In March 2020 ‘Making Futures: Rethinking Craft Communities, Taking on Global Challenges’ three-day conference took place in Cebu, the Philippines.

The conference was a partnership between the British Council and Plymouth College of Art, supported through British Council's Crafting Futures global programme, the Design Centre of the Philippines and the Philippine Textile Research Institute. 

Resources from the conference can be found here.  

The team in the Philippines recently commissioned: Crafting Futures: Sustaining handloom weaving in the Philippines – a report on the industry’s gaps and opportunities in the country which has informed the next steps for Crafting Futures Philippines. 

2021 - 2022 programme:

Woven Networks - Craft changemakers conserving forests is the first year of Crafting Futures Philippines. The project is initially a one-year partnership between the British Council and Forest Foundation. It aims to strengthen the voices of local communities by highlighting their sustainable practices and vital role as artisans, thus growing forest resources and livelihood. The project advocates for more inclusive and gender-sensitive forest management by sparking exciting collaborations and knowledge-exchange between forest dependent craft communities and trusted intermediaries - designers, researchers, social entrepreneurs, leaders and the academe.