CULTURAL ROOTS & LEADERSHIP

engaging youth and families to lead their own communities

With a legacy as long as SIPA's, the driving force behind all of our decisions has been always influenced by young people. By seeing the world for what it could be through fresher eyes, our own dedication to improving the future remains steadfast. Listen to what these young voices have to say about their hopes for the future.

Leadership Development: Growing Change Agents

Identifies, cultivates, and trains future community leaders to serve as ambassadors in their communities, to engage in relationship building, skills development, community mobilization, and social justice using a cultural power building lens and healing justice framework to address systemic harms and generational trauma.

A body of returning youth leaders who mentor interns, facilitate training, and guide program planning. They support both Leadership Development projects and ensure SIPA’s youth programming stays youth-centered and youth-led.
A leadership cohort of high school and college students who design, plan, and lead community workshops, build advocacy skills, and support major youth-led events like the annual Youth Solidarity Conference.
Developped to bring youth together and build solidarity within the AAPI community and across partner communities. The Youth Solidarity Conference aims to create an inclusive, supportive environment where young people can share their stories, learn new skills, and build lasting connections.
A creative research internship where youth investigate issues like gentrification and displacement in Historic Filipinotown. They use their research to develop storytelling projects in the form of zines, videos, podcasts, or short films to uplift community voices and preserve culture.

Cultural Enrichment: Passing down history, culture & identity

Provides a safe environment for youth and families to explore their racial/ethnic identity to build community spaces that center the beginning stages of increasing healthy relationships and bonding, leadership development, and sense of belonging.

Monthly social gatherings where community members are able to engage and participate in community building activities that span anywhere from physical activities, games/trivia nights, karaoke nights, and/or meetups pertaining to a specific interest group (ie-college students, creatives, tech industry, small businesses owners, seniors, single parents, lgbtq, etc.).
A monthly series where young people can learn different genres of dance from local instructors, explore movement, and gain comfort with their bodies in a safe and fun environment.
A monthly series where youth and families are able to learn how to cook cultural dishes from local chefs and/or community volunteers to develop culinary skills and pass down traditional recipes.
Filipino Summer Program (FSP):
FSP educates and engages youth around Filipino culture, identity and history and explore topics centered around Filipino food, dance, music, language, arts and activism guided by a range of facilitators and external partners.
Hiraya Teatro:
Hiraya Teatro provides high school youth (ages 14–18) with a performing arts intensive that combines artistic training with leadership development and mentorship. The camp focuses on hands-on experience in performance, storytelling, and production.

Mobilization: Serving the community

Co-creates with community members to build leadership and collective power, while organizing through advisory boards and coalitions to address community needs.

Establishes pathways for community involvement, action, and leadership on issues affecting Filipino-American and immigrant communities. SIPA provides community members with short and long term opportunities to get involved all year long.
Events centered on relationship-building with community members to amplify community voices, strengthen mutual understanding, and help shape future programs based on community needs.
Trainings and workshops developed with the needs of SIPA’s community and audience in mind. These efforts support our Historic Filipinotown neighbors to be advocates and to mobilize for themselves.