LOCAL YOUTH LEADER TO RUN FOR DIRECTOR IN UPCOMING FAMAS ELECTION

Montreal, Quebec - Local youth leader, Neil Castro, is planning to run as a candidate for Youth Director at the upcoming FAMAS (Filipino Association of Montreal and Suburbs) election on August 9, 2009. Castro is the current secretary-general of Kabataang Montreal (KM) and has been serving as a youth organizer since 2004.

The decision to run for Youth Director is focused on the need to raise awareness on the situation of Filipino youth in Montreal and the implications it has on the Filipino community as a whole.

"The Filipino community in Quebec has been in Montreal for over 40 years, yet our youth hold one of the highest drop-out rates in the province," states Castro. "Drop-out rates, among other issues facing Filipino youth, should be the concern of the entire Filipino community. Although KM has been addressing these issues since 2000, it is time for the wider community to become aware and take action as their youth have done."

Last month, on the weekend of May 22-24, KM along with the Philippine Women Centre of Quebec and SILKAB Quebec and other member organizations of the Kapit Bisig Centre, held a youth conference under the theme, "Ugat: Sharing our Pinoyville Stories, Understanding our Roots". The conference brought together Filipino youth from high schools, CEGEPS, universities and the community to address the different issues brought out through the experiences of different Filipino youth in Quebec. The Ugat conference succeeded in bringing more young Filipinos forward and work together with KM and other member organizations of the KBC to educate, organize and mobilize the Filipino community in Quebec towards genuine settlement and integration into Canadian society.

Kabataang Montreal has been organizing Filipino youth in Quebec since 2000 and is a member of Ugnayan ng Kabataang Pilipino sa Canada/Filipino Canadian Youth Alliance (UKPC/FCYA) since 2006.

Neil Castro is also a founding board member of the Kapit Bisig Centre and national council member of UKPC/FCYA.

email: kabataangmontreal@gmail.com
web: kabataangmontreal.blogspot.com