Kasa-Nyecn Chan and Saan-Ti-Pharb!
(“Play for Peace” in Burmese and Thai) Despite being a nation in democratic transition with an urgent need to calm ethnic strife, the past two years have been a time of change in Myanmar as civil society organizations continue to push forward for increased levels of education, peace, and respect for human rights. The tide of change in this culturally diverse and rich country is one of the reasons that seasoned Play for Peace (PFP) certified trainers Swati Bhatt and Agyat Mitra and their friend Jim Connor, a holistic trainer and founder of non-profit Whispering Seed, embarked on the first stop of their Play for Peace journey in Myanmar. The first Play for Peace Training session was held in the Metta Center for Non-Violence in Bago.
Once the capital of southern Myanmar, Bago is the home to a former palace and many religious sites including the Shwethalyaung Buddha which measures 180 feet long and 53 feet high. It was against this background that two organizations with a strong regional focus joined hands to support this first Play for Peace event. Over 3 days participants from SEMS (Socially Engaged Monastic School), an organization that provides training to monastic school teachers and local communities in sustainable development practices and leadership programs, and PCF (Pestalozzi Children Foundation), an organization whose mandate is to support quality education programs for children and young people in developing countries, learned about Play for Peace principles and tools they could take back to their communities. While Swati and Agyat were originally only expecting participants from local SEMS and PCF chapters, they were pleasantly surprised to find that members from 10 different organizations and 6 countries, including those belonging to the Thailand and Laos chapters of the PCF organization, were able to join the session. The sessions started at 8:30 in the morning and during the 12-hour day, 27 teacher trainers, facilitators, and coordinators came together to share laughter and techniques for promoting learning, tolerance, and peace in their respective communities.
One such activity included exploring commonality where participants were placed in small groups and had to find things that were not visible and obvious that they had in common. At the end of the three-day session when asked what the best part of the session was, many agreed that they felt that they had gained a new sense of possibility. Jim echoed the sentiment and felt there was an immense possibility that participants would be able to apply their new tools to support cooperative play to create laughter, compassion, and peace. “We feel very privileged to have the trust of the people who attended our Play for Peace session and how they have received what we have to offer with so much enthusiasm,” said Swati, “we look forward to our next session!” - Written by Anu Sood - Photos by Swati Bhatt and Agyatmitra
