SEAlayan Network- Philippines Fellows:
Rex Angelo T. Monreal, Mark Russell Lagunsad, Maeve Dizon, and Jana Sofia E. Hupp
1. KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Youth Action and Hope: We learned the importance of youth taking action and the need for encouragement. Many people, including students and educators, are actively engaged in environmental protection, providing hope for future sustainability.
- Learning from Best Practices: A school in Jakarta implemented recycling programs, energy-saving measures, and community clean-up events, demonstrating dedication to environmental issues. We gained insights into their innovative programs promoting environmental awareness.
- Effective Change through Good Systems: Dialogues with regional organizations highlighted the importance of well-implemented systems for effective change. We appreciated the Indonesian government’s initiative to instill green values in youth through structured programs and policies.
2. MAIN HIGHLIGHTS
- Positive and Worthwhile Experience at ASEAN Secretariat:
The dialogue with Head of ASEAN Environment Division, Dr. Vong provided valuable insights into ASEAN regional environmental policies, initiatives, and challenges. We felt like an actual ASEAN Delegate, which was pressuring but in a positive way. The experience instilled the belief in our capability to make a significant impact on the world. It was a very motivational experience, touching our hearts, minds, and souls, as well as of the other fellows. - Youth Engagement and Implementation Ideas:
From this experience, we are inspired to start environmental clubs in our own school to engage students in sustainability projects. We plan to organize clean-up drives and tree-planting events to promote environmental stewardship and incorporate sustainability topics into the curriculum to educate students about environmental issues and solutions. We will also implement regular environmental audits to monitor and improve the school’s environmental impact.
- Effective Research and Project Management:
From our discussions with ERIA RKCMPD staff members, we learned valuable lessons about conducting effective research, managing projects efficiently, and sharing findings effectively. We also gained insights into the importance of clear communication and knowledge sharing to ensure research has a real impact. These lessons will guide the approach to research and knowledge management within the SEAlayan Network. - Connecting People Against Plastic Pollution:
This training allowed us to learn ways to connect with people by uniting against plastic pollution. We recognized that many companies, especially ERIA, are actively working to address plastic pollution globally, and identified various ways to contribute, particularly through research. The speakers also discussed new and intuitive concepts, for instance we learned about “choice architecture”.
- Insights from Roundtable Sharing:
The speaker emphasized the importance of not pushing too hard and sometimes providing financial support to the beneficiaries and stakeholders to make life more convenient for everyone. We gained valuable insights and suggestions on making the project sustainable in the long run, even after AJYELN. We also learned how to approach and talk to stakeholders and government agencies. The discussions also allowed us to recognize that one-time projects are not enough; it’s important to maintain continued interest from stakeholders and the public for long-term support, and to have “followers” to protect and support the project.
2. Feedback
“I learned a lot when it came to the discussions on defining our whys. For one, I learned that defining my reasons for my environmental actions would help in making me stay in the long-run and not burnout. I also really enjoyed the talk about the grassroots wisdom since it validated our project a lot which mainly focuses on the youth and the people directly affected by marine plastic pollution which are the fisherfolk and coastal communities.” – Rex Angelo T. Monreal
“Drawing inspiration from the insightful talks, I/we will apply our learnings to enhance the impact of our project. By defining our why, we will strengthen our commitment to upholding our mission and vision. We will utilize creative ideas to develop innovative approaches for engaging communities and using technology for environmental advocacy.” – , Mark Russell Lagunsad
“Going to the ASEAN Secretariat obviously gave me the appeal and the feels of an actual ASEAN Delegate. That kind of thing was pressuring but in a good way, it instilled in me that we actually have the capability of making a significant impact on the world and that someone in a high position with a very impressive background believes in us. So other than it being a knowledgeable experience for all the fellows, it was also motivational and touches the hearts, minds, and souls of the fellows. (Also he truly enjoyed using many idioms and figures of speech, i really appreciated that as someone who finds those entertaining).” – Maeve Dizon
“Aside from Team Philippines’ projects in the fishing sector, we’ll also make sure to focus on our home turf. I personally want to adopt the composting and waste segregation mechanisms they have in Jakarta and will do my best (as an AJYELN fellow and student council president) to start the process of phasing out single-use plastics in our canteen and campus as a whole.” – Jana Sofia E. Hupp
