Report by: Gabriela Corpuz, AJYELN Philippines fellow
Key findings
Passion, power, and purpose in plastic upcycling
AJYELN Philippines fellows and the student participants learned from Toril Kalamboan Association that finding value from repurposed plastic trash takes vision to see the possibilities and commitment to see it happen in reality.
Skill-building enhances commitment
Through the workshop on plastic upcycling, the participants developed a bigger sense of purpose and commitment to advocate more passionately about plastic pollution awareness. It also gave them creative inspiration in engaging more people and increasing interest towards the issue.
Youth Engagement
The active participation of 78 students in the Ateneo de Davao Junior High School, including the collaboration of eight student clubs demonstrate the passion of the youth to making a positive change for the environment.
Community Engagement
Through the partnership with the Toril Kalamboan as guest speakers and project partners, the workshop actively tapped on the strengths of a community player in their environmental advocacy.
The Natura Maharlika, or AJYELN Philippines fellows organized a workshop on plastic upcycling, joined by 78 student members of eight student clubs (namely, Arts and Handicrafts club, Fashion Designers club, YCLC, GSP, Math clubs, Science clubs, Dasig Outdoor Club, and Ateneo Environmental Conservation Society) from Ateneo de Davao University Junior High School Unit last October 25.
The plastic upcycling workshop is a collaboration between Natura Maharlika, the eight student clubs from their school, and Toril Kalamboan Association, a non-profit organization based in Davao, Philippines. The workshop provided the students an opportunity to learn about plastic upcycling and learn skills on how to create crafts from plastic trash. The participants were taught especially by the Toril Kalamboan Association, led by Nanay Elena, who specialized in creating upcycled products.
The participants were divided into three groups, each engaging in the different parts of the upcycling process: folding patterns, cutting, and sewing.
The workshop spanned approximately two hours, in which each student was able to complete the steps in crafting the upcycled products. Clubs were presented with their certificates of appreciation for volunteering and actively participating in the capacity building project. The Toril Kalamboan Association was also presented their certificate of appreciation for sharing their time and their expertise during the Natura Maharlika Capacity Building on October 25.
In conclusion, throughout the month of November the students will continue to upcycle the gathered waste from the Coastal Clean-up with their garnered crafting skills and with their first-hand expereince on the effect of plastic pollution in Davao City. In December, the total crafted materials will be donated to the project’s beneficiary school, Alon Elementary School, in time for Christmas.
The Natura Maharlika capacity building workshop served not only increased the students’ interest and awareness when it comes to environmental situations, but also helped in developing their skills and in making use of their talents for the environment.
