Filipino American youth find their voice in message of belonging

By Alan Oda

“Healing Hope” was both the theme and the essence of the third annual Youth Solidarity Conference held recently at the headquarters of the Search to Involve Pilipino Americans (SIPA) in Los Angeles. The non-profit organization has served Pilipino Americans and others by providing health and human services, community economic development, arts and culture since 1972.  

Maurus Dumalaog, SIPA Cultural Roots and Leadership Associate Director, described the goals for the conference last month. He described his “great respect for the critical consciousness” of the youth. “I hope the youth can have this sense of wanting and yearning in ways that help us uplift each other especially in dark times such as this.” Dumalaog wants the conference to inspire youth to “take up this responsibility but also find joy in being able to uplift the community in ways they want us to be uplifted, too.”

The theme “felt like the most appropriate name for the conference because we wanted to acknowledge the current state of the world,” said Alexa, SIPA Youth Leadership intern. “We’ve recognized the discrimination and racism that is happening as well as the stress that comes along with all of that,” adding “our goal with this year’s conference (was) to gather in community, recognize these difficulties, and heal from our collective struggle as we continue on.”

Participants attending were AAPI youth, ranging from 12 to 24 years of age. The day included workshops, speakers, and wellness offerings focused on educating young people about activism, leadership, and community healing while celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month (APAHM). 

The conference featured several different workshops to encourage youth involvement in the local community, offering training in processes and practices to address the stressors currently experienced by BIPOC communities. These presentations included instructing Filipino youth on how to respond to the recent Los Angeles fires, addressing AAPI mental health concerns, and a drag performance by Aiana Shaw, which highlighted cultural dance traditions and spoken word poets to provide opportunities for personal expression and reflection. Various organizations were represented to provide free resources to attendees.

The keynote speaker was Izzy Ngov, an established multimedia artist and editor who identifies herself as a “visionary creative.” She currently runs her own production company incorporating her skills as a cinematographer, photographer, and entrepreneur. Ngov specializes in crafting narratives for visual marketing campaigns via social media and film. Her past clients include Famous Footwear, A Philly Special Christmas charity album, Disney, and Amazon. She also values the opportunity to focus on representation in media, as well as documenting her own journey and life’s discoveries via film.

Ngov reflected on her experience as the conference keynote speaker. “Spending a day with present and potential upcoming leaders of AAPI is amazing. Trailblazers always have a ‘go-getter’ mentality as well as so much richness in what they do,” she said. “It left me inspired knowing how much they were doing for their community already. I am blessed and excited to continue to follow their journey and what they might do next.”

“I started documenting my journey when I was 16. All I ever do now and then is try to uplift the upcoming generation of AAPI,” said Ngov. “Being invited to be a keynote speaker at this conference for the youth made by the youth was everything I have wanted to do. They felt like there was so much alignment in both our paths with myself and the community.”

She shared about her work both as an individual content producer and her work collaborating with others in guiding future leaders sharing their message. “For me, it was important to be able to create by myself. No matter what that meant, for example I always wanted to (direct and produce) short films, but felt like I needed to find a crew to be able to do that with a larger team, and that is not the case. That was a limiting mindset.” Ngov added “of course, I would’ve loved to work with more people, but working with what you have (on your own) sometimes allows you to be more creative on how you film or how you even tell stories.”

“On the other side, if you are able and have a team that is able to go when you are. It can be a blast, everyone can bring so much to the table and show you new ways to create or honestly uplift each other. Therefore as the content creator I am, I believe up and coming leaders are influential on their own and collaborating with others.”

Ngov sees upcoming changes in the social media landscape. “It’s clear that we are moving away from influencers and feel more attached to people living their real life – whether that be sharing life as a student, working in corporate america, or being a freelance graphic designer.” She believes social media is evolving toward “a more authentic feel, which means over the years I believe that we will find communities who are more real and less artificial.”

“To pair with that, I think produced content and technical skills will skyrocket. This could be a very important time to grow your technical skills to the point they become second nature.” She views this evolution as being positive, stating “I am excited to see how technology changes the world of socials and creativity. And I do have to add – there is space for both.”

Ngov also shared her own challenges as an AAPI professional. “When it comes to racial adversity, it is something I believe we will face whether we stare directly in its face or keep moving forward. And I say that to say, no matter what people say to you, or how they treat you, the only thing you can do is control how you respond.” She said she has dealt with her personal “fair share” of adversity, “but in no means do I allow myself to succumb to what others have said to me.” She encourages AAPI youth to keep moving forward. “If they are creating roadblocks to get to something you want, remember there are 1000 ways to get there. Either find a new one, or create a new one.”