FIND Conference 2010: Laban

Members of the Filipino Intercollegiate Networking Dialogue (FIND) network came together to the University of Maryland for their Spring Conference on February 27th, 2010.  The theme for the conference was "Laban" (the Tagalog word for “to Fight”), which was aimed towards shedding light into the past struggles from when Pilipinos first came to the United States, the struggles that we face today, and how to combat these issues. The conference was split up into three sessions that were comprised of three different workshops each, which allowed the delegates to pick and learn about subjects they may be interested in.

I.  Magkaisa: Coming Together

Workshops in the first session were geared toward some of the major struggles Pilipinos have faced in Pilipino-American history; from the initial settlements in the United States, the fight for equity for our WWII Veterans, and the experiences of the Manong generation. The biggest concern about the many struggles of the past is that they will remain there and may be forgotten by the upcoming generations. These workshops were great in telling the stories of these three points in our history to teach members of the current generation and to pass it on to the future, thereby ensuring that they will not soon be forgotten.

II. Tumayo:  Stand Up Now

Second session workshops highlighted issues that Pilipinos face today.  Topics that were addressed included the following; the social and cultural struggles of the Pilipina, the political issues that affect Pilipinos such as immigration and political ideology, and the evolution of the Pilipino-American identity. These current issues affect the community today, so they obviously deserved a great deal of attention. These workshops helped to bring together the delegates by letting us know that we still have a long way to go in the struggle.

III: Laban: Fight for a Cause

In the final session, the workshops were geared towards giving the delegates ideas on how to spread their causes and foster changes in the community - through charity, artistic expression, and social media. In response to relief efforts spawned by Typhoon Ondoy, delegates were made aware of the various means of providing relief assistance in the Philippines. Future need for change will come in many forms as we continue our advancement into the 21st century. Expressions of thought will not only come through words, but through our different expressions of talent as well. We will also be sharing and spreading our cause through various forms of social media networks; including Facebook, Twitter, as well as through online communities such as BakitWhy.com.

Afterwards, the delegates were rewarded by an amazing show of talent. FIND featured spoken word poetry by Alan DePerio and iLL-Literacy, cultural dances by the local Pilipino American Cultural Arts Society (PACAS), a demonstration by the Rutgers University Filipino Martial Arts, modern dance by the Tito BoyScouts and AirPort Crew, and the musical talents of Michelle Panlaqui, Vince Lacsamana, Kheem and the Boys, Ivy Rose, Jay Legaspi, and Melissa Polinar. Based in the many conversations overheard throughout the performances and seeing various tweets from the evening, everyone was amazed at the talent that had been featured in the show!

In his opening remarks, Alan DePerio, one of the Conference Tri-Chairs, reflected on his past FIND experiences, and had hoped that for this conference would "ignite, or . . . re-ignite that passion" on what it meant to be Pilipino, or even Pilipino-American.  By attending FIND, it is hoped that the delegates all left with that same passion, and take the lessons learned as a means to continue to "laban" for what they believe in.

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