
Isla Bilang-bilangan, a drifting islet in Bohol will be one of the island exposure sites of the Earthkeepers Summit in November catering to environmental theme on rising sea levels. (Photo courtesy of Leslie Garcia)
Tagbilaran City, Bohol - The Local Organizing Committees of the Student Catholic Action of the Philippines, through the CM-SCA Secretariat in partnership with the Social Action Center in the Diocese of Tagbilaran, are currently completing ocular visits of 20 exposure sites set for the 1st Earthkeepers Summit (E-Summit) to happen during the 80th anniversary culmination event of the movement and the 75th Diamond Jubilee Celebration of the Diocese of Tagbilaran this coming November 10 to 13, 2016.
Three hundred participants are expected to attend the program. They will be divided to various inland, coastline and island exposure sites that will cater to a number of environmental themes which include, Development and ME (Mother Earth), Urban Poor and ME, Housing Relocation and ME, ME's changing shorelines, Living on a Danger Zone (flood-prone, storm surge areas), Fishing after Earthquake, ME's rising water levels.

SCA Tagbilaran LOC conducting site visit in one of the island exposure sites (Photo courtesy of Leslie Garcia)
Participants will stay overnight in their respective exposure sites which will happen during the first day of the program. The following days will be a series of plenaries, workshops, interactive and reflection sessions.
The summit will apply the See-Judge-Act methodology of Joseph Cardinal Cardijn wherein participants will share and process their experience and deeply analyze the cause and impacts to the environment. Furthermore, there will be a time for silence and reflection, connecting the reality to the Encyclical of Pope Francis, Laudato Si. On the final day, the participants will focus on proposing concrete actions and projects in response to what they have experienced.
The E-Summit registration is still open for interested student leaders, chaplains, animators and youth ministers until September 30, 2016. Contact the SCAP National Secretariat for more details.