Five XU Development Communication students participated at the annual PACE of the Future Student Camp on October 22-24 at the University of the Philippines, Los Baños (UPLB). 

Organized by the Philippine Association of Communication Educators (PACE), the three-day event, co-presented by the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), welcomed various communication students and educators from across the Philippines.  Themed “#PACE50: Empowering Voices in Emergent and Divergent Spaces,” the event was part of the organization’s celebration of its 50th anniversary.

The select DevCom students headed by Gwen Escarda (BS DC 3), Joshua Boborol (BS DC 3), Lian Gallaron (BS DC 2), and Eljay Labitad (BS DC 2), presented their pilot project of “IskwelaHanay: Co-creating Safe Spaces, for Hue and Me” at the OFSH Multipurpose Hall, joined by five other DevCom representatives from other universities. IskwelaHanay was DevComSoc’s project in partnership with the XU Night School Program, which took place last May 2025 with a series of sessions that aimed to enhance digital literacy for the beneficiaries of the program. Coaching their session was SciComm Philippines President Dr. Ruby Cristobal, who engaged in meaningful dialogue with each team and provided input on the improvements for the implementation of the projects. 

“We at DevCom Soc realized that ComDev work is everywhere, and we are grateful to have shared IskwelaHanay in collaboration with XU’s Night School Program Alternative Learning System with the national audience. Being immersed in various ComDev projects led by passionate communicators from Luzon and Visayas is a rare opportunity that we truly cherish,” shared Escarda, XU DevComSoc Vice President.

Photo credits from the Association of Young Environmental Journalists (AYEJ)

Meanwhile, a special plenary session in partnership with the Association of Young Environmental Journalists (AYEJ) took place on the second day of the conference with a series of environmental-themed presentations and exhibits from AYEJ environmental journalism hubs that stem from different envi-critical cities in the country. Noelle Yap (BSDC 3) represented CDO’s EJ hub named Lunhaw as the hub’s liaison officer, wherein she shared various ongoing initiatives and plans. AYEJ is partnered with the XU Development Communication department through Lunhaw to further amplify and foster environmental journalism within the region. 

“As young environmental communicators, we see Lunhaw as a way of turning awareness into advocacy and stories into action,” Yap shared, highlighting the importance of environmental discussions among the youth at present. 

The PACE of the Future Student Camp not only embedded notable practices among the country’s youth communicators but also fostered a spirit of progress in areas of change. The students end their training with a more meaningful understanding of development practice, continuously upholding the essence of XU DevCom’s mission toward social good.