True to Asia Pacific College’s commitment to its slogan ‘Real Projects, Real Learning,’ Multimedia Arts Students from the School of Multimedia and Arts (SoMA) showcased their project-based learning (PBL) outputs in partnership with the Embassy of Finland and Embassy of Belgium.
Asia Pacific College’s Project-Based Learning (PBL) is an educational approach that centers on students engaging in real world projects to gain knowledge and skills.
Among these PBL projects are #ProjectAffinity, which was spearheaded by the Finnish Embassy in Manila. The social media initiative developed by third year Multimedia Arts students aimed to promote Finland’s commitment to UNESCO’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
To materialize the Embassy of Finland’s plans to disseminate information on recycling, repurposing, use of renewable energy, the Multimedia Arts students created the Finnish Mascot Ilo, inspired by the Finnish word for ‘joy’. The mascot served as a figure aiming to inspire and educate Filipinos on adopting sustainable lifestyles.
The Multimedia Arts students have also previously worked with the Embassy of Belgium last 2023. Dubbed as ‘Rising Stars of Philippine Agriculture Exports’, the social media campaign highlighted local crops such as pili, cacao, ube, and calamansi. These products, which are well-known and used in the Philippines on a day-to-day basis but uncommon in Europe, have a growing consumer base in countries like Belgium.
To entice European consumers and potentially pivot import of these products from the Philippines, students created mascots aptly named Eba (representing ube), Mang Philip (representing pili), Manny (representing calamansi), and Kikoy, Kikay, and Kikuy (representing a triplet of cacao pods) as a part of the social media campaign, followed by a convention held in Brussels, Belgium last April 2023.
This year, PBL Instructor Ryan Joseph Sy and SoMA’s Multimedia Arts students are exploring the possibility of working with the Embassy of the Czech Republic in another venture on APC’s Project-Based Learning program.
