The youth entrepreneurship workshop felt a lot like sleep-away camp, except I’ve never been a counselor, and some of the campers were my seniors. Like camp because we were at the beautiful, rustic Bohol Bee Farm…away from chores and responsibilities and parents and annoying siblings…for many of our participants it was probably the first time in their lives they spent the night apart from their families, a rare chance to eat a dinner someone else cooked (with organic vegetables and organic red rice!) Like camp cuz all the youth stayed up gossiping way past bedtime. Like camp cuz nobody knew each other at the beginning, and by the end nobody wanted to leave each other. Plenty of times for games (a.k.a. teambuilding exercises/icebreakers) such as the human knot and the game with no name.
But there was also the workshop part of it, which I think I’ve explained to some extent before. Business is not for everybody, myself included (sometimes I’m not sure how I’ve earned the title “business advisor,” but there were some there who seemed very enlightened by our modules on production, marketing, etc. At the very least, all the participants can return to their communities and provide advice to those who are in business or who are contemplating starting one (and brag about the organic veggie lasagna.)
At the workshop we also watched one of the saddest videos imaginable. “No Time for Play” is about child labor in The Philippines. It would be bad enough if these kids simply had no time to play, but there is also no time for school.
Worse still, there are many jobs reserved for kids that provide tremendous health hazards. Kids at gold mines often suffer broken bones from falling debris. In order to extract the small nuggets of gold, barehanded handling of mercury is required. To make brooms, children must wade through swamps to gather the fibers. Their wounds and scabies never get the chance to recover. Fireworks factories experience explosions on a regular basis. Sardine canneries are staffed by child slaves, lured away from their families by false promises of big money.
There are laws in place prohibiting child labor, but it takes brave politicians and non-government workers to do anything about enforcement. The employers are very powerful, and like cheap labor. And the families need income to eat. It’s a complicated problem, and I have no idea what to think about it. Neither did anyone watching the video. At least we know the problem is out there. I know I’ll try to think harder and be more aware of the sources of things I buy.
On a happier note, about six years ago, Vicky at Bohol Bee Farm decided she wanted to garden on her land. But the terrain is very rocky, and many people told her she had no chance. She began composting, and she tossed the compost on top of the rocks. Viola! She now has a gorgeous, thriving, fragrant garden, capable of providing edible-flower adorned organic salad for upwards of 50 people a day. And the honey squash muffins are da bomb!