Filipinos are often stereotyped to work as nurses or caregivers but young Filipino-Canadians have proven that they are ready to take up spaces in different job fields that Filipinos are mostly unrepresented. And that is why Pinoys On Parliament is hosting a youth leadership conference in Ottawa to gather all young Filipino-Canadian leaders across Canada and help them network with each other.
POP has been running for two years with hopes of making it’s youth-led conference an annual event. The fact that it is a youth-led, youth-organized, conference is what makes it unique from other typical conferences. In this way, participants would be able to relate more with everyone.
POP’s Director of Outreach, Venus Ramos says, “When you see someone your age hosting something like this, it really does inspire you because you see them and you’d say, if they can do it, I can do it myself.”
This year, it was a 3-day event that started from February 20 until February 23, 2020. It consists of panels discussing politics and leadership, several workshops that tackle topics like mental health awareness, building relationships, and budgeting. Participants also had a chance to tour the Parliament as well.
The team behind it all are several smart young Filipino-Canadians as well. The theme was Magkasama which made senes as they were able to gather several delegates from Canada’s different provinces and territories. All have different backgrounds. Some were born in Canada and some were born in the Philippines. But all with the same goal, wanting to connect with their Filipino culture.
As the organizers mentioned, the conference does not only focus on one specific topic, it caters to all young Filipino-Canadians who are seeking out advice, or just wanted to have this huge network and learn from the different speakers and other delegates as well. They aim to see Pinoys on Parliament grow bigger in the years to come, and they are confident that it will.