Sandra- Philippines

Sandra is a double major in Development Studies and Communication. In the past two years, Sandra’s course brought her to remote areas of the Philippines, where she worked with indigenous communities on various projects. In 2016, together with a team of Development Studies majors, she provided skills training to the Aetas of Capas, Tarlac to help them participate more effectively in negotiations with the local government on decisions affecting their community and ancestral domains. In 2017, she participated in social tourism platforms that support cultural preservation and sustainable livelihoods in rural areas.

Sandra hopes to be more involved in areas of activism that support the nearly 17 million indigenous people in the Philippines through various concerns, particularly, preservation and protection of indigenous culture, defending their ancestral domains and providing them access to government services, such as housing, health care and education. How? Through media. By casting light on the situations of indigenous communities in the Philippines, Sandra hopes to encourage support from both Filipinos and the global community. As a Global Changemaker, Sandra dreams of spreading the spirit of Bayanihan all around the world to bring change to the marginalized communities in the Philippines. She hopes that the knowledge, skills and network gained in the Global Youth Summit will help her campaign for support towards the rural indigenous communities and start her own inclusive and sustainable enterprise in the future.