Photo of the youths segregating the rubbish they have collected.
Last June an invitation to the JPIC desk; it was a request for assistance in Rabi Island. I had been to the island before - twice, in fact - to attend the ordination of two of our young Columban priests. In those times, I only saw a portion of the island and mingled with the people very shortly. My team and I responded to this request and immediately prepared for what was requested of us. We travelled in the middle of August to conduct ‘Journey to Laudato Si’ Workshop on August 24-28, 2020. The team prepared three sets of experience-based modules - for children, youth, and adult - to guide the team and the participants during the week. These modules were adapted from CAFOD and inspired by the Awakening the Dreamer’s 4 Question format: a) Where are we? b) How did we get here? c) What is possible now? d) Where do we go from here?
The JPIC team members to Rabi consisted of myself, Evangeline Ucol, Cecilia Vatuloka from Suva and Columban Fr Taaremon Maatuea, Tabai Ionca and Beren Teresia from Rabi. The team from Suva was warmly welcomed by a sumptuous lunch out from the gifts of the sea lovingly prepared by St Peter community. The week began at Rabi High School on Monday morning speaking to 45 Year 6 and Year 7 students. Due to communication mishap, the team was faced with the challenge to fuse the one-day design of the program into two hours’ tops. The teachers also attended it. The talk concluded with the students signing the pledge, which we had hand-painted on a 3-meter canvas cloth.
Rabi High School students
The following day, Tuesday, the team visited and spoke to the class 6 and class 7 students of Tabiang Primary School. With the two hours that we were given, we gave the same CAFOD adapted module with content and method appropriate for children. At the end of session, the children were asked to write five (5) things they can promise to do to The participants were encouraged to identify the environmental issues that they experienced in the island. Some of the identified issues are drying up of water sources and shortage of water, sea-level rise, soil erosion, pollution, deforestation, changes in weather pattern, flooding, lesser and lesser catch, damaged corals, slash-and-burn method of clearing for farming, coastal erosion, etc. Moreover, they were also encouraged to identify some of their unexamined assumptions towards creation. This was done so to identify the root causes of these environmental issues they are facing.
The participants were encouraged to share their new dream of future Rabi and it is called “To Remember A Beautiful Island”.
Some of the examined assumptions they enumerated are: The earth is rich and it is our provider. But we have been using its resources as if it has unlimited. We overfish, catching even the undersized fish. We cut down trees but not even thinking of replacing them. We are comfortable using the slash-and-burn method to clear up the land we want to farm on. We use a lot of chemicals to assist our agricultural production and think that it is okay to do so. We do not dispose of our rubbish; we just throw them anyhow and anywhere.
Tabiang Primary School Students
The last day of the workshop, Friday, was met with anticipation of the day’s sessions: What is possible now? and Where do we go from here? The participants were encouraged to share their new dream of future Rabi and it is called “To Remember A Beautiful Island”. This gradually led to the answering of the last question of the day, “Where do we go from here?” by drafting their own community climate action plan.
The young people, together with their mentors, enthusiastically drafted their plans and gladly shared it with the big group. The day concluded with an ecumenical prayer service. This service was decided as so because there were participants who are members of other faith communities such as Methodist, Baha’I, Islam, and Seventh Day Adventist. After the prayer service, participants were inspired to sign the Laudato Si’ Pledge banner, the same banner which the students sign on the previous days. Lastly, to mark the week and launch the Season of Creation in the island, the JPIC team and the participants planted at least thirty coconut trees.
Marjorie Engcoy (CLM) is the JPIC Coordinator in Fiji.
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