From May 8 to 9, 2026, the Creative Resilience Workshop brought together students and community responders to promote Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and Climate Change Adaptation through art-based learning and community engagement at the Holy Trinity College of General Santos City. This multidisciplinary initiative connects art, mental health, and disaster preparedness into one shared mission– to build resilient communities that goes beyond survival.
A-PAD PH Mindanao Program staff Princess Loren Dompor led discussions on concepts behind disasters and climate change– and emphasized the importance of preparedness during intensified disasters.
“I’m sixty-seven years old. Masasabi ko na iba na ang panahon ngayon–sobrang init na talaga (I can say that the climate is very different now– it’s very hot),” shared Chief Tanod Imbang.
The workshop also highlighted psychosocial well-being in disaster preparedness– reminding that communities are sources of support. “Kailangan meron tayong shared responsibility when it comes to disaster (“We need to embrace shared responsibility when it comes to disaster preparedness),” attested Health Education and Promotion Officer III Arjohn Gangoso from the Department of Health SOCCSKSARGEN.
In the spirit of community, students teamed with community responders to create advocacy art with tote bags, t-shirts, and canvasses. Local artist and environmental advocate Alimar Dani Udda, guided the participants in crafting messages with colors and shapes.
Presenting their finished work, participants have come to understand that recent disasters have affected everyone– realizing that each community must make an effort to prepare.
“It (the workshop) is very timely because every one of us is anxious. Doon sa ating presentations, na-aanxious tayo with what is happening to our world (Through the presentations, we realized how anxious we have become about what is happening to our world),” said Institutional Guidance Coordinator, Ms. Sarahme G. Galabin, RPm.
Shifting the dialogue from awareness to action, the Coast Guard Nursing Sub-Unit – Southern Mindanao oriented students and community responders in life-saving techniques such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), use of an automated external defibrillator (AED), and more.
Tying everything together, the second day was filled with reflection and insights powered with newfound knowledge on disasters, mental health, art, and emergency response. The Tree of Resilience activity served as a memento of the participants’ commitment to disaster risk reduction and climate action by writing their names on the roots, pledges on the trunk, and placing thumbprints on the leaves of a symbolic tree.
Through the combined efforts of our partners, volunteers, students, artists, and community partners, the workshop created a safe space for creative expression, advocacy, and action.
