Dear reader,

It is early Sunday morning, on the 6th of December, when I write this. I will keep it short, to leave space for indeed Asian Voices, the latest news (see below).

The timeframe to compose this Asian Voice was also short, just one week. And especially we composed, edited and lay-out a lot yesterday, International Volunteering Day (IVD) 2015 is not over yet, according to SCI at least. A main online action, started from the International Secretariat to celebrate this day will continue till the 7th of December, with the question to us volunteers what volunteering means.

(My personal answer: International volunteering is for me discovering the world and make changes on the local grass-roots level to make the same world more peaceful) For you and me the task to spread the voice! (see also page 4 and endnotes)

The editing team,

WilbertOn behalf of the editorsteamNurul, Hanae, Pat & Maria

LATEST NEWS!!From Facebook, SCI pool of trainers and facilitatorsJust finished : No more hate speech seminar “Raising awareness by taking action” organised by SCI Sri Lanka. Interesting topics came up such as gender inequality and hate speech, media and hate speech, hate speech in Sri Lanka,... 4 days of working together on finding strategies to counter hate speech. Good luck SCI Sri Lanka with the outcome of this seminar and hopefully some inspiration for future action! And happy International Volunteer Day!

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1 Note from Editors & The Latest News

2 SCI Dream by Nurul Syahida Ahmad Said, SCI Malaysia

3 International Volunteer Day (IVD) by SCI Bangladesh

4 Explore the Roots of SCI by Hanae, SCI Japan

5 Interntional Day of Non Violence by Stephen Nah, SCI Malaysia

6 My Workcamp Experience in Korea by volunter of SCI Malaysia

7 Korea Needs Workcamps by Younggwan, SCI Korea

8 Final Report of SCI Workcamp - Jaffna Vatharavattai Children’s Resource Center Development by Sandamali Jayasinghe, Camp leader

9 Glovola Project - Social Media Training by Hong Kong, China

10 Reliefwork with SCI Nepal by Wilbert

11 End Note

Hi everyone! Welcome back to the latest Asian Voice. For this edition we would like to share a topic on SCI Dream. The editors team thought that this would be a good topic to share with our dear volunteers and friends in Asia and the rest of the world. The best people to answer about SCI Dream are the ADC (Asian Development Committee) members. They breathe, eat and think about Asia endlessly. They are Sam from SCI Hong Kong, China, Wilbert, IVP Indonesia and Stephen Nah from SCI Malaysia. Lets get to know them up close and personal via a brief interview.

Hi Sam, Wilbert and Stephen Nah!First of all, thank you so much for your time and agreeing for this interview. Before we start, lets share with our reader your full name, country of origin and current home/ work place.

Sam (SJ): Sudam Jayasinghe (Sam), from Sri Lanka and now working and living in Hong Kong, China

Wilbert (WH): Wilbert Helsloot, from The Netherlands, but have lived for 7 years now in Indonesia (now Jakarta)

Stephen (SN): Stephen Nah, lives in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

My next question, how long have you been with SCI

SJ:. At first with SCI Sri Lanka, I became a member in 1997 and my parents were involved with SCI so as a child I was exposed to SCI. Currently with SCI Hong Kong since the beginning of 2006 and a founder member too.

WH: My first workcamp was in 1993 in Croatia, became active in 1994. See also http://www.archives.sciint.org/pioneering-for-a-peaceful-society.html

SCI DreamBy Nurul Syahida Ahmad Said, SCI Malaysia

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Nowadays (besides ADC) active in No-More-War team, strategic planning and external representation of SCI. And of course in IVP Indonesia.

SN: I had my first workcamp in 1970. I was the founding Secretary for SCI Penang in 1972, and the founding President for SCI KL in 1984. Me, my wife, 2 children and grandchildren have been and still involved in the regular SCI activities throughout the year.

Wow! You guys are awesome! I am so lucky to get to know and meet with all of you as a motivated volunteer and a wonderful friend. Lets talked about SCI Dream. Everyone has a dream. It can be from World Peace, becoming a vegetarian, to lose weight, becoming a president or even to marry a rich man. According to the Merriam Webster dictionary, the meaning of dream can be varies but I think the most suitable for this topic are; a visionary creation of the imagination and a strongly desired goal or purpose. Share with us what is your SCI Dream.

SJ: My SCI dream is that people in Asia get to know each other better. My ultimate dream is there is no war on the planet and people treat each other with humanity and dignity. We have long way to go and ultimately SCI will contribute as much as common understanding among human beings. At individual level we all have a role to play to bring peace, create peace and to keep peace. I also hope more and more young people will join SCI in Asia and elsewhere. There will be new branches and groups in Asia.

WH: My dream is that SCI Asia will be flourishing, active, self-confident. That there would be much more regional exchange than now the case. Volunteering would be seen as an important value in Asia and people (not only SCI activists) feel the need to work together for peace. Besides that, the emphasis was also on self-fulfillment. As the famous anarchist Emma Goldman said: If i can’t dance, i won’t be part of your revolution. But a peaceful revolution is also needed.

SN: For me, that there be many homes or center where people from different cultures, ethnics, age etc etc can freely and happily get together, play together and together volunteer in meaningful community and civil services. That people would take time to enjoy the nature and beauty around us and explore the many roads to Peace, Non Violence and Productive Co-existence. That people will remember and practice the Golden Rules - to treat others as how they like to be treated.

Thank you, thank you, thank you so much Sam, Wilbert and Stephen. I hope the readers are inspired as I am.

Happy Reading everyone!

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SCI Bangladesh has organized 2 days program to observe International Volunteer Day (IVD) on 4th & 5th December 2014. Where 25+40 (65) volunteers participated in these programs.

Program includes one day weekend camp, where volunteers clean the local community area, levelled the play ground, friendly football match.

International Volunteer Day (IVD)By SCI Bangladesh

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Peace Tour 2015:SCI Bangladesh had organized a peace tour from Khalia (Rajoir) to Kuakata Sea Beach from March 06-07, 2015 under the C4P campaign. 45 volunteers were participated in the program. Volunteers made campaign in Ferry Ghat & Public places on the way to Kuakata on Climate change issues, Hygiene behaviour and proper sanitation. Volunteers also took part in the Beach cleaning camp.

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Today we would like to share with you about recent workshop in which we learned and discussed about the roots of SCI International and SCI Japan.

Why we planned to organize this workshop is because from this year, we changed our working structure and newer members join to work with us.

However, many of us who are active members of SCI Japan for several years, we don’t know much about Pierre Ceresole or Hiroatsu Sato (SCI Japan founder).

So we took up one book “Breaking Down Barriers 1945-1975 -30 years of voluntary service for peace with Service Civil International-”.Have you read this book? Maybe yes, maybe no.

Together with many SCI activists, there are also Ann and Shigeo Kobayashi, of course Hiroatsu Sato, and many LTVs those who worked with SCI Japan those days. As first time for us to organize the workshop on “Roots of SCI” (in the past, these kind of information was handed over to newer members by daily contacts among members though) , we selected 2 person, Pierre and Sato, especially from the book and translated into Japanese.

There were 10 members joined the workshop, among them there was a senior member who worked with Sato about 50 years ago. He added many valuable information about the social situation at the time when Pierre or Sato was born, the connection between Gandhi and Pierre, the person and the organization (War Resistance International) who/which influenced SCI, the religion of Quaker, the memory with Sato Hiroatsu and Phyllis Sato and so on. He enriched the workshop. We would like to share the participants’ impressions…*SCI does not show political nor religious stance, so I felt that SCI is vague and at the beginning I did not like such an ambiguity, but recently I started to think that it is OK because SCI is open to everyone. *I irritated that SCI does not involved in the conflict area so much, but today I feel easy to realize that to work with the problem in one’s own backyard is important.*I could know that SCI’s structure that all the branches are equal each other. And I think that the unique aspect of SCI is that the local people tackle with the local issue.*It is interesting to know that some of you in this workshop met persons who is written in this book! The connection is continuing.*Even though many members here do not know the roots so much, but like today, you come here to do SCI.*I just participated one workcamp in this February, but until today, I thought that workcamp is for supporting people. But today, I notice that to get inside the community and sharing the work and life with others has more meaning than just supporting people.

*I think that one of the characteristic of SCI is that workcamp is the method.To break down the barriers is done by being and working together not by helping others. SCI is not the organization which exists just for helping others, that’s why it is attractive for me.*To be neutral has meaning when there is conflict among people. It is very difficult to be neutral, but I think that SCI aims to be neutral.*When I participated East Asia Workcamp 4 years ago, one day before the camp, I heard that some members did not have good image about people from a specific country. But I found that in the end, all the members became good friends. Today, I see the words “reconciliation” many times in this book, so I felt I am fortune to see “reconciliation” at my first workcamp. I learned that SCI places value on the importance of people’s relationship which cannot be seen as material result.

We are happy to share with you what we are doing in SCI Japan and what kind of thoughts some of us have about SCI in this moment.

We will have 2nd workshop on the same theme next month☺

Thank you for reading!

Explore the Roots of SCIBy Hanae, SCI Japan

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The day was marked with a a week long photo exhibition of Mahatma Gandhi at Weld Quay, Georgetown and a one day Peace Education Workshop at the Gandhi Peace Center, Penang. The joint hosts were World Peace Movement Trust, India & Penang Gandhi Peace Centre, Soga Gakai , the Right Livelihood College (RLC) and Service Civil International (SCI),.

During the workshop the presenters shared with the participants the story of the great works of Mahatma Gandhi and his experiences, values and actions to foster the “Triple Peace”: Peace with Yourself (Inner Peace), Peace with Others (Social Peace) & Peace with the Environment (Eco-peace).

The distinguished speakers were Prof. Dr. Ravindra Kumar, Secretary-General, World Peace Movement Trust, Former Vice Chancellor, Meerut University, Dato’ (Dr.) Anwar Fazal, Director, Right Livelihood College, Chairperson, Penang Gandhi Peace Centre, Sister Helen, Coordinator, Brahma Kumaris Penang. and ably MC by Mr. R. M. Ravichandar, Programme Coordinator, SCI Penang. Mr. Himanshu Bhatt was the Honorary Rapporteur.

Prof Dr Davindra spoke on “Peace – What it means and what we can do – The Gandhian Experience & Lessons for Today”. Prof Dato Dr Anwar Fazal spoke on “Better World, Peace for all – How to make it Happen” .

We were honored and privileged to have the Deputy Chief Minister from Penang to launch the Exhibition. Over 50 historic and inspiring photos of Gandhi were displayed. We had a drawing competition for the children and an Shantidoot Award Presentation to 3 Social Activists promoting Peace. The event was significant - for we get to learn the soft, firm and principle approach used by Gandhi. We get to hear from the three Gandhian scholars. Motivating, encouraging, energising, helpful, encouraging, touching... We plan to continue and expand more on the training and educational effort on this next year.

International Day of Non ViolenceBy Stephen Nah, SCI Malaysia

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In the Iksan Youth Hostel, each morning, we wake up at 6.00AM. Then, at 6.30AM, we are sent to the Iksan Won Buddhism Temple for our daily Yoga sessions. During this period, we learn about Yoga, but also about some Buddhist concepts and teachings. The Yoga sessions were an hour long, and after Yoga, we return to the hostel to serve ourselves breakfast. Bread, jam and eggs are provided, and there are cooking facilities in the hostel as well.

Prior to the start of the work camp, we were divided into respective cooking teams, and the teams take turns cooking their country’s specialties during lunch throughout the camp. The cooking team for the day will go out to the market with our coordinator to purchase groceries at 10.00AM, while the others stay in the work camp talking, sharing, and teaching each other about their culture. Cooking starts at 11.00AM and lasts about an hour. Everyone chimes in and tries to help prepare cutleries.

After having lunch, we have a study session where we write dialogues to be practiced with the children at Iksan Youth Centre. During noon, we spend time with children in the youth centre and participate in various activities with them; while in the evening, the campers usually go out doing other activities, to experience the culture in Korea. The group that I was with was a diverse one, with the youngest participant being a 19-year-old college student and the oldest being a 41-year-old teacher from Spain. After having dinner outside, we return to the hostel and into our dorm rooms, where we sleep on the floor with thin mats (ouch). So, try to imagine the back pains we get in the morning (ha-ha).

Anyung hanseyo! My name us Ling Hui Yee, I joined the Iksan Youth

Camp during the period of 19 July 2015 to 25 July 2015. The experience

taught me many things, but before going into that, I think most people

would want to know what we really do in a work camp. While each work

camp is different and features different themes, the one I went was about

youth and culture.

My Workcamp Experience in Korea By Ling Hui Yee, volunteer of SCI Malaysia

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So, how do I feel about the entire work camp? I’m grateful I went. I met many amazing people who shared their individual experiences with me, and it opened my mind to various possibilities, be it working, travelling, or even staying somewhere other than Malaysia. And being a Malaysian, I was also able to share our culture, our food, our lifestyle and our addiction to adding the slang word ‘lah’ after each sentence. The world is growing closer together, therefore, it is important for us to also put more effort into understanding each other’s culture better.

The Yoga sessions taught us the importance of strengthening our minds, and the time spent in the youth centre with the children taught us to see things from children’s perspective.

I learnt not only from the locals in Korea, but also from the work campers. In the camp, there were 2 teachers from Czech, who showed me how to play football. I’m sorry to say that it was my first time playing football (but they were very encouraging). We tried food from different countries (Italy, Spain, Poland, Russia) prepared by the work campers during lunch.

tDuring our free time, a teacher from Spain also taught us how to give hand and shoulder massages. I improved my Korean language a lot, and I learnt about Korean traditional games during the time I spent in the youth centre. Not to mention, I also tried flavoured Soju – an alcoholic drink. We were brought to Geumgang River in Gunsan to cycle. Other than that, the locals and camp leaders in the Iksan Work Camp also brought us around town to eat Korean dishes, namely Jjajangmyeon, Gimbbap, Chimaek, and took us singing in a Korean karaoke – No Rae Bang.

I cannot conclude all that I experienced into a single article, but I would say that my experience and feelings would be very different if I went with a different group. And on that note, I would say that I appreciate the time I spent in the work camp, and that I will hope to see the people I met in the work camp again.

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Creative invention of workcamp reflecting the needs and wants of the times.To solve the problem at hand, person to person communication is very important, and we came up with an idea of vitalising workcamps as a window for communication amongst the whole nation. We want to present a gift, a gift for both parents and kids, international students and residents. The gift is a workcamp, a chance for them to share moments together. The more happy stories and adventures they make, the more communications and understandings will be planted, and finally, it will lead us to higher personal happiness and healthier society, which are solutions to the side effects that we are facing. Still, it is not easy, not just for Koreans, but for all global citizens, considering the complexity of life that they are living right now. Nowadays people make relationships and get information from diverse channels wether it is online or offline. In the future, the workcamp is going to be a equilibrium point for peoples’ life among those various channels.

Things should be preserved and changed.Throughout the hundred years of workcamp history, its’ sincerity, voluntary, social responsibility and other great values were born and it is a existing cultural heritages. If we can melt down the components, what modern people want, with these spirits into the new workcamp, I am sure that we will create very original, and very polished programs.

Iksan Yoga Camp & Seoul Photo ExhibitionThis year 2015, SCI Korea came up with two different brand new workcamps. First one is the Iksan Yoga Camp. This camp can satisfy both international students, who want to learn yoga inside asian culture, and also local community where parents wish their children can have chance to learn foreign languages from native speakers, through playing in education. The second program is Seoul Photo Exhibition reflects youth’s want for volunteering related

to photograph art and small merchants’ concern how to vitalise the market in seoul. These two camps are truly based on both youth participants today and local society and also what they wish.

The FutureAfter World War II, the workcamp, which was started for people to stop fighting in Europe, now have become something greater and meaningful applying to global peace. It is maybe a duty for us, SCI family who earned favours and saviours from the workcamp, to develop and share a better workcamp with the souls living together on this planet. Workcamp will continue to march, travel and learn until the whole world becomes one with peace.

Korea Needs WorkcampsBy Younggwan Kim, SCI Korea

Since 1953, the Republic of Korea has, without exaggeration, been restlessly developing, until now. To build a new nation from the ashes of bullets and bombs, all of the nation gathered as one, and with the aid and support from great international organizations and states, we have achieved a huge economic growth of thirty-thousand-dollar GNI.

Nevertheless, because we were too focused on economical developments of the country, people could not have time to think about their own individual bliss and welfare. This is reason for the inverse proportion of Korea’s high financial status and low personal happiness index, in addition to the top rank of suicide rates.

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Dates :16th to 19th April 2015Place :Vatharavattai children’s resource center and J/Vatharavattai Vigneswara VidyalayamHost organization : Centre for Children’s Happiness (GTE) LTD (CCH)Participants : 13 local volunteers from Kandy, Anuradhapura, Kinniya, Muthur and Colombo , 3 volunteers from Denmark and 1 from Spain, 5 CCH staff members from Jaffna and 10 volunteers from the village

IntroductionSCI Sri Lanka has organized several workcamps in Jaffna last few years. This time Jaffna workcamp organized by the request of CCH and Vatharawattai villagers to help developing new resource center for the children of this village. This center helps village children to gather, share and learn different skills and having classes for the slow learners. CCH try to establish child friendly environment and joy full learning resources in order to enhance the skills and knowledge of the children who are living in an area where they have huge needsIn four days of the workcamp four foreign volunteers and 13 local volunteers representing all ethnic and religious groups of Sri Lanka, children and young volunteers from Vatharavattai participated the workcamp devotedly. Very first day all the children from the village gathered to welcome SCI volunteers to their village and school with Grama Niladari and Samurdhi Niladari of Vathatavattai and Child right’s promoting officer of Kopai division.

Work The first two days volunteers helped with the work planned to be done in the resource center. The main work was to paint the front two walls of the resource centre. A group of volunteers gave support making a compost bin from the material found from the environment. Volunteers had done outstanding work of painting and making the compost bin. The principal of J/Vatharavattai Vigneswara Vidyalayam requested volunteers to paint two halls and draw some pictures in the classrooms of grade 01 and 02. At the same time school children’s park was renovated by a group of volunteers.

Study part The first evening of the workcamp, the introduction of SCI was done by Rifkan and Lukshman uncle. New volunteers were actively engaged in the discussion and the experienced volunteers shared their involvement and the reason for being with SCI in long term basis. Tamil class and discussion on Sri Lankan political situation was done by Rifkan with interested volunteers. They engaged with a discussion on “an introduction to the SCI workcamps” very energetically. In the evening of the second day, the study session was done by Sanda and Br. Christy on Cultural awareness. In the discussion all the members shared their experience of presence in a new fake culture. Last day of the workcamp children of the school participated in the peace seminar done by SCI volunteers. 85 children were participated in 5 groups. Those groups were divided according to the activities such as playing a video, drama session, art work, environmental program and team building games. They were engaged in the group activities by changing to the next group in every 15 minutes. At the end of the peace seminar all the children were given some books by SCI volunteers as a gift.

Interaction with the villagersThe interaction with the Vatharavattai villagers was given priority by CCH staff and SCI volunteers before and during the workcamp. To engage children, volunteers organized many team building activities and games each day afternoon. Anfas and foreign volunteers were actively engaged with these activities and got involve children very enthusiastically. At the last night, camp fire was organized by SCI volunteers with the children, young volunteers, CCH staff and principal of the school. All the volunteers were happy and satisfied with the workcamp and expressed their gratitude to the organizers of SCI Sri Lanka and CCH for giving them this wonderful time to engage with the children and villagers of Vatharavattai village.

Final report of SCI workcamp - Jaffna. Vatharavattai Children’s Resource Center DevelopmentBy Sandamali Jayasinghe, Camp leader

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Dates : 20th to 26th of February 2016Arrival : 20th. 3pmDeparture : 26th. 11am

Accommodation: Y-loft, 12th Floor, Youth Square, Chai Wan, Hong Kong, ChinaActivity Venue: 6th Floor, 603 Meeting Room (from 9am to 6pm)Office: 8th Floor, room 813 from 8am to 11pm

Aim: The training will focus on how social media can be used when publishing workcamps and peace related activities to the general public in an effective way. It will create a general understanding of how Internet based media functions and how to utilise the online publishing tools to make awareness and visibility to our work. It will also focus on the responsibilities comes with it when representing SCI as an organisation.

Participants: It is envisioned to bring together a group of young SCI activists from the Asia and Europe. The participants will be selected according to their motivation, involvement with their branch and their experience in social media related work.

Trainers: 3 external trainers (full time)

• Sam – Coordinator / group dynamics / learning process / • Dennis, Chris, Eric • External trainer (Europe)

Trainer – We are looking for a trainer to work in a non-formal learning setting with a team to deliver a social media training in Hong Kong from 20 to 26th of February. The person should have expertise in producing audio-visual material. As such the trainer should be familiar with creative script writing and mentor the participants in their own creative processes.

Conditions: Travel reimbursement is foreseen within budgetary limits. Should be available for online preparatory meetings. Should arrive in Hong Kong on the 19th of February. Should be willing to contribute to reporting process after the training. Trainer’s fee to be discussed.

Content: The following areas will be covered in the training:

01. Digital Marketing: 6 hoursFrom the mainstream marketing point of view the participants will learn how the social media is used in promoting businesses. This part will cover the technical points when optimizing impact of social media. Through this participants will learn how to make use of social media to promote workcamps and related work.

02. Responsible use of social media: 6 hoursWhen using social media there are limitations and dangers it represents. The users must be fully aware of the limitations and the responsibilities when representing an organisation. Social media ethical guidelines can be developed for SCI as part of this session.

03. Content Management: 18 hoursDepending on their own interest the participants will work on one of the following streams in order to develop technical skills. • Video Making • Publications including blogging • Photography • Website management

04. Social media as an advocacy tool: 6 hoursThis covers how the social media can be used as a tool for advocacy, networking and campaigning.

Prep-teamNumber of members 05 • Sam Jayasinghe – SCI Hong Kong (logistics) • Ella Suleymangil • Sarah Keoksal • Trainer

Glovola Project Social Media TrainingHong Kong, China

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Top: Destroyed house of one of sci-nepal-activist.

Right:State of walls inside the school.

End of September/Beginning of October I was in Nepal.

Below some pictures of relief-projects of SCI Nepal:

Reliefwork with SCI NepalBy Wilbert

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Top and left: School of Balthali (nearby Panauti), reconstruction - and activities-project

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Clockwise from top: a. Temporary shelter, built by Bhaktapur groupb. Clearing the way to the toilets – Hari, Bhaktapurc. Toilet and hygiene project Bhaktapur

Dear Readers,

Hope you had enjoy this issue as much as the editor team The year 2015 has come to and end, we have seen lots of happening around the world. Let us stay united as a citizen of world and do what we do best.5th December is our big day… Happy International Volunteer Day!!

I would also like to share a quote by the famous Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau

Thank you so much volunteers of SCI! You all have been an agent of Peace for the world and keep up the great work

Just a friendly reminder, do join us at Social Media Training in Hong Kong next February 2016. We look forward to see you all there.

To everyone Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2016!

Best wishes; Nurul, Wilbert, Maria, Hanae and Pat

We would love to hear from you. Do write to us at asianvoicessci@gmail.com

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End NoteBy Hanae, Wilbert, Nurul, Pat & Maria