VOLUNTEER

CANADIAN VOLUNTEER PROGRAM

We welcome Canadians who are willing to invest a segment of their respective lives advancing Peace and Reconciliation practices.

First, you have to contact a representative from Mennonite Church Canada Witness. Look for Gordon Janzen.  He’s our facilitator.  Tell him you’re interested about the PeaceBuilders Community in the Philippines.  At our Winnipeg office, you’ll be given all the information, participant qualifications, and pre-flight orientation you’ll need.

We are open to receive volunteers who would commit to serve with us for 6 months, 1 year, 2 years, or 3 years.

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CURRENT VOLUNTEERS

JENNA GRUBAUGH

In January 2010, a group of friends from Vancouver, British Columbia visited Mindanao for our Peace and Reconciliation Field Exposure Program. Jenna was one of them. After a few months, she expressed her interest in spending more time in the Philippines and wondered if there would be a possibility for her and her husband, Keith, to serve as interns with PeaceBuilders Community. Jenna’s educational background is in Peace and Justice Studies and Theater.

Jenna now serves as our Theatre Arts Specialist.

When asked about the significance of Theatre Arts in advancing Peace and Reconciliation in Mindanao, she answered: In pursuing peace and reconciliation in Mindanao, theater arts can play an important role by breaking down the false barriers that divide us. Because theatre is an art form that can be accessed by anyone – no matter how much education they have, what religious beliefs they hold, or what language they speak – it can be a powerful way to communicate Christ’s gospel of love, acceptance, and true shalom. It is also an extremely accessible and feasible way to provide an outlet for self-expression and to call attention to issues that are important to a community. I’m excited for the potential outcome of collaborating with the people of Mindanao through the medium of theatre!

jenna@peacebuilderscommunity.org

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KEITH GRUBAUGH

Keith is from LaGrange, Indiana, USA and studied accounting at Trinity Western University in British Columbia, Canada. We invited Keith to help enhance the business and financial systems of PBCI as it expands to be a national ministry. We also expect him to learn about Philippine national business and financial systems that are relevant and appropriate to our own economic and cultural contexts. After his internship, Keith would have transfered many of his technical training and expertise—like, cost-benefit analysis of our projects, writing project proposals to international economic development organizations, writing business plans—to our Support Operations Team.

Keith is our Business and Accounting Specialist.

Asked how he feels about his role at PBCI: I feel truly privileged to be a part of the PBCI team and am excited to play my small role in securing the financial foundation for an organization that will help direct the Filipino culture towards a peaceful future. (Is that ok, or were you looking for something else? I’m very excited to be here and feel truly blessed to be a part of this amazing organization.)

keith@peacebuilderscommunity.org

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MATT TIESSEN

Matt is a good student of cross-cultural relationship building.  He loves Filipino food, especially pusit(squid)!  He thrives in our traffic system–seeing the order in the midst of seeming chaos!  He has learned to work with Filipino mechanics in local repair shops.  Matt is our Transporter.  Repeat: Matt is ourTransporter.  If you’ll see the movie with the same title, just subtract the violent actions, and you’ll see Matt.  He transports our team to places that most professional drivers in the Philippines would not even dare to go, negotiating the difficult, critical, off-road areas in rural Mindanao.

He’s our Canadian Intern – Transportation and Communications.

Asked how he sees his role as a technical support person at PBCI:  It is very important to keep our vehicle fit for service so that we don’t get stranded in a critical area.  Along with maintaining the vehicle, it is important for me to be a smart, safe, and efficient driver, getting my passengers safely and efficiently to our destination.

matt@peacebuilderscommunity.org

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PAST VOLUNTEERS

MEGAN ENNS

While Megan is here in Mindanao, she will be working with PBCI’s Field Operations, assisting Kriz Cruzado as a Research and Development Assistant.  She is writing a report on PBCI’s best practices in their Ranao PAR Zone.  She’s also writing project proposals to assist the funding of PBCI field operations. We like Megan’s positive attitude as she immerses herself in various cultural settings in Mindanao.  Megan has demonstrated excellent cross-cultural flexibility: she accompanied her team mate shopping for food in a local wet market in Lanao del Norte; she also learned to cook local food for our Maranao volunteers.

She was our Canadian Intern – Research and Development.

Asked about her internship goals here at PBCI:  During my three months at PeaceBuilders Community Inc (PBCI) I hope to become properly oriented to the theology and mission of PBCI and understand how that is represented in their operations. This placement will serve as an internship for my Bachelor of Arts in International Development and Peace and Conflict Transformation Studies… through my understanding of PBCI work I hope to take awareness of their work back to Canada to share with my different communities.

megan@peacebuilderscommunity.org

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DARNELL BARKMAN

Darnell was our intern whose primary task was to complete his academic papers on Peace Theology.  Most of his materials were gathered from his field experiences including fact finding missions, emergency medical and relief operations, and conflict transformation processes.  He’s a wonderful, relational, culturally-flexible person.  He’s a budding peace-building leader.

He’s our Canadian Volunteer Coordinator

Asked what is his prayer for Christians in the middle of this war-torn global reality: My prayer is that the members of the Church of Jesus Christ will be full of scripture and committed to acting out the commands of Jesus.  I pray that we will live lives of active, indiscriminate love for all people of all ethnicity, religion and age. All of the laws, all of the prophets and all of the New Testament hang on the command to love God and to loveall people.

darnell@peacebuilderscommunity.org

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CHRISTINA BARTEL BARKMAN

Christina started as an intern doing Peace Education.  When our leadership team read her reports and reflections about her experiences in the field, we appointed her as our Acting Communications Coordinator.  She has learned to articulate the historical context and the socio-political dynamics of the conflict in Mindanao.  Her writing is well-received by key leaders among the peace-building advocates in our network.  Christina has been doing a great job!

She’s now our Global Communications Coordinator

Asked how she sees her role at PeaceBuilders Community:  PBCI is not just a Mindanao peace movement, but a global one.  I want to help bring international awareness to the Mindanao conflict and support the people affected by the war through advocacy on a global scale.

christina@peacebuilderscommunity.org