Advocacy Conference Made For and By Youth Focuses on Activism and Healing

Youth ages 14-24 can attend ‘Roots & Resilience,’ SIPA’s fourth-annual Youth Conference on April 18th

Historic Filipinotown, Los Angeles, CA  – Search to Involve Pilipino Americans (SIPA)’s annual Youth Solidarity Conference, themed ‘Roots & Resilience’, returns for a fourth run on April 18th, from 11am to 5pm. This year’s youth-led, youth-centered conference features workshops, speakers, and wellness offerings focused on educating young people about activism, leadership, and community healing.

“Our communities are under attack. How do we, as youth, step into our power and do something about it? And how do we take care of ourselves in the process?” conference lead and Youth Advisory Board member, Ceeb Ancheta, said. “The conference is a space for us to tackle these questions—and seeing our passion, a place I hope empowers attendees to advocate for what genuinely matters to them.”

Starting off the day, participants will hear from a keynote speaker (to be announced).

This year, the conference will feature programming focused on equipping youth with the skills to advocate for their communities and engage in mindfulness. These include:

Immigrant Bystander Intervention Training facilitated by SIPA Youth Advisory Members – Facilitated by the youth leaders organizing this event, this training is meant to shifts passive observers into active "upstanders" by teaching safe, effective techniques. This training fosters accountability, enhances community safety, and empowers people to intervene in harmful situations without putting themselves in danger.

How to Find Resources and Support facilitated by Lisa Ordonez – This workshop is geared to what unique and general resources are available to young people in Los Angeles communities. Whether it is BIPOC, Filipinx, LGBTQIA+, or student-specific resources, how to navigate the right mental health resources, and why youth should be utilizing them will be discussed in an interactive and community-building format.

Community Resilence Model facilitated by Para Los Niños' United Mental Health Promoter (UMHP) – In this workshop, youth will learn about the Community Resiliency Model (CRM), how the mind-body connection of stress and trauma impacts us, and equip themselves with a series of wellness skills to raise awareness on our mental health.

Sound Bath facilitated by Lisa Gonsalves – This soundscape journey is a communal embrace, crafted to ease youth’s overstimulated nervous systems and guide them into deep relaxation, balance, and inner peace.

During the latter half of the day, participants will engage in a community gathering where they can learn about resources from external partners and enjoy performances from community members (to be announced).

“The goal of our annual Youth Solidarity Conference is to bring in young students and young adults from all over Los Angeles to learn about advocacy, community work, and cross community solidarity. It’s essential to have youth be the ones planning the event because they understand what’s most important and impact to their generation right now,” said Beatrice Avancena, the Leadership Development Coordinator at SIPA. “There’s a lot of barriers that exist that make it difficult for youth to lead and hold decision making power, so it was important for us to co-create a space that they could call their own.”

SIPA Serves LA’s Youth and Fosters the Future

The Youth Solidarity Conference is one of many ways in which SIPA is dedicated to the future, engaging and empowering youth and families to be better leaders in their own communities. With a legacy as long as SIPA's, the driving force behind all of the organization’s decisions has always been influenced by young people. Upcoming free events for youth, located at SIPA’s headquarters at HiFi Collective, include:

• Kultura Klasses, Filipino Martial Arts - March 14, 21, 28, and April 4
  Join SIPA and Pamana Kali for a free series of Filipino Martial Arts workshops designed for youth ages 6–17. Learn basic movements, self-defense skills, and the rich cultural traditions behind this empowering art form—all in a safe and welcoming space.

All supplies are provided so just bring your energy and curiosity!

Register at bit.ly/kulturakali

• Kape and Kwento: ongoing monthly series
  Join us for ongoing conversations about what is happening in our world. These are conversations centered on community building, resource sharing, and more. Come by and discuss with us! 

• LGBTQ Advocacy Day - March 25

• Easter Event - April 4
  Join SIPA for our EGGstravaganza Hunt & Pamana Kali Family Day- a free day of lunch, egg hunting, and a Filipino Martial Arts workshops designed for youth ages 6–17. Scan the QR code or visit http://bit.ly/4s4IGLe to register!

• Dance Troupe: ongoing
  Join us for our upcoming SIPA Dance Troupe auditions! This is a community-centered, non-competitive dance collective specifically for high school aged youth (14-18). Minimal dance experience required- come some share your love and passion for dance! For questions contact maurus@sipacares.org
  

Roots & Resilience: Youth Solidarity Conference

April 18th, 2026 11am-5pm
HiFi Collective
3200 W Temple St, STE 100 
Los Angeles CA 90026
RSVP here

RSVPs are open to youth 14-24 years old. Food will be free for all attendees. Youth can also gain volunteer & community service hours as a participant! For questions, reach out to Beatrice Avanceña at beatrice@sipacares.org