Story of Young teduray

Iwasoverwhelmedbyhowtheyoungpeople havesomuchcreativityandstoriestotell thatcanamplifyouradvocacyfortri-people community.Iamsogratefulforthisart

My name is Jay Jomar Mosela, and I was born in the mountainous region of Upi, Maguindanao Del Norte. My childhood was spent being content with who we are and what we are; it is a simple and enjoyable way of leaving without hesitation because we are in an intact community. As I grew older, I experienced being bullied for being who I am as Teduray, which began when I was in junior high school and continued through my college days; I had questions in my mind about why people do not respect our identity and how they do it.

I’m a member of Teduray Lambangian Youth Student Association (TYLSA) since 2014. TYLSA is an Indigenous youth organization in Upi Maguindanao that works for the empowerment and promotion of young Teduray Lambangian committed to the advancement of the young indigenous meaningful engagement and assertion of genuine rights to self-determination in the Bangsamoro and Philippine Government Peace framework.

In 2018, I was elected as a council member of AKMK, the Alyansa ng Kabataang Mindanao para sa Kapayapaan. At the time, I felt out of my comfort zone because I met a lot of young people with diverse identities and cultures who share similar aspirations and convictions for young people. I've learned so many different perspectives and experiences from AKMK members, including migrant Christians and Moro youth, over the years. As an IP youth representative, I was able to introduce them to our cultures and traditions.

It was a wonderful experience to be a part of the MM project and gain additional experience and skills in empowering my fellow youth through creative arts. Through our involvement, I was overwhelmed by how the young people have so much creativity and stories to tell that can amplify our advocacy for tri-people community. I am so grateful for this art program because it sparked the interest and significant role of my fellow Maguindanao youth in building peace, solidarity and dialogue.