March 20, 2024
The FEU Institute of Technology’s 2024 BINHI (Building Innovative, Nationalistic, Humane Individuals) Student Leaders’ Congress in Manila brought together passionate student leaders to cultivate a deeper understanding of the global challenges that extend far beyond the university’s walls.
In this event, we highlighted the role FEU can play in climate change education, driving innovative climate solutions, and empowering passionate young climate leaders, mobilizers, and convergence builders.
We also answered the question, “How can individual actions move the needle on climate change?” by encouraging students to shift their focus from what they can achieve alone to the power of collective action. When millions of individuals take steps, no matter how small, it can create a significant ripple effect.
“What if your power in this fight lies not in what you can do as an individual but in your ability to be part of a collective? What if you broadened your perspective beyond what you can accomplish alone and let yourself see what you could do if you lent your efforts to something bigger? Yes, it’s true that you can't solve the climate crisis alone, but it’s even more true that we can’t solve it without you.”
- Mary Annaïse Heglar, Not Too Late: Changing the Climate Story from Despair to Possibility
Uniting over 1,000 participants, the 43rd Annual National Convention of Campus Advisers and the 27th Annual National Convention for Student Leaders were held jointly from March 14 to 16 at Baguio Teachers Camp, Baguio City. The event fostered collaboration between university teachers and students from across the Philippines.
In this conference organized by the Philippine Association of Campus Student Advisers (PACSA), we emphasized that the fight for climate justice cannot be waged solely on the international stage. The journey towards a sustainable future begins where we learn and grow—in our schools and universities.
Campus advisers and student leaders can be the driving force behind making universities a powerhouse for sustainability and climate action.
Through student council resolutions and projects and by engaging school administrators, they can champion simple climate change adaptation and mitigation projects within your campuses—from planting trees and edible food garden on campus, banning single-use plastics, and installing solar panels, to promoting the use of bicycles as a mode of transport and putting up rainwater collection systems.
The synergy between passionate student leaders and supportive campus advisers can create a ripple effect. Every university in the Philippines that becomes a model of sustainability, and every student who advocates for climate action, every community that reduces its carbon footprint—all these contribute to a larger movement.
On the sidelines of our engagement with PACSA in Baguio City, we caught up with Climate Reality Leaders in the city to update them on the Branch’s priorities and flagship programs this year and explore collaboration on upcoming activities.
We also met our regional partners for Mobility Awards and officials from the City Government of Baguio to discuss the city’s hosting of this year’s Move Together, our movement-building initiative on smart and sustainable mobility scheduled in July of this year.
Tune in to our website and social media pages for more updates and how you can join our upcoming activities.
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