Camp participants enjoy the scenery of nature at the
view deck on top of the Santelmo Eco-trail
Thirty-one student ambassadors from
13 Metro Manila high
schools gathered in an
eco-camp last November
24 to 26 organized by SM
Prime Holdings, Inc. (SM
Prime) and WWF-Philippines (WWF-PH). Participating schools include
Assumption College, FEU
Manila High School, La
Salle Greenhills, National University of Nazareth,
Las Pinas Science High
School, Manila Science
High School, Muntinlupa Science High School,
School, Paranaque Science High School, PAREF
Southridge, Pasay Science High School, Pasig
Science High School,
Philippine Science High
School, and Quezon City
Science High School.
Held at the Pico
De Loro Beach and Country Club, the three-day eco
camp marks the second
leg of YOUth are the Future–a joint environmental
leadership program by SM
Prime and WWF-PH aiming to empower environmental stewards among
the youth sector. By enhancing their understanding of biodiversity conservation and sustainability,
the program aims to instill
a strong sense of responsibility and commitment
towards the protection of
the environment.
The immersive
weekend kicked off with a
fireside chat on climate action where leaders Jessica
Sy, Assistant Vice President of SM Development
Corporation, WWF-PH
Executive Director Katherine Custodio, and marine
biologist and WWF-Philippines National Youth
Council member Romina
Lim engaged in a discussion on facing the climate
crisis, inspiring the attendees to take proactive
steps towards preserving
our planet and promoting
the advocacy towards a
sustainable future.
“Climate change
affects our daily lives and
the youth have the most
at stake being the ones
who will face greater and
greater impacts in the
years to come. It is important that our young people
find and use their voices,
and be given opportunities
such as the YOUth are the
future program, to learn
more about what needs to
be done, and to discover
where those intersect with
their own individual talents and passions. It was
also a strategic choice
to focus the program on
high school students, who
would need to think about
what further studies or careers they might pursue. I
hope they understand that
there is space for environmental advocacy whatever career or degree they
choose.”, shared Custodio.
Campers attended learning sessions that
tackled the most pressing
environmental conservation and sustainability
issues, specifically on water, energy, and biodiversity. Antoinette Taus, UN
Goodwill Ambassador and
founder of Project CORA,
also graced the camp to
share insights on waste
management.
Apart from the
talks, the campers immersed themselves in
nature by hiking Pico De
Loro’s Santelmo Eco-Trail
and taking a guided walking tour of its vast mangrove forests.
As a symbol of
their commitment towards
the environment, the student ambassadors produced social media videos sharing their vision for the
future and a call to action for their fellow youth.
They also created a storybook based on lessons
from their experiences
at the camp. Xia Vigor,
WWF-Philippines ambassador, gave tips on how
the students can create
good videos and share impactful messages.
“Mother Nature
implanted a seed planted
deep inside my mind—
that I need to protect her.
And I know that we are all
implanted with that same
seed that brought us all
here together. We cannot
lose hope,” shared Vigor
in a message delivered
to encourage her fellow
youth to do their part for
nature.
The camp concluded with a closing keynote by SM Engineering
Design and Development
Corporation (SMEDD)
President and sustainability champion Hans “Chico”
Sy, Jr., where campers
were given a chance to
ask questions and tips on
sustainability and environmental leadership.
“Study, ideate,
plan, and experiment. Use
your creativity and experiment some more until you
find the right solutions.
You might fail, you might
need to start from scratch
again, but the most important thing you have
to remember is to learn
from your mistakes and
try again. That, my young
participants, is the only
way for us to move forward to creating a better
world”, shared Sy.
As part of its third
and final leg, the YOUth
are the Future program
will culminate on January 2024 through a series
of mall and school tours
throughout Metro Manila
to further boost youth engagement and student
ambassador recruitment.
There is an undeniable surge in the number
of young individuals dedicated to facing the current
challenges that will impact
the future. Their unwavering commitment is a
powerful reminder that it is
within our collective power
to create lasting change
and reimagine a sustainable future for all. Through
programs like YOUth are
the Future, SM Prime and
WWF-PH hope to empower the youth further to become powerful agents of
change, inspiring others
to #ChangeTheEnding for
the planet.
About WWF:
WWF is one of
the world’s largest and
most respected independent conservation organizations, with over 5 million
supporters and a global
network active in over 100
countries. WWF’s mission
is to stop the degradation
of the Earth’s natural environment and to build a future in which humans live
in harmony with nature, by
conserving the world’s biological diversity, ensuring
that the use of renewable
natural resources is sustainable, and promoting
the reduction of pollution
and wasteful consumption.
WWF-Philip –
pines has been successfully implementing various
conservation projects to
help protect some of the
most biologically-significant ecosystems in Asia
since its establishment
as the 26th national organization of the WWF network in 1997
