After months of hard work and preparation the Filipino Cultural Association is gearing up for its new and improved 4th annual cultural outreach program.
What students may remember as the Filipino American Youth Dialogue, is now called TerraPinoy
Day. The organization felt the name, along with the structure of the event, needed to be changed to garner more interest in the program and distinguish itself from similar programs.
“We changed the name to get people more interested in the event and we wanted to have a catchier name. Also, other schools have similar programs so we wanted to have a name that also links with College Park as well,” said Nicole Calaro, FCA’s public relations officer.
Previously the event featured mostly informative workshops about the Filipino culture however now FCA has incorporated interactive
activities, such as an Amazing Race-themed workshop about Filipinofolklore, and performances to engage their participants.
Although the workshops have varied over the past four years, this year’s theme, “Stay True, Stay Fresh, Stay You,” allows the organization
to touch on more relevant themes such as college acceptances and a workshop which mixes both modern and cultural dances popular in the Filipino community. The students who participate can then perform the dances at the end.
This year the event will be held during October, which is Filipino Heritage Month and a great way to incorporate a workshop on Filipino History said Jeanine Reyes, FCA’s president.
TerraPinoy day has seen an average of about 20 students, mostly from area high school and middle schools, but with a new name and new activities Reyes hopes that more students will be inclined to come out.
“October is homecoming [for a lot of these students] and SAT’s and other events happening that we compete with, but hopefully they chose our event over something else, we are crossing our fingers,” said Reyes.
Most of the workshops are created and facilitated by the executive board members but FCA does allow its general body members to be involved
by becoming atekuyas, or big brothers and sisters, who bring the students to the different workshops
and participate with them. The group markets the event to middle and high school students in order to fill a void to the younger Filipino
students who are not exposed to the culture as much a chance to explore their heritage while meeting new people.
“It’s all about targeting a different audience. We want to be able to get them while they are younger and teach them about culture early on,” said the events coordinator and FCA’s community service chair, Christine Bustamente.
Although the event attracts mostly Filipino students the FCA has encouraged all students to participate so that they can further increase awareness of Filipino culture.
“Learning about different cultures is something we learn hear at Maryland so it’s a good thing to teach the younger kids as well,” said Bustamente.
TerraPinoy Day serves as one of FCA’s biggest community service events and also gives them a chance to learn from the younger generation and stay connected to a generous community.
“We’re reaching out to more than just our campus but out to our community and making society more aware of the Filipino culture,”
said Veronica Lim, FCA’s vice president.
At the end of the day, FCA wants the students to walk away from TerraPinoy with not only a richer sense of the Filipino heritage but also a renewed sense of who they are and what they want to be.
“A lot of Asian-Americans think that they can’t break that glass ceilingand reach for the stars and go beyond what they know. We want to get them to believe in themselves.I hope that we can open up doors for these kids and show them that a big part being successful is knowing what’s around you,” said Reyes.
