Building Future Advocates: Likha’s Cradle’s 'Speak, Sustain, Succeed' Workshop
Hey everyone!
Recently, Likha’s Cradle hosted a workshop called "Speak, Sustain, Succeed." It was all about learning how to debate — especially for people who had never tried it before — and using those skills to speak up for the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (17 SDGs).
The 17 SDGs are:
No poverty.
Zero hunger.
Good health and well being.
Quality education
Gender equality.
Clean water and sanitation.
Clean and affordable energy.
Decent work and economic growth.
Industry, Innovation and infrastructure.
Reduced inequalities
Sustainable cities and communities.
Responsible consumption and production.
Climate action.
Life below water.
Life on land.
Peace, justice, and strong institutions.
Partnerships for the goals.
We got to meet some awesome experts who taught us a lot about the 17 SDGs. Let me introduce them to you!
DAY 1
We kicked things off with opening remarks from Likha's Cradle President and founder, Meghan Uyao, and a prayer led by Ysa, then we were introduced to the speakers.
Our first speaker was Ms. Rochelle Dichaves who introduced us to the 17 SDGs.
“The SDGs are basically like actions that are currently being implemented by the UN to make the world a better place in the future. There are 17 Sustainable Development Goals,” says one of the attendees, Nevan.
She shared her personal experiences with the SDGs, especially how they related to her education. One of the SDG’s was “Quality education”, because even back then, not EVERYONE was getting quality education.
Next up was Ms. Rina Ortiz. She focused on one specific SDG — Life on Land.
Ms. Rina is the founder of Biyaya Animal Sanctuary, and she talked about the 12 MILLION stray cats, dogs, and other animals living on the streets in the Philippines, because all people basically treat them like expendables or straight up TRASH – the whole reason Likha’s cradle was founded in the first place.
“Exterminating or removing strays isn’t effective because other species could take their place and cause more problems. Spaying/neutering them is a better solution to help manage the overpopulation of strays without hurting them. They should also be vaccinated against rabies to protect both the animals and the people in the area,” according to Nevan.
After that, we had a really thoughtful discussion with Megan, who asked us about the local issues we face in our own communities. e.g. water shortages, food shortages, damaged infrastructure, poor people on the streets, etc.
My answer was about the number of stray animals and people living on the streets. Other answers included power outages, water and food shortages, kidnapping, and even cases of child harassment.
We also came up with a bunch of possible solutions together.
What are some problems in your area? And what do you think can be done to solve them? Share them with us in the comments or send us a message through Likha's Cradle on Facebook!
Then, we met our third speaker, Mr. Gabrielle Pacano, who taught us the basics of how to debate.
Nevan notes, “when debating, you should understand your topic well. Back up your arguments with proof, respect the other side by not using insults, and always give others a chance to share their opinions.”
He made it really interesting by showing us how almost anything can be political. He gave examples and fun questions to think about, like is the very act of DRINKING WATER political? And how can it be political? How can going to the beach be political? And other questions that’ll leave you in deep thought, which made us all reflect more deeply.
DAY 2
On the second day, we met our fourth and final speaker, Ms. Pam Ros Damarillo. She focused on another SDG: Clean and sustainable energy.
It was super interesting to hear how tech is being used to help (or sometimes harm) the planet. Like drones that sense wildfires or storms, on the flipside, some human technology HARMS the planet, like cars using oil to power themselves and releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere causing global warming.
As Nevan puts it, “Technology and AI can be used to help the environment. People can use drones, satellites, and other tools for good. There are lots of ways to get clean energy — like solar panels, windmills, and dams — but each has its pros and cons. What works best depends on where you are.”
Then, Mr. Gabrielle Pacano returned for Part 2 of his debate training. This time, he taught us how to actually use arguments and put what we learned into action, giving us topics to talk about, like “are zoos ethical?” and more.
After a short 15-minute break, it was finally time to debate!
We got into groups and were given topics. Ours was about the ethicality of zoos — whether they should be banned or not. It was awesome hearing everyone’s points and how they defended their sides!
There were a lot of good points, like how the problem with zoos isn’t always the idea of a zoo itself, but more about how the animals are managed and the quality of care they receive.
Unfortunately, I had to leave early for an urgent meeting, but from what I heard, everything went smoothly after that.
I agree with Nevan when he says, “one suggestion I have is to keep holding more events and workshops like this one. It was interesting and super informative. I’m sure anyone who joins will learn useful things they can carry with them for life. So yeah — I really hope more workshops like this happen in the future!” Our next event will be on May 9, 2025. Here are the details:

And that wraps up this blog!
Thanks so much for reading. I really enjoyed this workshop — I learned so much and had a great time.
That’s all for now, fellow Blogsketteers!
See you next time!
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