Pilipinx Youth Conference 2019: Strength in the Struggle, Strengthened by the Struggle
Pilipinx Youth Conference (PYC) is an annual three-day event hosted by BRIDGE: Pilipinx Outreach and Retention at the University of California, Davis campus. PYC aims to empower high school students through workshops focusing on higher education, social activism, and Pilipinx hxstory and culture. The purpose of this conference is to preserve our stories, our Philippine culture, and our hxstory. PYC aims to remind students that their experiences are truly worthy and valid. This conference will foster a space for participants to engage in thoughtful reflection of their past and present experiences in relation to their multiple identities.
WHEN: Friday to Sunday, February 8th to 10th, 2019
WHERE: UC Davis Campus (Overnight stay at Aggie Inn)
WHO: High School Students are invited to learn more about their own Filipino/a/x culture!
Questions? Email us at pycbridge2019@gmail.com
PYC 2016: https://vimeo.com/168905868
PYC 2018 featured on Balitang America: https://balitangamerica.tv/filipino-youth-conference-embraces-identity-through-understanding-history/
Theme: “Strength in the Struggle, Strengthened by the Struggle”
The inner rings of a tree tell a lot about the life it has lived. The weathering isn’t always visible on the bark, but the rings will show the tree’s history and scars. The trees hold knowledge and wisdom, observing how a community develops and watching the world change around them. Despite the storms that the tree may face, it rises powerfully from the ground. Our people witness the resistance, discrimination, and injustices done to us--whether we realize it or not--yet, we continue to produce the will to overcome and the ability to grow in strength. Our struggles may not show on the surface, but our history is undeniably rooted in our veins.
The tree is part of the larger forest, individually playing a vital role to the health of the earth underneath it. Interlocking their roots, forests can prevent landslides by keeping each other grounded and intact. As a community, we can withstand the storms even if the rains try to flood what grounds us.
The forest is part of the larger ecosystem. They also play a vital role to the health of the other plants and animals that occupy the forest. Our solidarity with other communities is necessary for a functioning ecosystem. Because we have the strength developed from the struggles that we have endured, we can collectively depend on each other to work towards a healthy future.
Strength blossoms from the struggles and hardships in your lived experiences. We can use this strength to have confidence in ourselves and in our identity, as well as lend support to our other community members experiencing their own weathering.