Teenage Filipino Youth Inspire the Filipino Community!
For immediate release
January 30, 2008
January 30, 2008
Teenage Filipino Youth Inspire the Filipino Community!
Montreal Filipino teenagers commit to help their community
(Montreal, QC) A sharing from Filipino teenagers inspired the community last Saturday. A local Filipino youth organization, Kabataang Montreal (KM) sent their delegates to "PALAKASIN!", an Ontario-wide Filipino youth conference held in Toronto last November.
Montreal Filipino teenagers commit to help their community
(Montreal, QC) A sharing from Filipino teenagers inspired the community last Saturday. A local Filipino youth organization, Kabataang Montreal (KM) sent their delegates to "PALAKASIN!", an Ontario-wide Filipino youth conference held in Toronto last November.
"The most important thing I learned about was the LCP," says 17 year old Jhastine, when asked what she learned during the conference. While answering the question, Jhastine became emotional and added, "My mother came through the LCP and worked 7 days a week. It is only when I arrived in Canada did I realize how hard she had worked to support our family and bring us here."
16 year old Cindy said, "I was separated with my Dad for so long." From the PALAKASIN! Conference, Cindy commits to continue working with KM and "to help educate the community and learn more."
Other highlights of the evening include a report on the national formation of Filipino youth organizations, Ugnayan ng Kabataang Pilipino sa Canada/Filipino-Canadian Youth Alliance (UKPC/FCYA). UKPC/FCYA-National formed in September 2006.
KM will hold a hip-hop fundraiser during Valentine's called, "Ipagdiwang: Araw ng Puso, a KM Valentines Party". The event will feature local Filipino performers such as thePnoysouljahz, 7adybathugan, Klien, Sinag Bayan Quebec and the music of DJ Triple J from Toronto. The proceeds of the event will go towards supporting the work of KM and their office at the Kapit Bisig Centre.
KM will hold a hip-hop fundraiser during Valentine's called, "Ipagdiwang: Araw ng Puso, a KM Valentines Party". The event will feature local Filipino performers such as thePnoysouljahz, 7adybathugan, Klien, Sinag Bayan Quebec and the music of DJ Triple J from Toronto. The proceeds of the event will go towards supporting the work of KM and their office at the Kapit Bisig Centre.
The organizations at the Kapit Bisig Centre (KBC) are the Philippine Women Centre of Quebec, SIKLAB-Quebec (Advance and uphold the rights of overseas Filipino workers), Kabataang Montreal (Filipino youth in Montreal), Philippines-Canada Task Force on Human Rights, and the Filipino Nurses Support Group-Quebec. The KBC community programs are geared towards strengthening and building the capacity of the Filipino community in Montreal.
Media contact: Neil Castro and Julie Nieto (514) 678-3901
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posted by kabataangmontreal @ 8:03 AM
5 comments
5 Comments:
Youre Teens are doing enough bad things already... why dont you teach them a little something...
coming from a witness!
Good day,
My name is Paolo A. Santos and I just moved back to Montreal from living in Las Vegas for the last 6 years.
I would like to commend you on your work for the Filipino community here in Montreal.
I see that there has been a lot of issues regarding the police department and Filipino youth.
What is KM doing about educating young Filipinos from avoiding racial profiling?
I was recently in the Cote-de-Neige area and I noticed that there are a lot of Filipinos, which truly made me happy to see, however, I also noticed that most of them were all dressed up in the cliche' "Gangster' look - sporting hoodies, baseball caps with flattened brims, big logos and ultra loudly patterned clothes, large diamond earings, big chain-link necklaces and walking with a limp.
I am not against this look at all, nor do I dislike this sub-culture, in fact, I am a big fan of rap music and watch B.E.T. all the time.
So, I guess I am also making an inquiry/statement that perhaps, the issue with the Police is simply not due to race, but perhaps, is attributed largely to the "look" which unfortunately, is very much synonymous to gangs and criminal activity.
I have been all over Europe, Canada, USA, including Hawaii and issues with the Police concerning people who dresses like this are not confined to Filipinos. I see this happening to numerous whites who sport this look.
I have to say, that as an immigrant to Canada myself, in my youth, I fell into the wrong mentality of embracing a group or style in order to feel accepted here in Canada. Of course in my generation, rap or the "Bling" lifestyle look was not in at the time, instead, I ran with skinheads, hardcore punks and Mods, which is ironic due to their "White Supremacy" views. I was accepted because I played one mean guitar and drums and I knew how to fight, and fight I did at every party and gang rumbles.
I was also treated unfairly by the Police, but not because I was Filipino, but because, I sported a look that was attributed to racism, disruptive social attitude and criminal activities.
I believe that new migrants or young Filipinos to Canada, or anywhere, must be educated on how to integrate intelligently and not get caught up in what is "IN" , Trendy or Hyped. It is a difficult temptation to fight as the media is saturated with this. There is also such a large mentality that if you have all this bling that you might be someone with street "cred" and that you will then garner the respect of your peers. I strongly believe that education is key.
Living in Las Vegas and partially living in L.A., it did not matter what color you are, in mattered what lifestyle you were portraying through your look. Having experienced Compton, Long Beach, East L.A.
Crenshaw and North Las Vegas, if you looked like a gang member - you were on your knees at the curb with a shotgun pointed at you from a type A kevlar clad Police.
Please don't get me wrong, for me, this look should not automatically indicate affiliation to gangs or other unsavory activities (I promote self-expression), however, as intelligent human beings, there must be an awareness that our decisions of how we conduct ourselves in this society will greatly impact and influence on how others will view us and treat us.
I also believe that newly arrived parents or parents that have been here working hard to get their kids to come to Canada, must learn quickly to analyze and understand this diverse land. It is only in this, that one can integrate seamlessly and deter other cultures from trying to find something - anything to
give us a hard time.
I know this all too well.
Please feel free to contact me if you want to discuss this further or how I can assist.
Paolo
pa3s@live.com
Layla: Before you implicate an entire nation for what I presume are a few isolated incidents, consider working on your grammar and punctuation. Maybe then you'd get a bit more respect from us Third World intellectuals.
This comment has been removed by the author.
Layla: I agree with Yeeee concerning your provocative statement rounding-up
all Filipino teens as bad-doers.
I don't know how old or mature you are, but surely you know that a statement like yours only breeds hatred and retaliation. It is this type of inconsiderate and careless comment that divides the world.
I am Filipino and I have been mistreated and looked down upon by many Australians and many Quebecois, but I understand that in every culture, there are a few rotten apples; it did not repel me from having many good Australian friends and marrying a Quebecois.
Like you, I have witnessed bad incidences as well, however, I never once thought that a few rotten apples represented an entire nation or culture.
Again, it is this type of mentality that spreads disease on mankind - a disease that will destroy us all.
Be responsible, educate yourself, eradicate notions of bigotry and please, learn to have respect in order to be part of the solution.
Paolo
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