Best Friends of the Forest (BFF) Movement (Forest Foundation Philippines)

The Best Friends of the Forest (BFF) Movement is a multi-phase program of Edukasyon.ph and Forest Foundation Philippines (FFP), spanning from 2019 to 2024. This overarching initiative has been strategically designed to find, train, and empower young environmental advocates in the Philippines, specifically across FFP’s focal landscapes: Sierra Madre, Palawan, Samar-Leyte, and Bukidnon-Misamis Oriental.

The program piloted with "Youth as Keepers of the Forest,” (2019-2020) which provided capacity-building in environmental journalism for students in the Bukidnon-Misamis Oriental landscape. This initial success led to the larger-scale implementation of Best Friends of the Forest (BFF) Movement, executed in two sequential phases.

Phase 1 (2020-2022) established a community-centered, scalable, and digital end-to-end learning program. This allowed students to form groups and be mentored by environmental leaders to further develop their programs. 

Phase 2 (2023-2024) continued this effort by officially selecting three student groups whose community projects were funded, guided, and supported by the BFF Movement program. The projects were implemented with the help of their mentors and experts from FFP and Edukasyon.ph, and the progress of the different groups was continued to be monitored to ensure sustainability and achievement of goals.

The BFF Movement project is Edukasyon’s long-term commitment to equipping the next generation with the knowledge and tools required to become proactive and effective guardians of the Philippines' forests.