Singapore, 15 September 2025 – Can a material once dismissed as the “poor man’s timber” become a sustainable solution to counter deforestation? A group of NUS College (NUSC) students took up this challenge and worked with Filipino youths to reimagine bamboo as a sustainable alternative for the future.

Led by seven students in Team Bayanihan and developed in collaboration with Grow School Philippines, Bamboo for the Future engages Filipino youths in hands-on workshops to showcase bamboo’s potential. Participants learn skills such as weaving coasters and constructing catapults, activities which were designed to shift perceptions of bamboo as more than a low-cost material to a sustainable alternative to combat deforestation.

This student-led project is one of more than 30 initiatives showcased at the inaugural Impact Festival, themed ‘Emergence’, on 17 September 2025, a celebration of community-driven change powered by NUSC students.

The festival is a culmination of the College’s signature Impact Experience programme (IEx), a two-year journey in which every student works in interdisciplinary teams with community and regional partners to tackle complex real-world challenges. From sustainability to education and social inclusion, these projects represent the finale of students’ efforts to translate academic insights into tangible impact across Southeast Asia.

Building a Generation of Changemakers

IEx is designed to set up our students and their work for real-world success and impact beyond the confines of a traditional university course. Over the two-year programme, allows students to put critical competencies, global orientation, and relationship-building skills to good use to deepen and scale up social impact to tackle pressing issues of our time. 

“The Impact Experience is at the heart of what makes NUS College distinctive. It’s not just about what our students learn in the classroom, but how they take that knowledge into the world, work alongside communities, and create meaningful change. The Impact Festival is the finale that celebrates their dedication and the tangible impact they’ve made,” said Professor Simon Chesterman, Dean of NUSC.

At the festival, Team Bayanihan will be screening Project Bambusiness a narrative film which they had produced to recount their experience working with youth in the Philippines to shift perceptions, improve sustainability awareness and livelihoods.

Andrew Toh Yung Weii, a student from Team Bayanihan, shared, “Working with   to create our Bamboo for the Future Workshop has been an exciting and fulfilling experience. We have engaged over 100 youths and raised awareness about bamboo’s versatility and value, both as a sustainable resource and agricultural product. Running this project has also inspired us to embrace our role as environmental stewards in other aspects of our lives, such as being more conscious of our everyday decisions and their impact on the environment.”

Also on showcase will be Would You Love Me if I Were a Worm?, a children’s book featuring Jerome, a boy who wonders if his mother would still love him if he were a worm. Through playful storytelling, the book introduces composting to young readers and their families, encouraging them to adopt small, sustainable habits starting in their own gardens.

The book was developed by Team W(eight)st Not, following their two-year project to rethink food waste in Singapore’s hospitality industry while inspiring everyday households to take action. Working with Fairmont Singapore and Corridor Farmers, Team W(eight)st Not piloted a circular waste management system that turned hotel kitchen scraps into compost for community gardens. In just one cycle, the project recycled 100 kilograms of food waste, which was then distributed to partners such as MINDS and the Metta Welfare Association to support inclusive gardening programmes.

A Platform for Dialogue and Collaboration

The Impact Festival, featuring interactive project showcases ranging from films and agriculture-themed games to art activities, is open to the public.

Apart from a showcase of community initiatives around the region, the festival also features a participatory art installation by renowned Singaporean artist Wang Ruobing, where visitors are welcome to co-create a giant map of Southeast Asia using marine debris.

Another highlight of the festival is the IEx Roundtable, where students and community partners will share insights on how collaborative partnerships can drive lasting social change.

The inaugural festival celebrates the efforts of over 350 pioneering students, who through the Impact Experience have learned to work across disciplines, cultures, and communities — and most importantly, to put people and partnerships at the heart of problem-solving.

For more information on the NUS College Impact Festival, please visit https://nuscollege.nus.edu.sg/event/impact-festival-2025/.