Get Involved!

Alexandra Woodward reports on the successful first SDIA/SYA volunteer camp in Amanecer, Colombia…

From June 24th to July 12th 2009, Amanecer was filled with young voices, youthful energy, and the clanging of building work. For this first annual International Volunteer/Work Camp co-sponsored by SDIA and SYA, Fundacion Amanecer was selected as the first SDIA member project to benefit from this unique volunteer experience. The camp drew 22 volunteers under the age of 35 from Australia, England, the USA, various Colombian cities, and Amanecer itself. They worked hard every day to rebuild a dilapidated school building and then to host educational activities for the local schoolchildren.

The volunteers started work at 8 am, finished around 5 pm, and hung out doing various activities until the early hours of the morning. The beneficiaries were Amanecer’s two schools: Semillitas, a program for toddlers from severely disadvantaged families in the nearby areas, and Nuestra Señora de Fatimah, a small school for children up to 12 years of age that utilizes more creative educational strategies and has a more hands-on approach than the government schools.

Hard graft

The first week and a half was spent exclusively on construction work. This started on the afternoon of Wednesday, June 24th, with the collection of debris around the school area. Although only about 7 volunteers were present, they cleared guadua, a thick, firm plant (similar to bamboo in structure) used for building frames, and giant leaves (used for the roof) from the already partially-demolished classroom that they would be rebuilding. As these materials were all in very poor shape and unable to be reused, they were brought to a field where a bonfire pit had been set up.

The next day 14 volunteers came out to help. With the gentle, experienced leadership of David Adonay, they tore down the remaining walls of the existing building, cleared away more debris, and began to flatten a small hill next to the building so that the area could be used for students’ recreational activities. The process was complicated by a small, dead tree that sat atop the hill, but this was merely a challenge for the hard workers. By the following morning, although volunteers’ hands had blistered in the process, the hill – and the tree – was gone, and the volunteers moved on to pouring concrete, cleaning guadua poles, and lifting and tying the guaduas for the building’s framework.

Sharing

Work continued in this way for the remainder of the first half of the camp. The day began early, but volunteers stuck enthusiastically to the mission, driven by a newfound sense of community, belonging, and purpose. This was especially reinforced at mealtimes.

…volunteers stuck enthusiastically to the mission, driven by a newfound sense of community, belonging, and purpose.

Although 8 volunteers lived in Amanecer itself, and therefore ate breakfast at home, they all shared lunches and dinners from the community restaurant everyday. It was an important opportunity to feel united, to tell stories, and to plan next steps. It was at mealtimes that volunteers engaged in discussions about the current state and image of their communities and of Subud youth, what their frustrations and hopes were and how they saw themselves moving forward.

In the second full week of the camp, children from both schools finished their vacations and re-entered classes.
Every morning the volunteers led educational activities: teaching English; using the process of making fruit salad to teach colors, tastes, numbers, and spelling; planting a vegetable garden and painting garden ornaments; playing relay games; swimming; and treasure hunting with the children’s families. During the afternoons, volunteers continued constructing the school building.

In both phases of the camp, evening activities included campfires, reflective workshops organized by Subud members, sharing of Subud experiences over coffee and cake, latihan and kejiwaan work, language lessons, music sessions, and games of cards and ping pong. There were community selamatans for both the opening and closing of the camp, and a kejiwaan day with Colombia’s national helpers. Volunteers did not do building work the first weekend but still gathered to play sports and do other bonding activities. They worked on the Saturday of the remaining two weekends.

There were three sponsored outings. Upon the news of Hamilton Manley’s passing, volunteers used one workday to rest, visit the city of Armenia, and host a selamatan, which the entire community of Amanecer attended. The second outing was an all-day trip to Salento, a small, colonial town on a mountaintop, and the Cocora valley below. Volunteers climbed to an overlook, rode jeeps deep into the valley, hiked down to a river, and ate the region’s famed trout and flattened plantain. The trip served as a very important step in building trust, confidence, and comfort among the group. Lastly, as a goodbye, the group went to a restaurant together in Armenia on the final night of the camp.

Real results

Although the school building was not entirely completed by the end of the camp, volunteers continued to work with Mr Adonay afterwards to finish the remaining bits.
In fact, this dedication was one of the most significant results of the camp – the youth experienced a renewed sense of unity, responsibility, and eagerness to get involved in Subud life, which had severely waned due to past disappointments and resentments.

Many of the volunteers themselves were even youth that had decided not to have anything to do with the camp. When they saw everyone gathering to help, however, they joined in, some even taking leadership roles. For weeks after the end of the camp, these same youth continued the tradition of gathering together every night.

The community of Amanecer also responded in a very positive way. Residents often sent refreshments to the volunteers during the workday. They offered their homes, porches, and coffee so volunteers would have comfortable places to rest and hang out. They shared selamatans and ran errands. They did latihan and testing all the time and at any time. Even some of the community children helped by picking up litter, making decorations for events, and gathering residents..

The volunteers filled out evaluation forms, and the directing board also wrote a report of their experiences. It seems that, on the whole, the camp was quite successful by the standards of all involved. However, areas of further growth include more structured bonding activities, clearer communication between coordinators and the Amanecer directing board, and stricter adherence to daily plans.

I stayed in Colombia for a month after the camp’s end, and I had the privilege of engaging many community residents in deep, heartfelt discussion about the nature of life at Amanecer and the real impact of the camp.

All agreed that the resurgence of youth involvement was absolutely critical to the health of the community, to Subud life, and to the youth themselves. Elder members felt invigorated and hopeful, and were eagerly hoping for a more permanent shift. They all believed the camp was a unique and significant Subud gathering with real potential, and they hoped for its return to Amanecer in the future.

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