1. Project description 

A climate action of active young citizens celebrating the culture and power of play to take action and accountability as a creative response to the climate crisis as a voice for the children through collective learning by doing. Himaya green warriors “small children with big dreams” respond to heal the sick planet through the power of play with loving kindness!!! Himaya community starts them young as “green warriors” to experience, love, and protect nature. Children are given the experiential platforms through the power of play to start them young to participate in the global agenda such as the climate crisis.

This project opens a door to a creative journey for children and youth as active young citizens through the power of play. Celebrating a culture of respect and love to develop awareness and mindfulness about nature. The green warriors explore the challenging climate crisis and environmental issues as an opportunity to take action in the local as a voice for a global platform. A simple Philippine village comes alive as the children animate their voices to express love for the water and the river as the lifeblood of the village. 

The Himaya Community Climate Art project is a community artist-initiated independent volunteer organization in support of the local community art projects in the local school in collaboration with the Tinongan Elementary School Book Nook Program. This secluded community on Negros Island in the Philippines, with a high number of children population, has no access to museums, art school, cultural centers, and the like. This project is like opening windows of opportunities for young village kids to see beyond the sugarcane fields and discover their potential to become leaders, artists, and change agents. 

The project has the following specific objectives:

1) To create awareness through art workshops about the climate crisis as an opportunity for the children and youth to take action in the local community 

2) To establish a folk school where children learn from real people and local experts and nature

3) To support active young citizens and social artists by providing seed funds to support a volunteer climate action development program 

4) To launch a mobile “B-LIVE” Bike LIVEbrary project as part of memory-making of river stories as an alternative mobile art library on bicycles revisiting nature and bringing art resources closer to village children.

2. Project Progress Up to Now 

Creativity knows no bounds for children as natural artists. The Himaya green warriors play together in an immersive experiential process of discovery of the natural treasures and environment through artistic productions and expressions. Since the aftermath of Typhoon Odette in 2021, the children gathered in a community space fondly called “Casa Rosa” to play with organic and found materials that evolved into a playground of installations, puppets, functional objects, edible art, accessories, ornaments, mobile trinkets, and decorations. The power of play evolved into creative workshops involving movement, theatre, dance, music, and sound exploration to allow the children to express their love and respect to “suba sang kalipay”(river of joy). Himaya Green Warriors leads Istaka river clean-up as a community volunteer project to save a river as local climate action. Himaya green warriors are guided by the principle " To understand water is to understand the cosmos, the marvels of nature, and life itself.” “What we imagine in our minds becomes our world” Masaru Emoto.

3. Project plan forward

The ongoing activities such as the Bike LIVErary kicked off with children bringing “stories on bikes” village to village in collaboration with the Tinongan Elementary School Book Nook project with support and donated story books from National Book Development Board Philippines. Himaya green warriors are continuously bringing the culture of reading through play and experience closer to the village children in the river communities. A virtual artists residency will be featuring interdisciplinary artists from all over the globe to share creative play time with Himaya children through “zoom care” exploring theatre, movement, and visual arts in preparation for the culminating activity in October 2022 river festival celebrating the local river “Istaka”. Istaka river children\'s festival celebrates the “water” in a site-specific community space by the Istaka river. The interactive event showcases the outputs of the Himaya Community Climate Art workshops in visual arts, paintings, installations, puppetry, performance, and community games.

4. Photos