NYC 15 - The Voice of the Youth

November 24, 2018

FEED Inc (Fostering Education and Environment for Development) was invited to be part of the this year’s National Youth Congress (NYC) held at the University of the Philippines Integrated School Building, Diliman, Quezon City. It was attended by students, teachers and representatives from different schools all over the country. This year’s theme was “Expanding Frontiers: Traversing the Global Landscape as the Filipino Nation”. In this convention, students leaders with diverse backgrounds, ethnicities, and perspectives were able to share their ideas in tackling the strengths as well as the challenges of our nation today. 

Beside the talks, booths of various NGOs supporting causes for environment, animals, humans, and ideas were showcased. Students were encouraged to visit these booths to learn their advocacies and programs, and sign up to their volunteer programs.

Side by side with this event, FEED and Mondo Project team together with 2 volunteers (Edison and Mimi) planted 120 of Lauan and Palosapis trees in the southern part of the Sierra Madre mountains as part of the NYC celebration. Rey Lorida, forester and manager of UP Laguna-Quezon Land Grant, welcomed and led the team and volunteers for the planting. This time, the planting site was located in a short 5-minute trek from the base camp. 

At the planting site, Rey conducted a debriefing for the volunteers. One volunteer asked about the area. He observed that there were adult trees already present when the group would plant under these trees. Rey explained about the life cycle of the forest and how these adult trees will become nurse trees for the new seedlings. Nurse trees will actually help the new trees to grow and survive. 

The team and volunteers planted the trees for an hour with the help of the forest guards. Followed by a sumptuous lunch made by the locals living in the area. The volunteers were able to talk and share their experiences with the team. 

Wow! A full packed of activities for the day. It is motivating to know that these students, our future leaders, are starting early to widen their knowledge of our country’s situation and deepen their understanding of the challenges we are facing and how important it is to contribute and be part of the solution. With these bright and responsible kids, we know for sure that in the coming years, our legacy will be passed on and sustainable development will flourish.

Mondo Project team would like to thank the following eco-warriors who helped make the tree planting true:

1. FEED Eco Surf Organizers and Attendees
2. UFLO (Unified Filipino Lesbian Online) Members:
1. Hervie
2. Ghie
3. Louie
4. Ethel
5. Joicee
6. Lee
7. Roa
8. Liz
9. Apple
10. Atasha
3. Ateneo BOx Organization
1. Angel Dizon
2. Aki Bartolome 
3. Monique Yap
4. Kim Ruiz
5. Alex Mather
6. Anneliese Ng
7. Celina Cruz 
8. Zach Garcia
9. Cait Camarao
10. Annalyse Paulsen
11. Hannah Kralles
12. Trish Filart
13. Joaquin Sorreta
14. Hannahah Mabao
15. Riana Uy 
16. Alfonso Tiaoqui
17. Cerdan Lopez
18. CK Condez 

Planting site:
Map