Thousands of Filipino Americans in the North Bay region are in the health care professions, technical professions, and public service and nonprofit sectors. Their growing presence is the focus of an educational conference this summer aimed at developing ways to infuse the educational curriculum with knowledge about the Philippines and Filipino American history and cultures.
SSU's North Bay International Studies Project hosts the multicultural education conference on June 15 and 16. The conference is for K-12 educators, students, and community members interested in developing content in K-12 language arts, social sciences, math and the arts. Early registration is recommended for the "KAPWA: You and I are One"conference and information can be found online.
The conference is part of the Fulbright-Hays
Group Project/Study Tour of the Southern Philippines conducted by SSU Professors Leny Strobel and Miriam
Hutchins in the summer of 2006.
The grant enabled eleven K-12 teachers from Northern California to participate in a five-week study tour that included lectures, public and private school visits, cultural and environmental education sites, museums, indigenous schools, homestays, and lecture exchanges.
There are three main community organizations in Sonoma County – Filipino American Community of Sonoma County, Filipino American National Historical Society, Sonoma County Chapter, and Pilipino American Association of Rohnert Park. In addition to these, there are also Filipino congregations in several Catholic Churches. SSU has invited the Fulbright In-Country Host, Fr. Albert Alejo, S.J., Ateneo de Davao University in Mindanao, Philippines, as the keynote speaker at the conference. Alejo is most well known for his seminal work on the study of Filipino indigenous philosophy.
On Friday, June 15 at 7 p.m., the evening event features the keynote address by Alejo and an hour-long cultural performance by the renowned Barangay Dance Troup from San Francisco. This event is open to the public and $10 tickets will be sold at the door.
Additonal information on the local Filipino-American community and its history is available upon request. For more information, contact Miriam Hutchins, North Bay International Studies Project, 4-2409.