For The Future
Photography Issa Barte.
How a group of Filipinos under 26 are recreating the ecological future of the Philippines
Text Pia Cortez
Photography Issa Barte
When typhoon Ulysses hit the Philippines in November 2020, reality hit me -- I was living back in the Philippines and in spite of the many ways the pandemic has distorted what was normal, typhoon season has started and climate change is still very real.
I couldn’t sleep through the night. As the storm ravaged parts of Luzon, I was scrolling through Twitter and seeing how many were asking to be rescued after being flooded in. There were calls for donations in different areas and most of the people I reached out to weren’t conducting relief operations for another week. With mutual aid from folks around the world, we were able to reach out to hundreds of families in more than seven provinces.
But mutual aid and relief operations are a blip in the scheme of things, once the gravity of the climate crisis is considered. In the Philippines, the issues surrounding climate change range from deforestation, sea level rise, extreme rainfall and rising temperatures - among many others. I was looking for a way to talk about climate change in the context of the country in creative and engaging ways when I came across For The Future PH.
88k trees was a project created with the goal of planting 88,000 new trees for the country’s growing forest. FTF, together with the locals from the Yangil community in Zambales, Bioten, and Nadine Lustre, supported the ongoing 10-year reforestation effort first led by MAD Travel. Photography Issa Barte.
“Downtime with the kids. After work with their elders, they asked me to take their pictures with the flowers they hand picked and styled themselves.” - Issa Barte. Photography Issa Barte.
I started learning more about their projects and initiatives, loving how deeply engaged it is in storytelling. Founded with the goal of creating a better tomorrow, the group - which consists of 12 young Filipinos all under 26 from Manila to New York - came together to provide accessible solutions for the country’s pressing needs.
By harnessing the power of storytelling to inspire action, FTF’s projects include reforestation, typhoon relief and mobilization, education and so much more.
I wanted to know more about the group and reached out to one of the co-founders, Filipino artist Issa Barte. I spoke with Issa briefly and got to know more about how they started, their inspirations, and their vision for a youth-led future.
“This is Manoy Dodong the moment he saw his picture in our friend’s camera.” - Issa Barte, field notes from FTF’s on ground operations in the Bicol Region for Typhoon Relief together with Kids For Kids. Photography Issa Barte.
Together with Kids For Kids in partnership with One Million Lights PH, FTF has distributed hundreds of solar lights and charging hubs to communities in Catanduanes and other parts of the Bicol Region that were devastated by recent typhoons. Photography Issa Barte.
Where did the inspiration for FTF come from?
Issa Barte: I decided to go tree planting when I turned 23 and had a conversation with Romina, one of the facilitators on ground. Loosely put, she made me imagine how if every one of the people we knew planted a tree, we'd have a forest by now! It was so simple and doable, especially knowing that a group of around 20 kids planted about 800 seeds that day. Imagine that doubled, or tripled! That idea is what made For the Future come to life.
Why do you think it’s important to do this kind of work with FTF?
Issa Barte: Growing up, there weren't many accessible experiences for me to take action, and so FTF tries to offer that up to young people. I believe accessibility and information are so vital in changemaking, especially in a world now where so much needs to be changed.
As a Pinay, can you talk about some influences who’ve inspired you?
Issa Barte: I'm so lucky to have met so many Filipinos who have inspired the work and ignited the passion in all I do! It was really in seeing people my age, from my home, doing such great and extraordinary things that made me believe I could do the same. Hope you guys can check them out too! Nella Lomotan, Gab Mejia, Ayen and Rachel (Where to Next), Ivan Torres, Andrew Son, Tasha and Bella Tanjutco (Kids for Kids), Ann and Billie Dumaliag (Masungi), Antoinette Taus, and so many more young Filipinos who have really just touched my life and sparked my advocacy.
“We were taking a night stroll in one of the island communities during typhoon relief and met nanay—here having dinner by a solar light she received. It might not seem like much to many, but those who can’t afford electricity use kerosene lamps and end their meals with half their faces covered in soot from the flames. After weeks on ground, meeting her, even briefly, was reassuring of the change one light can bring.” - Issa Barte. Photography Issa Barte
“These are the portraits of our friends after they received our mini solar hubs that can charge their phones, provide house lighting, and a UV light to help throughout the ongoing pandemic.” - Issa Barte. Photography Issa Barte
Who do you look up to artistically and politically?
Issa Barte: Artistically, I love seeing local artists and photographers! Alagá at Sining, Anna Bautista, Nicole Concepcion, Isabel Weber for art. Photography is Gab Mejia, Ivan Torres, Andrew Son, Jilson Tui— just off the top of my head!
Politically, I really look up to our partner orgs that fill the gaps of what our government fails to provide. Kids for Kids, One Million Lights, Waves for Water, For Our Farmers, AKO.org, and so many more.
What do you think the world will look like in a decade?
Issa Barte: I think the world will have a lot more young people fighting for it.
With Issa and the folks at FTF at the forefront, the future looks a little brighter.
