It's been a good six years now since my roommate Chris and I coordinated the Filipino Americans Coming Together (FACT) conference out of our dorm room. The planning of the largest Pilipino-American conference in the Midwest was scheduled between our classes and whenever the cafeteria closed. It was hectic, but with people like the Blue Scholars from Seattle and activists from New Jersey and New York flying in, we knew we had to do it justice. Since that time, much has changed (tons more people, changes in venues), but a lot has stayed the same (host school, free registration). Registration for FACT 2009 just opened up to the public, and to entice people into signing up, I got the inside scoop on what's going down at this FACT from this year's coordinators.
Held annually at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign by the Philippine Student Association, no one at the first FACT could possibly imagine what it has evolved into. In the beginning, there were only around a dozen people who spent a Saturday morning in the Union discussing Pilipino-American awareness, issues, and advancement. While those topics remain at the core of FACT's workshops, there's also newer emphases on the talents of Pilipinos (via the ever-popular variety show) and networking. With Pilipino student groups representing from Minnesota to Ohio, FACT is one of the few times each year where Midwest Pil-Ams get to assemble and plan the direction of our region. Also, each year's conference has a theme. From the FACT 09 site:
"Our theme, “Our People’s Power”: identity | passion | purpose, hopes to inspire our delegates to do just that. We want to draw inspiration from the People Power Revolution and honor the historical event that lead to Corazon Aquino’s peaceful rise to power. Known as “the revolution that surprised the world,” the nonviolent revolution would not have happened if 2,000,000 Filipino citizens did not decide to protest the government. If it were not for that purpose to fight a corrupt government, nothing would have changed.
Our goal for FACT 2009 is to create continuity with last year’s conference by emphasizing delegates’ identities, but also engaging their passions and creating a sense of purpose for themselves. This year, we want our delegates to meet us half-way. We would like our delegates to be proud of whom they are, but we would also like them to realize that they are part of a greater world around them; their role in life is not defined by their salary or their social status but rather, is defined by their values and beliefs."
There's a link at the end of the article to all the workshops at this years' conference, which include subjects such as mixed-race identities here and in the Philippines, relating Manny Pacquiao's triumphs to the Philippines as a whole, and the history of Pilipino-American activism. The arts are covered with both cultural and modern dance workshops, and an artist panel featuring Alfa Garcia and Manny Garcia. Finally, there's the annual freshman workshop, which serves as a crash course in the collegiate Midwest Pil-Am scene.
I've kept in touch with this year's head coordinators; Brenan Salgado, Jemma Lopez, and Simeon Louie Sevandal; and in the midst of the craziness that is launching registration, I fired off a few questions:
BakitWhy: There are huge Pil-Am conferences like FACT that happen on the east (like FIND), west, and south. What makes FACT unique?
Louie Sevandal: The first thing that makes FACT unique is that it doesn’t travel. Each year FACT is hosted by new leaders from the Philippine Student Association at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Another thing that makes FACT different is that there are no registration fees. If a delegate just wanted to go to workshops, they wouldn’t have to pay any money whatsoever. By making workshops free, we emphasize that this conference is truly an event where you can learn something about yourself, something about your culture, and something about your fellow delegate.
BW: Putting together a conference of this magnitude while being a student has to be challenging. Why did you take on this responsibility?
LS: Personally, I took on this challenge because I really wanted to. I am currently a graduate student now, and spent the majority [of my] undergraduate career in some type of leadership role with the Philippine Student Association. I couldn’t stop as a graduate student after being so involved. Also, I have been witness to how much impact on other people one can make by coordinating this conference and how much one can develop professionally...I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to take on this responsibility.
Jemma Lopez: PSA has played such a significant role in my college experience; this organization and the members in it have really helped me come out of my "shell" and realize my full potential. I've held an officer position ever since I was a sophomore (I am currently a senior) and taking on the responsibility and challenge of putting together this conference just seemed like the next step for me to take. It's also my way of giving back to PSA and the Pil-Am community that has helped shape me into who I am.
BW: FACT keeps growing in terms of numbers, with delegates coming from new places every year. What's the turnout you expect for 2009?
LS: It is true FACT keeps growing. My expectation is that we will hit around 850-900 registered delegates. I am not sure how many people will be coming from the Midwest though because of the recession. But, we have heard there is interest from college organizations from Pittsburgh and New Jersey in attending the conference so we all hope we will see them on the 23rd.
JL: Last year's FACT conference had a record 800 pre-registered delegates, and we hope to reach around 900 pre-egistered delegates for this year's conference. I believe the quality and turnout of the FACT conference has improved immensely over the years, and we're fortunate that we can reach out and impact such a large number of people.
BW: What's new this year that could entice past attendees to return to FACT?
LS: I think the biggest difference about this FACT Conference is the level of focus we have on the delegates. Last FACT Conference was really good at meeting delegates where they were at, and it is a model we are hoping to improve upon. This year, we are hoping to meet the delegates where they are and challenge them to apply themselves to a purpose. All the workshops have been labeled as identity, passion, or purpose based. We hope that each delegate can experience one of each, and can truly learn something new about themselves. As for anything else, FACT’s structure will largely remain the same as last year but expect content to change significantly.
BW: What's the one thing you hope a delegate takes away from his/her experiences that weekend?
LS: The number one thing that I want delegates to take away is that it is great to know who you are and what you love. However, that is only the first step. Self-knowledge and passions are wasted when not applied to some purpose. Delegates may not find their purpose at the conference, but hopefully we can inspire them through our workshops and theme to get on the right path to whatever that purpose might be.
JL: As FACT coordinators, our ultimate goal is to challenge our delegates to embrace their self-proclaimed identities, pursue their passions and realize that both are necessary to fulfill their purpose in life – whatever that purpose may be. If one person walks away from the conference feeling inspired and able to do something great with his or her life, then the hard work and dedication we put into coordinating this conference was all worth it.
Official FACT 2009 website: http://fact09.org/
FACT 2009 workshop information: http://fact09.org/blog/?page_id=79
FACT 2009 registration: http://fact09.org/blog/?page_id=77
E-mail the coordinators: fact@psauiuc.org
Thanks to Jemma, Brenan, and Louie for taking the time to supply the information above and respond to our questions!
