Concert For Peace in Mindanao

YOUTH UNITE FOR PEACE IN MINDANAO
Rocksteddy Rock’d @ Kidapawan

The time has come for music and lyrics, not bombings and gunfire to rock the island of Mindanao. On Friday March 6, thousands of Mindanaoan youths, Christians and Muslims, welcomed the visiting ROCKSTEDDY Band and united for peace in Kidpawan, Cotabato… one of Mindanao’s most feared armed conflict areas. The joyful celebration for peace was organized by Asia America Initiative (AAI), a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting humanitarian ideals, through its volunteer youth arm Catalysts for Peace (AAI-CFP) – Cotabato chapter with Young Public Servants (YPS) and Youth Vote Philippines. The benefit concert at JC Complex, Kidapawan City was dubbed: MUSIKAMINDANAOAN: Building Catalysts for Peace and Responsible Voting. Local talents SKOLARZ BAND, A DAYLIGHT SERPENT BAND, UNITE STREET BAND, OFF LIMITZ DANCERS, PRINCE AND PRINCESS REPUBLIC, AND PUSAKAL DOLLS also performed.

Giving life to the partnership battlecry, “I Vote and I Stand for Peace”, thousands of high-spirited Mindanaoans celebrated life and hope through arts and music. It was a showcase of local performers’ star potential and of the audience’s practice of their first adult responsibility - registering for the 2010 elections and participating in peace initiatives for Mindanao. It was truly a night of good crowd, great music, and good causes: peace – building and responsible voting.

“The responsibility of achieving peace in our homeland (Mindanao) is vested upon us Mindanaoans. WE should be the prime movers of justice and social development for we are the fruit of our homeland’s rich culture and extraordinary wealth.” – a powerful statement from AAI Philippines Director Rohaniza Sumndad.

Scholars for Scholars Fundraiser

After a great success of the first fundraiser event at the University of California Washington DC Center, our intern team decided to host another fundraiser. The event was called Scholars for Scholars Fundraiser because the proceeds will be used to pay for graduation fees for students at Sulu State University and Notre Dame University. It was a great effort, with the interns going to the donors such as Dunkin Donuts, Starbucks and Cosi shops at 6:30 a.m. The benefit lasted until mid afternoon with a profit of $300. Everyone had a lot of fun!! As the quarter is coming to an end, this was the last event for Winter 2009 intern team.