BBK Pandacan has truly made me feel part of their loving family, from the welcoming smiles given, to the stories shared during lunch time. It?s true that at first, the children - ages ranging from 13-21 - seemed reluctant to participate in the activities we have prepared for them. However, as we talked about what we were passionate about (with the help of translators), and even its transfer such knowledge into mini quiz shows in which many were delighted with the prize of school supplies, we got to know each other a lot better.

As an advocate for the promotion of the use of bamboo as an exemplary use for construction, I have recently visited a site with executive members from a club I founded, Youth for Peace for UNESCO. The site, located in the suburbs of Pandacan, Manila, is called BBK Pandacan - Bantay Bata sa Komunidad - or Community Watch, is a non government organization with a goal to rid child abuse with quality education. Topics that were talked about included ones mentioned in previous Tunza Ambassador reports and they were:

1. Bamboo housing structures as a Filipino heritage/Tradition - Aldrin Aujero

2. Bamboo as a sustainable material - Justin Shin

3. Bamboo as disaster proof material for buildings and houses - Jason Cruz

4. Tunza awareness campaigning - what we are doing, our focus on the environment, and ambassador program - Adam Zhou

5. Inspire/encourage audience to spread the word/educate others and help you build resilient bamboo housing in disaster prone areas/coastal communities - Adam Zhou

In addition to teaching others about bamboo, awareness on Tunza Eco-Generation was also conducted. By giving an overview of the site including its objectives, its cooperation with the UNEP and Samsung Engineering, I learnt new things as well. Example includes: Tunza, means in Swahili, ?to treat with care and affection? and that it is the largest environmental education program in Korea. I talked about my role as an ambassador and what I do as well as other feature events Tunza holds including the Leadership Summit. Another issue Tunza greatly helped out with was the giving of school supplies (small notepads and pens with other items we provided) as natural disasters, mainly typhoons and floods have destroyed their center, resulting in loss of books, computers, and furniture. As a matter of fact, as such losses greatly hinder their learning experience, fundraising events are currently underway in our club to help fund BBK.

When we left the site after 2 hours or so, and started our way to the van where we would be picked up, a hoard of kids followed us, calling our names and engaging in questions, now more personal, get to know you questions. They were still waving as the van drove off and we were too. It?s very meaningful to know that we have lit that spark in each of their heads so truly, the fire of the brightest kind will enlighten youth - the future generation.