“Bridging the Gap” at the 5th Annual SCPASA Summit

The Southern California Pilipino American Student Alliance (SCPASA) held its annual SCPASA Summit on February 11 at the California State University, Northridge (CSUN) campus. This was the fifth Summit since the return of SCPASA in 2008 after a ten-year hiatus. Co-hosted by CSUN FASA and Pierce Sampuso, the conference attracted students and community leaders from across Southern California to participate in various workshops addressing this year’s theme of “Bridging the Gap”. 

Cerritos Councilmember Mark Pulido gave the keynote speech for the event, referencing his past experience as a former SCPASA board member and UCLA student body president. “My challenge for you? Bridge the leadership gap. Go beyond your leadership here on college campuses. Get involved in your community, wherever it is. If it’s LA, cool, but if it’s back home where your folks are and where your younger brothers and sisters are, then go back and do it there. Because that’s really the challenge of today -- trying to find our place in our community so we can help advance it in the future.”

After the opening ceremonies, attendees dispersed to their choice of workshops that included those by organizations and individuals such as Anakbayan LA (Roots to the Motherland), Barangay LA (A Family Affair: Filipin@ LGBTQ Panel), the National Film Society (Filipino Americans in Entertainment), the University of California Student Association (Pilipinos and the 2012 Elections), David Lazaro (Baybayin Modern - The Ancient Filipino Script from Past to Present), Professor Tracy Buenavista (Education Pipeline: Pin@y Representation in Higher Education), and Professor Nenita Domingo (Introduction to Filipino).

BakitWhy held its own workshop titled “Community Mobilizing in the Information Age” facilitated by Special Projects Coordinator Rae Visita, Project Director Kaywan Shiraz, Director of Content Frederick Docdocil, Director of Public Relations Kathlyn Amidar, and Regional Contributor Alvin Nuval. The workshop, which attracted over thirty people over the course of it two sessions, focused on how social media campaigns can be used effectively to mobilize the community. After a case study looking into how social media transformed the Arab Spring protests into a larger movement, those who attended the workshop had the opportunity to discuss how to apply what worked into their own campaigns.

Overall, the energy at SCPASA Summit was high and many connections were made to bridge various gaps. “Summit truly did bring together not only collegiate organizations but all facets of the diverse Pilipin@ community of Southern California,” assessed SCPASA Programming Director James Golfo. “The day ran smoothly, had amazing performances, and hopefully inspired someone as well.”

Did you attend SCPASA Summit or take part in the BakitWhy Workshop? Leave us a comment below!

Related Links:

• SCPASA Summit Official Website
• BakitWhy: SCPASA’s 4th Annual Summit: Culture Shock
• BakitWhy: SCPASA Summit 2010: “Balikbayan”
• BakitWhy: SCPASA Summit 2009 at Riverside, California