The lovely new APJB Team!

Ciaran from New Zealand  and Kevin from Indonesia join in Sofia and Sam for a year of awesomeness.

We gave our ex-APJB team member Rowan a group hug before he left! Thanks for everything, Rowan!

IJBC says Hello

ANZAC 2012!

ANZAC was..

                                                                 Hard work...

General Silliness.. 

                                                                      And extreme...


- Sophie Presland
New Zealand 

One Sizzlin' Competition!

HELLO ASIA!

Do you want to spice up next year’s JASPARC experience? Do you also want to help contribute more with our working groups and still have huge loads of fun? Here’s how you can do it!    

1.     Visit our official APJB blog (apjb.blogspot.com) and help us add more entries!

2.     For every blog entry a member of your respective Junior Branch contributes, you will accumulate a number of points!

a.     Pictures of doing the Deed of the Day (a new section of our blog coming soon!) = 2 points!

b.     Blog Entry with Pictures = 4 points!

c.      Video Blog Entry of a JB get together/event (Maximum length of 1:30 minutes) = 6 points!

3.  The more points your country accumulates, the better your chances at winning the grand prize in JASPARC 2013!

4. What's the grand prize, you may ask? Stay tuned to our blog! We will announce what it is much nearer to the date of JASPARC 2013!

Peace One Day Australia!

CISV Victoria took to the main square in Melbourne to celebrate Peace Day through the idea of One Day One Word from the IJB community. We had people of all ages helping recruit the people of Melbourne to share their idea of peace with us in one word. We had around 40 people write their words on our peace board and had some great discussions with people about why we were there.

Heath recruiting people 

What people wrote!

- Heath Puddefoot 
    Victoria, Australia

Peace one day in Vietnam

Last Sunday September 23^rd, JBVN organized the event Peace one day for all CISV members. With the great spirit of CISV, the event was a general success as it had been anticipated.

Close to 70 people participated in a simulation game (creatively designed by JBVN core), which was divided into 3 main parts: Resource hunt, Peace hunt and Aftermath. In Resource hunt, participants were divided into groups of 10 and groups were to find resources for their “countries” from a total of 6 Chinese master stations located all over the park. In Peace hunt, groups were to negotiate and trade resources with one another. Wars were declared between the groups “countries” when an agreement could not be reached. After witnessing the consequences from multiple wars, we moved on to the last section Aftermath, in which we sat back to discuss the game together.

Through the game, JBVN would like to send out the message that “Peace is impossible to achieve if we are so blinded by individual profits that we forget about others”.

Some thoughts from JBVN core members: As this was the first time our new core has ever come together to organize a big event, we were both very excited and worried. Afterwards, we were really happy to see that the participants not only enjoyed the event very much, but they also gave us lots of support and encouragement. This made us determined to organized more cool and meaningful events for CISV Vietnam in the future.

Nguyen Hoang Dung - JBVN

Philippines Peace Day tribute!

JB Manila Challenge!

Whip it!

Whip it group photo!

WHIP IT.What is WHIP IT? Well, WHIP IT isn’t a camp, it’s a workshop. I figured that out right as soon as I arrived at the campsite. So no flag ups or downs, no kitos, no lullabies, and more learning than the usual camp. WHIP IT is short for “Workshops Happening In the Philippines and Indonesia, Thanks!” And I find it really interesting how they made up those kinds of words because it isn’t the official meaning.

So this camp, or should I say, workshop, is five days and four nights long. The WHIP IT I went to is the third one and the theme was WHIP IT TREE. Since a tree has roots to start with, WHIP IT TREE is practically going back to the basics. I learned a lot about JB 101 on the first day. I realized that the actual purpose of CISV and the JBs is much greater than what I once thought. The workshop moved me. I was really inspired. I respect CISV much more now, not just as worldwide peace organization that holds international camps, but as an organization that “Educates and inspires action for a more just and peaceful world”. And yeah, they told me to memorize that line, and I did.

So we have more free time and freedom in this workshop since they consider us as more mature people. So we don’t have lights out, can stay up as late as we want, and they even let us bring cellphones as long as we’re responsible for it.  So every night we pretty much spent our time at someone’s room just talking, playing cards and mind games, truth or dare, or just random stuff. It was really fun, even the facilitators joined us one night. On the last night, me and one of my friends from the Philippines stayed up the whole night. It was awkward, knowing that we were literally surrounded by people that fell asleep by accident in the middle of the game, but we survived through the night.

All I can say is that WHIP IT is so different compared to usual camps. We have planning groups, learned about briefing and debriefing, learned about leadership, content areas, differences, much much more knowledge on CISV especially on JBs, and we bonded A LOT. We even learned about silly abbreviations like DR GA. And since my only program was Interchange, I didn’t really know what a camp felt like. This experience was really memorable. It’s really funny how the Pinoys were addicted to TehBotol, and how the Indonesians were addicted to Polvoron. God I miss those guys. Even writing this makes me kinda sad cause I can’t see them for at least eleven more months.

 I have to admit that I am not good at telling stories at all, but all I can say is I miss WHIP IT. It was really great. I miss how we bonded, I miss how we learned, I miss how went crazy at night, and I especially, miss the people, the activities, the killing game. I can’t even describe how sad I felt when it was over. Lots of people may not know this, but I almost cried when it came to goodbyes. It’s amazing how much I learned about CISV after the program, especially about JBs. It’s also really amazing how much we learned from other chapters on how they develop and make their JBs more active in CISV. Even now, my LJR’s have really big plans for our chapter. And I’m just really proud to be a part of it all.

- Vanessa Angelica
Indonesia 

IJBC 2012

Hey everybody!

IJBC is happening in Paris right now! To follow what's going on, look for the hashtag #IJBC12 on Twitter, or follow "News of the IJBC' on Facebook! They've got some awesome stuff there so go check it out.

https://www.facebook.com/newsoftheIJBC

Camp Kaleidoscope

Last summer, The Manila chapter had, a summer camp style beachcamp held in Morong, Bataan. In line with this years theme on sustainable development, we facilitators figured that the theme as a whole was such a broad topic to tackle in a few days. So we broke it down so that our 14-16 yo participants could closely relate to it. 

In CISV, sustainable development is social, economical and the most understood of all, environmental. We wanted to develop from that notion of sus dev being all about saving the environment into something that starts from a single person, an agent of change ! Before teens start to contribute to the preservation of our surroundings, they have to realize and learn about themselves. Sus Dev is something that involves the cooperation of a lot of people so we incorporated topics as basic as dealing with family and friends or people you don't like and building and sustaining relationship. These were the themes assigned to each planning group for their activities. 

Our goal for this minicamp was mainly for our participants to learn something new about themselves. We are confident to say that we achieved this goal while having the most fun with our 50 kids in doing so!

To share some of her experiences in camp, here's Bea Recto!


One thing I really appreciated about Kaleidoscope was the fact that we planned our own activities. At first, it seemed kinda stressful because we're all so used to just participating but it really gave us the chance to see the planning aspect of CISV. I like how it gave us the the opportunity to bond with our planning groups and discover more things about ourselves too. With all things to consider in planning the activities, it made my group really work together and it pushed me to be creative and original. It helped me realize the strengths I had as a planner and it contributed to the reason why this camp was so unique. 

An activity that really left an impact on me was the Mirror Game that the staff prepared. We were asked to close our eyes and sit in a circle. One by one, we'd open our eyes and a mirror would be placed before us. The staff would ask us questions about the person we saw in front of us. some of the questions were, "What would this person liked to be known for?" or "What are the things this person can improve on?", these simple questions made me think twice about myself. It made me question if I really knew myself or not. But I believe, the activity gave me a really good perspective on the things I can improve on. It gave me the chance to express how I really felt about myself. And I think that's what This camp was really for. This camp helped us realize that change must start with ourselves, because without which, sustainable development can never be achieved by me and you.


- Jaime and Bea Recto
Philippines 

Camp shirt!

Train of Love! WOOOOH! 

Kaleidoscope Staff!
[ Ria, Anton, Anika, Coby, Janine, Jaime, Chrissie]

Campers enjoying the beach!

Paper lanterns with each of their pledges! 

Camp photo at the beach! 

Photos from Ria Campos

Whip it!

Shout out from Whip it 2012!

- Kendra
Indonesia 

ANZAC Biscuit Challenge!

The scene is set the plate of massive (not even Rowan could fit a whole one in his mouth) ANZAC Biscuits laid in wait of the Auckland JB ready to be devoured. Our first challenge was how to accommodate those with braces as my baking proved to hard to chew on. It was the Genius Georgia who decided that the best way to eat them was to soften them with milk, so in a bowl went chopped biscuits and milk and left to soften.

Now it was bushiness time. It was time for Auckland JB to show the world how AMAZING we all are but proving how delicious,interesting,entertaining a simple thing like a Biscuit can be. And I can assure you we succeeded.

The Great ANZAC Battle has been a good experience and the next opportunity to do something like this again will be happily taken on by Auckland JB. 

- Devon Pidgeon
New Zealand 

Hey guys! Check out this video sent to us from our NZJB friends!

JB RACE 2012

Last May 26, 2012, the 7^thannual CISV JB Race was held in Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife Center. Eight teams dressed in their carefully chosen team colors gathered around in the park’s Fishing Village as early as 9 a.m. to get ready for the race, though the race proper did not start until around 10:50 a.m.

While the teams did their morning exercises, filled up on food, and charged up with a few energizers, the Station Masters were busy fixing their stations and reviewing its mechanics. There were ten stations in all, and each station revolved around the theme of sustainable development, the chosen subject matter of the year. The activities of the stations ranged from trivia, puzzle, and logic games, to water transfer relays and giant, life-sized chessboards. 

When the Station Masters finished all their preparations and the teams were all pumped up and ready to go, the long awaited “go signal” was finally alarmed and each team rushed out of the race headquarters to get to their first station which was encircled on a map they were given. Just like the past JB Races, after a team completed a station, they would have their race “passport” signed by the Station Masters who could allot a maximum of 20 points. However, some stations gave extra points to teams who could tell a good joke or do a dare, which can be a huge bonus becausein the JB Race, it’s the score that matters, not the speed.

After three hours under the sun, the race finally ended at 1:40 p.m. Everyone then met up at the race headquarters for a hearty lunch, refreshments, and a cheerful chat. The Tuck Shop was open, as always, to sell a few unique CISV merchandise.

Then awarding time came andeach team sat together and crossed their fingers, hoping for the best results. But only one team could be named the JB Race 2012 winner, and that team was none other than Team Jose Andres Lopa.The JB Race wrapped up at 3 p.m. with nothing less than the CISV anthem and a multitude of good memories.

- Beatrice Tinio Ladaw             
   Philippines        

CISV!!
Issel Jayme, Tessa Santos, Rafa Partose, Nacho Villanueva

The JB Race planners! 

Stations!

First Team to finish!
Louie Jacob,  Shantel Gruenberg, Sarina Sulit, JA Lopa, Isabel Puno

Group Picture!!

Photos taken by Issel Jayme

      

Pato's Last High School Summer

Ilocos Norte

Madrid

Marinduque

- Pato Casabuena
Philippines

We Challenge YOU! TEA and ANZAC!

- Philippines and Indonesia

JB Race!

Every year the Quezon City JB's put together a race!
Here's a video that can tell you all about it!

- Paeng Paner
Philippines 

The APJB introduction video

Storybook

Lyrics to an Original Composition!
by Isabel Villar
Manila, Philippines

You and me will never have chemistry, maybe just a tragedy, knowing this is killing me.

I, don't know what to say, cause you're to far away

But i want you to stay, cause the pain won't go away.

Cause we're just people in a storybook you took what you wanted.

Now i'm stranded on page 10..when will i reach the end?

all i want is a hand to hold someone to love, no it's never enough.

You're too far away, i'd get on a jetplane to fly to your page

The author, wrote another story when you left the book.

Yeah, i've reached the end but i've lost a friend.

You're not in...any of the pages, all i see are faces, unfamiliar.

(chorus)

Where are you?! I'm here all alone... with no hand to hold..

I've read the end.. It said...

There's a next chapter, and that's where i'll find my happily ever after.

My first CISV camp

It all started during the last few weeks of school. I was online in facebook when suddenly a friend of mine messaged me and said that I should join this camp called Camp Fiesta. As I  was opening the Infopack i suddenly felt the need to go to the camp. Haha! I know it sounds desperate but hey, kids just wanna have fun! Anyways, I ran to my parents, and asked them if I could go. At first they thought it was a bad idea because they thought I wouldn't be able to take care of myself which was kind of true. Hehe! But eventually after days of nagging and convincing, they finally said yes. The day after, that I got an email from one of the facilitators that there were no more slots for kids. I was sad of course cause I really wanted to go.

A few days passed and I totally forgot about it, then suddenly my phone rang and I got an email. My face brightened up as I read the message saying that there was room for a few more kids! I was the happiest person in the world. I was jumping up and down my bed, and yes, I fell off. So school was over and I began crossing out the days left before Camp fiesta. After days and days of waiting it finally came! I was all packed up and ready to go.  When I to the waiting station I noticed all the other bags were small compared to mine. Then I felt embarrassed cause it looked like I packed clothes good enough for me to move out! So them I said my goodbyes to my mother and I boarded the bus. At first I sat alone because I didn't know anyone there. Minutes passed then suddenly the girls beside me start telling their friend to accompany me. I must thank them for that because if it weren't for them I would have died of boredom on the bus. We shared jokes and smiles and random stories to keep us busy. We finally arrive at this beautiful resort and I was so excited, it's like I wanted to run around and do cartwheels even if I had no idea how to. We had a lot of activities on the first day and I was able to meet a lot of new friends and believe me it was hard trying to memorize their names. As recall there were four of us girls with almost the same name but eventually I was able to remember all.


 I loved all the activities but the one I loved most was Dead bodies. It was probably the funniest of them all.  My favorite part of the day would probably be the Lullabies because hearing the sound of everyone's voices singing in harmony gave me butterflies. Hehe! On the third day, we had a fiesta! It was a blast! It was probably the most fun i've had in a long time. Of all the days, this was my favorite because it made me realize something. After I singing for the talent show, I was given many compliments for my voice. But in the past, I was told differently. That's why I'd like to thank my camp mates and facilitators because they taught me to reach for my dream and never give up until I've finally got a hold of it. Because of them I continued something I thought I'd never be able to do. Because of them I believed in myself. That someone like me can be Someone and do Something. Thank you guys, from the bottom of my heart, I thank you.

On the last day, it was quite sad because we knew we had to part ways and go back to our daily lives. I'll admit I even cried. Not because I was sad, but because I was happy  and thankful it happened. It was a pleasure being a part of Camp Fiesta. I was able to meet new friends and it changed my way of thinking and it changed me as a person. It changed me for the better. Camp Fiesta truly was the best four days of my life. Believe me when I say I'd give anything to have it back, for words cannot describe the joy this camp has given me.  

- Isabel Villar
Manila, Philippines