The first day of Daly City's Annual Filipino-American Food + Arts Festival at the Serramonte Center Parking lot, while enjoying my Magnolia mango ice cream, I made some new friends. Matthew Ledesma and Alan Mar David of the LIWANAG KULTURAL CENTER (LKC) represent the Pilipino-American Community of Daly City,
The Mission
Dedicated to the Pilipino communities of northern San Mateo, The Liwanag Kultural Center is a non-profit organization that provides a second home for the Pilipino community youth, teaching them their key values that are practiced and upheld everyday in their meetings and programs.
The value of "Kinship" is bringing the sense of family to everyone and giving support to one another, to motivate, and of course bring that sense of fun.
The value of "Pakikisama" is the sense of community that is built in a solid foundation that works upon helping one another before working towards one's own desires.
The value of "Empowerment" to recognize the strength that everyone has, especially when working with one another, as well as the celebration of self-determination which prioritizes the goals of Pilipino youth to address their needs.
The value of "Equity" is the idea that teaches youth the importance of relationships and interactions, based on social justice and fair treatment.
The tagalog word "Liwanag," which means to illuminate or to enlighten, is the exact mission of the Liwanag Kultural Center. It aims to provide for the Pilipino-American community access to meaningful information about their heritage and to educate them about the beauty of the Pilipino culture. The Liwanag Kultural center also provides leadership and artistic development opportunities for the youth, to increase their self-confidence as well as to strengthen their minds and soothe their souls.
Other Organizations and Programs held in Liwanag Kultural Center.
PILIPINO YOUTH COALITION SAN MATEO COUNTY (PYC-SMC) - A program that serves as a support group of mostly high school-aged students, with the guidance of supportive, youth-friendly team of adult PYC Advisors, They value diversity and anyone, regardless of ethic background, is welcome to join PYC-SMC.
Meetings*
1st/2nd/3rd Wednesday of the month, 6pm-8:30pm
Sessions to Inspire Pilipino Awareness (SIPA) Sessions:
4th Wednesday, 6pm-8:30pm
UNITY, BROTHERHOOD, EMPOWERMENT (U.B.E.) - UBE's Mission is to provide a safe space for queer or questioning Pilipino men who are 18+ and their allies in Northern San Mateo County, to build community and friendships by engaging in constructive dialogue and group activities, while promoting heritage. UBE strives to learn from and incorporate the experiences of queer Pilipinos to promote greater under understanding and inclusion of queer populations within the Pilipino community at large.
Meetings*
Every 1st & 3rd Thursday of the month at LKC, 7pm-9pm
KALAYAAN SCHOOL FOR EQUITY (KSE) - The Kalayaan School for Equity is a space for developing educational workshops based on the needs of the Pilipino Community of North San Mateo County. This came about as a result of the Pilipino Community having limited access to information about Pilipino Culture as well as problems facing Pilipino communities in the United States and back home in the Philippines. The Kalayaan School for Equity hopes to serve as a community-based learning Center, curricular outlet, research center, and publishing body to help fill in this void.
Meetings*
Every 4th Thursday of the month at LKC, 6:30pm-8:30pm.
Communities + Unity = Change. Final thoughts.
Life is a set of roads that can take you in many directions; it will always be up to you based on the decisions that you make. Never forget that every time you are lost, there are people out there who can give you guidance and motivation to get you back on track on the road that will lead you to success and happiness. Being in a community where you have people who care about you is a blessing. With every step you take in this road of life, never forget to thank those people who brought you up, and give respect to those who made it possible to have this opportunity.
"Be thankful".
*Photo Courtesy of: http://facebook.com/liwanagkulturalcenter
For more information on Liwanag Kultural Center (LKC):
Please contact Charles Ramilio, Organizational Director at lkcramilo@gmail.com or visit their website at http://liwanag.org/
