23/03/2026
Congratulations to Ram Paulo Macam, our AB Communication Arts student, for representing DLSU at the ASEAN-Japan Youth Forum: Take Actions for Social Change (TASC) 2025. Ram was the only communication student among the latest cohort of undergraduate participants from across ASEAN and Japan.
Organized by the Japan Foundation and the ASEAN University Network, TASC 2025 brought together young leaders to explore the theme of plastic waste through field visits, seminars, and cross-cultural dialogue. For Ram, the program hit close to home. Growing up along the coast, he had witnessed plastic pollution firsthand and had participated in beach cleanups since childhood.
During the program, Ram visited Baseco, a low-income community in Manila near Manila Bay, where grassroots groups upcycle plastic wastes. Ram also engaged in meaningful exchanges with fellow participants from different countries, including conversations about faith and culture that broadened Ram's perspective beyond the environmental focus of the forum.
The experience left Ram with a powerful realization: that even someone who is not an environmental expert can take action. Ram has since begun sharing the voices and stories encountered in the field through social media and video, using media to bridge cultures and expand environmental awareness, one story at a time.
We are proud to see our AB CAM students carrying the spirit of storytelling where it matters most. Congratulations, Ram!
Read more about TASC 2025 and Ram's experiences in the forum:
https://www.jpf.go.jp/e/project/intel/exchange/youth-forum/2025/03-01.html?fbclid=IwY2xjawQnSCpleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAEwAAEeUCmgLqpxIgneNKc8nnJv6S7-Y3a034qfTyB_DWikJmOMMzemn5mkOqdxmYg_aem_HVcoHuWMWrvkb-WJAbuHOA
Additional photos by Ram Paulo Macam
