Hello, humans. Eeman here. Can’t believe it’s been almost five years since we started Hooman. Many things happened here and all over the world, and we knew that was going to be the case since we embarked on this journey. This is why, since Day 0 of Hooman, we made sure our intentions were very clear, and why we’re doing the things we do.
Since the beginning of Hooman, we have all agreed to dedicate 20% of the agency’s net profit to non-profit education.
That has always been our reality. Our main motivation, whatever we earn here, we make sure we contribute to something we believe is important. And over the past 6 months, we’ve been working on an attempt to make this (hopefully) more impactful.
I am incredibly excited to share our ongoing effort to launch Kislap Connect. This initiative represents a deeply personal commitment to fostering human expression and making learning art more accessible to the Filipino youth.
Over the past decade, I’ve witnessed firsthand how vital places like Today x Future, collectives such as Pixel, Buwan Buwan, and Ruthless, and even platforms like Bedroom Beats Stage at Fete, have been in shaping the electronic arts landscape in the Philippines. These spaces allowed countless artists and enthusiasts, including myself, to explore, express, and experience their creativity without the usual commercial pressures. It was in these environments that I found my own form and function, which helped me figure out a lot of things in other aspects of my life.
However, there remains a significant void. Many young, aspiring creatives still lack accessible avenues to discover and nurture their artistic potential. While specialized collectives are valuable, there’s a need for a broader entry point for those just beginning their journey.
This is precisely where Kislap Connect comes in. Kislap is an organized and open-source effort to help build time and space for human expressions. It is not merely another collective or production house; it is our collective effort to fill this void and provide a “pocket reality for the lost currents.”
As a Non-Government Organization, Kislap Connect is dedicated to making means to express, explore, and experience art accessible to Filipino Youth. Our mission is to be an organized and open-source effort to build time and space for human expressions, with a vision to become a self-sustaining organization by 2030.
We attempt to achieve this by building both online (URL) and onsite (IRL) platforms where the next generation can connect, learn, and practice various electronic crafts, encompassing audio, visuals, graphics, photography, and more – whether digital, analog, ambient, LoFi, or HiFi. The medium doesn’t matter; it’s about human expressions.
Our URL platform, www.kislapconnect.ph, serves as an “Open-Lab,” hosting free courses on subjects like DIY Synthesizers, Music Production, Augmented Reality, and Mobile Photography. These courses are taught by volunteer artists, enthusiasts, and professionals who are eager to share their knowledge. Built on a Learning Management System (LMS) and strengthened with AI support, the platform offers features like assessments, exercises, quizzes, and interactive content to facilitate discovery beyond simple content distribution. With this, we believe we can make these efforts reach youth beyond Metro Manila and all over the archipelago.Â
Complementing our online efforts are our IRL “Open-Play” and “Open-Learn” activities, known as After School Kislap. These mid-week onsite events extend beyond typical gigs and pop-ups, collaborating with like-minded venues to host performances, exhibits, and crucial workshops led by volunteers and sponsors. A key aspect of these IRL sessions is that they are recorded and then translated into online courses on www.kislapconnect.ph. This ensures continuous learning and provides access to individuals outside the immediate region of the venue, creating a sustainable, long-term impact that isn’t solely dependent on attendance and location.
Kislap Connect is for the next generation – students, learners, and Filipino youth. We believe that the ability to weave art is a gateway to expanding anyone’s potential, and our effort is to ensure they don’t have to navigate the same challenges we faced.
Our agency’s resources and capabilities in building human-centric digital experiences, combined with our growing network of partners, will significantly contribute to Kislap’s operational success and enable us to achieve our established timeline. We aim to help organizations achieve digital transformation that is accessible, affordable, adaptive, and attentive, providing more options and choices to help humans achieve their goals with human-centered digital experiences
Our 5-year plan outlines a clear path from “Foundation” in 2025, focusing on structure building, platform development, and community engagement, to “Self-Sustainability” and “Legacy Building” by 2029. We are currently in Q1 of 2024, focused on planning, concept development, securing initial funding, and assembling our core volunteer team.
This June 2025, we’re very excited to take another step forward with this year’s Fete De La Music Laguna Main Stage, where we partnered with Forty Twenty-Three Productions to bring FDLM to San Pedro Laguna. Featuring performances from up-and-coming artists and performers all over the region, and a talk about music production before the party starts.
New partnerships with like-minded organizations like SISID Likha also open new horizons, like new topics and resources we can share to keep moving forward with our shared vision.
It’s been a very exciting first 6 months of the year, and we’re very excited as this new chapter unfolds, where we’re going to take Hooman and Beyond. We invite everyone to join us on this journey. Let’s move forward and ignite the charges that flow through everyone here in the Philippines.
Visit www.kislapconnect.ph to learn more and become part of our effort, or enroll in FREE Online Courses!
