The Magkaisa Centre welcomes all Filipino Canadians to take part in our upcoming creative writing and arts project this summer! Whether you are new to exploring your creative side or you are a self-professed creative, aspiring artist, or even a professional, we are here to provide a space to write, create, learn and express in a collective setting.
This is Home: An anthology of Filipino Canadian writings aims to highlight the stories and experiences of the Filipino community in Canada as we take a deep dive into our history, struggles, and aspirations through creative writing pieces including poetry, prose, interviews, photo essays, and more.
Through our workshops, we also aim to raise our understanding of current issues that we are increasingly faced with in our daily lives. What are the ways we have made Canada home? What are the stories we have woven together with other communities? How have we contributed to the fight against racism, colonization and oppression in Canada? What are our goals, dreams, and visions for our future?
The sessions will be delivered through Zoom from 11am to 1pm for five bi-weekly Saturdays:
- June 5: Program introduction with guest speaker Charlene Sayo — artist, writer, and activist
- June 19: Different forms of writing + NOW theme
- The pandemic and the transnational working-class Filipino Canadian community
- July 3: Literary devices + HISTORY theme
- Our history of migration from the Philippines to Canada
- July 17: How to give and get useful feedback + FUTURE theme
- Making Canada home: what is our vision for a post-pandemic world that we want to live in?
- July 31: Wrap up and next steps
Community-based arts
At the Magkaisa Centre, we create art that is by the community for the community. Our art expresses what our community is and what it wants to be. Through art, participants are able to recognize their common experiences and are encouraged to examine the systemic root of the causes of their realities. Art and culture is a vital component of our program to empower each other to build a movement for social change.