by Jeanne Pauline Alvarez

Editor’s Note: Jeanne Pauline Alvarez is a Communications Officer of ICSC, focused on Media and Events. This piece reflects her insights as one of the facilitators for the Science Communication and Content Development Workshop held last April 28-29, 2026 in Guiuan, Eastern Samar.

Climate action is often communicated through national policies, international commitments, and scientific reports, yet some of the most important steps for effective action are taken within local communities. My recent experience in Guiuan, Eastern Samar reminded me of this exactly: climate action becomes more meaningful when it is grounded in local experiences and community engagement. 

Last month, I was able to visit Guiuan for a workshop on science communication and content development, organized by ICSC under the Enhanced Mangrove Ecosystem Protection and Restoration for Growth and Empowerment in Samar Island (EMERGE) Project. The project aims to establish sustainable and community-managed mangrove ecotourism ventures in the adjacent municipalities of Guiuan and Salcedo. At its core, EMERGE recognizes the vital role of mangrove forests in protecting shorelines, storing carbon, and supporting local livelihoods.

It is within this context that we conducted the workshop, bringing together representatives from youth groups and people’s organizations from both municipalities. Together with members of the Communications Team and Climate Policy Team, we facilitated discussions on the importance of science communication and guided participants in developing effective communication materials for advocacy work on mangrove conservation. 

One of the most remarkable moments for me came towards the end of the workshop, when participants presented their outputs: communication plans and collaterals highlighting the importance of mangroves and strategies for their protection. In just two days, they were able to produce materials that both reflected scientific inputs and their own lived experiences. Despite limitations in equipment and internet connectivity, the participants demonstrated no shortage of creativity and knowledge. 

At that moment, the participants were neither just attendees nor passive recipients of information, but active communicators and co-creators of climate action. Given the right tools and opportunities, they showed that they are more than capable of advocating for themselves and for their environment. As a first step, these outputs hold strong potential to be further developed and enhanced so they may be used and sustained within their communities beyond the workshop itself.

Over the two-day workshop, it became increasingly clear to me that aside from translating technical information, science communication is equally about recognizing that local communities already hold valuable knowledge, one that was shaped by their daily experiences and long-standing relationships with their environment. When local knowledge and technical information are brought together, climate action becomes more grounded, relevant, and meaningful. The workshop became less of a one-way transfer of knowledge, and more of a shared process of meaning-making.

Looking back, the experience was as much a learning experience for me, as it was for everyone in that room. Like mangroves that thrive at the intersection of sea and land, science communication is also strongest when science meets local realities, strengthening climate action in ways that are genuinely inclusive and collective, thereby shaping a more climate-resilient future.

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