A HANDBOOK published by the University won first prize at the 2025 Climate Action Awards for producing a piece that integrates climate change and human rights education.
The book, titled “Climate Change and Human Rights Education for Youth in the Philippines,” was a collaborative work of Dominican advocates who seek to provide practical lesson plans on climate action aligned with the national curriculum.
Published by the University of Santo Tomas Graduate School Center for Continuing Professional Education and Development, the book was developed along with the Dominicans for Justice and Peace-Orders of Preachers (UNOP), the Dominican Family for Justice, Peace and Care for Creation-Philippines and the UST SIMBAHAYAN Community Development Office.
“The University of Santo Tomas, through the UST SIMBAHAYAN Community Development Office, is a vibrant entity in the development of this Handbook,” UST SIMBAHAYAN said in a Facebook post on Nov. 17.
The handbook was produced in partnership with Misean Cara, a mission support from Ireland.
According to UNOP, the handbook intends to encourage school administrations to uplift their students as agents of change.
The six-chapter educational handbook was tested by 100 educators from 58 schools across the country to examine its effectiveness in teaching and action, with 34 teachers receiving training within its first year of release.
A total of 9,400 students from various partner schools also engaged with the materials provided by the handbook.
Some schools have formally integrated the handbook into their curriculum, which targets some core subjects of grades three to ten, namely Edukasyong Pantahanan at Pangkabuhayan or Technology and Livelihood Education, Music, Arts, Physical Education and Health, Science and Social Studies.
The collaborative project of Dominican organizations was presented to the Department of Education and the Commission on Human Rights to facilitate discussions on global climate policy. F
