a list of games that could be played. Then with the help of Giuseppe Martegani from the Brighten Foundation as well as Jim Connor, Matt Alesevich and Anirvan Deva from Whispering Seed, Swati Bhatt and Agyat Mitra coached the new trainees through the games with 60 local children.
“It was wonderful to see how many of the new trainees automatically assumed a position of leadership while the others came around to support them,” said Agyat.
The games that the new trainees played with the children included Maze, a memory game, where the group has to come together to find their way through a maze; Calculator, a strategy game where members have to complete tasks in the shortest possible time; Retrieve the Bottle, an activity where two people are blindfolded and are tasked with getting two bottles out of a marked area with the verbal instructions of the remaining members of the group; Spider web, a game where team members have to cross a spider web without disturbing it and Moonwalk a game where the team has to walk together for 20 feet (7 meters) or more with their feet joined together. See the pictures of this super fun day!
Day 3 was an opportunity for Giuseppe to share some new games with the new trainees. It was also an opportunity for the new group mentors to reflect on the games played the previous day. Group one agreed that the moonwalk game was the most difficult since it required a lot of concentration. The game also required a lot of patience but by believing in each other the team was able to connect for success. The second group said that the Maze was their favorite game. Communicating with one another was a challenge but they also learned that planning before starting the game was important. Group three concluded that no work was easy but it is important to stick together and keep trying until the task is completed. The fourth group loved all the activities but found time management to be a challenge.
At times the group felt discouraged by the difficulty of the games but realized that understanding and cooperation, rather than arguments, helped them achieve their objectives. The fifth group also realized that belief in one another was important as well as that everyone can be a leader. The sessions wrapped up with the launch of the Naung Taung Facebook page and many joined right away. It was also an opportunity to share information about other Play for Peace resources and how to connect with other groups in the world including ones in South Sudan, India, and Guatemala. After Swati and Agyat had left Naung Taung, the new Play for Peace mentors began holding their first Practice Peace Sessions.
One of the new mentors, Nang Khey Mue, even posted pictures of their first session on the club’s Facebook page. Play for Peace has effectively reached 1,600 children in the monastery and as the head monk told Swati and Agyat, the training is going to go beyond the monastery as many children will be sharing the games with the children in their village. Watch the Naung Taung Play for Peace Club Facebook page for more updates!
