In order to combat the declining interest in pleasure reading along with increasing amounts of screen time among children and the lack of early-age environmental education, we initiated this program. The program uses the resources of the school combined with the power of storytelling to provide a holistic, non-screen associated way to develop children both intellectually and physically.

Project RISE is the innovative environmental literacy program initiated by the National College of Business and Arts, which simultaneously addresses the dual challenges of excessive gadget use among children and the need for environmental education.

The program offers a starting point that fosters awareness, creativity, and a sense of responsibility in the minds of young people as an investment in the protection of the environment through storytelling and reading. Children from the community have been brought to the NCBA campus through a formal arrangement with Barangay Fairview in compliance with a Memorandum of Agreement. This involves read-aloud, creative activities, and tutorials using the rich resources of the library.

Fully on-campus, the structure of this engagement lets children absorb and commit themselves in a dedicated and immersive screen-free learning environment that will eventually turn passive readers into active stewards of the planet.

Here at the National College of Business and Arts, we believe that education has the power to transform not just individuals, but entire communities. That’s why we are incredibly proud to officially introduce Project RISE: Read, Imagine, Save the Earth – Where Reading Leads to Responsibility.

More than just a program, Project RISE is a promise. A promise to our youth, to our community, and to our planet. It is our holistic response to the pressing challenges of our time: the decline of reading habits, the pervasiveness of screen time, the urgency of environmental conservation, and the fundamental need for child nutrition.

Project RISE is built on the conviction that education must be holistic. We cannot nurture a child’s mind without caring for their well-being. We cannot teach environmental stewardship without providing a model of community stewardship. By integrating literacy, ecological awareness, and nutrition, we are investing in the development of responsible, healthy, and empowered future leaders.