Monday 17 December 2007

Green Fundraising for a Green World Youth Day--possible?

After almost two months of my stay here in Australia, I still can't do away with converting Australian dollars to my own currency in the Philippines. Either I end up not buying at all or I fall on a guilt trip afterward. Yes, everything out here in the land 'down under' is big.I came over here to help organize the next YPD training session in 2008 and to do something different. However, I still worry about the immense budget that the program will have. As to the big program in Sydney, I close my eyes and force myself to think of other things other than the onerous amount involved at such a gathering. The encounters made among different cultures, experiences, faiths, and ages is not quantifiable. But, drawing closer to the issue on climate change, I take a different stance and take a pledge to be creative in tackling the whole thing.Meetings, endless trainings and reflections were held in the preparation for next year. Most of it will touch on monetary concerns. Positively, we say that things will be all right. We bank on the generousity of people. We bank on the enthusiasm of the world to 'hop down under'. Still, the onerous requirement for those days loom into the picture.What have I done so far? What have we done so far? We push for the eco-solidarity thinking and look at carbon credits for the World Youth Day to move at a smoother pace. At the local level, we strive hard to put green actions and fund raising together. We just successfully launched the "Walk to church" campaign. Those that brought their cars were 'fined' a dollar for the Green World Youth Day program. We raised around $ 400 out of it. We are selling native plants in thanksgiving to the parishioners. I still feel inadequate with all the initiatives. Still, I dream of having a green fundraising for a greener world youth day.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Pretty good post. I just stumbled upon your blog and wanted to say that I have really enjoyed reading your blog posts.


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