My first encounter with mangroves was when I was still in high school, when we visited a coastal island, and it was explained how the importance of mangroves impacts places and the surrounding ecosystems. As someone studying engineering and having limited knowledge of mangroves, it was a humbling experience to be chosen to attend the First National Mangrove Youth Summit.

At the beginning, we had an icebreaker on human bingo about mangrove experiences, and I was troubled that I could only check about 1–2 items on that list. It made me realize how much I still had to learn, but also how much room there is to grow and contribute with others who have been actively protecting these vital ecosystems.

During a session in the summit, someone asked, how do we work with the local communities for mangrove conservation? It was reassuring how the speaker and the organizers answered the same thing: to reach an understanding, both organizations and community members should meet halfway, exchanging local indigenous knowledge and science-based approaches to solve the problems at hand.

That’s exactly what my org at O1nnovations has been doing in the floating communities. It’s a meaningful reminder that conservation isn’t just about trees or planting—it’s also about community. I’m reminded that my work at O1nnovations, helping remote communities in Agusan Marsh’s floating communities, taught me something deeper: the people who live closest to nature often know how best to care for the environment.

While our projects don’t directly involve communities with mangroves yet, we’re building for the same goal of resilience. This summit reminded me how to create better grassroots initiatives, to see and bridge the connection between local communities, the youth, and our drive for environmental change. I left the summit inspired to explore how my youth organization can support communities with mangroves in our province.

I’ve met with the other delegates and got to share our stories. I’m inspired by how they’re involved in their own initiatives—mangrove conservation or climate action. It was such a diverse group of environmental advocates, and connecting with them was fun and engaging. I can’t wait to see what we could accomplish with the mangrove youth campaign plan.

By far, it was one of the best summits I’ve attended. The organizers, especially the people behind Mangrove Matters, are some good people that we need more of in the world. The future of our mangroves looks promising, and I hope as fellow youth advocates, we grow as mangroves ourselves: deeply rooted in our communities, resilient against the tides, and growing stronger together.