AALEADers at Terrapinoy Day!
By Ari Pak, MD High School Program Coordinator
Photos By Filipino Cultural Association of the University of Maryland
This past Saturday, AALEADers participated in Terrapinoy Day, an annual exploration of identity, culture, and leadership for middle and high school students hosted by the University of Maryland’s Filipino Cultural Association (FCA). AALEAD was represented by four high school and three middle school youth who boldly engaged in workshops on cultural identity exploration, leadership skills, and deciding careers. The AALEADers stepped up to the challenging materials with excitement, creating a space of sharing, learning, and community between all students in attendance.
Youth participated in a leadership workshop where they identified and modeled the qualities of a good leader. After a generative conversation on positive leadership qualities, youth developed and performed skits exemplifying good leadership. While the responsibility of leadership can sometimes feel intimidating, participants were able to recontextualize every day experiences into leadership opportunities. Youth came away understanding that they could be the one person who is able to make the necessary difference in a situation. Even while groups created their skits, they were practicing the leadership skills they learned, supporting each other, making sure all voices were heard, and encouraging each other to step into the spotlight.
During the Culture and Identity workshop, youth navigated questions of personal identity with the support of their peers. Facilitators read statements about culture to which participants would answer by standing in the designated “strongly agree, “ “agree,” “disagree,” and “strongly disagree” areas of the room. At this point, youth made connections within their small discussion groups, sharing their experiences and reasons to statements like “I feel that people understand and value my culture.” This activity provided a venue to work through questions of individual identity within a supportive and safe environment. One AALEAD youth reflected, “I’ve never actually thought about those questions before, and they are really hard questions which I’m going to be thinking about more now.”
In the Deciding Careers workshop, youth explored the possibilities and dreams of their futures. “Draw a picture of your life twenty years from now,” one workshop facilitator instructed as they passed out paper to each youth. The room went silent as everyone fell deep into thought about their best life imaginable. Afterwards, each person shared their images depicting their goals, ambitions and passions. Many of the college-aged volunteers also shared their own experiences and imparted the understanding that failure, hard work, and commitment to a goal are a part of the process of achieving your dreams. AALEADers asked the college students questions about their experiences, connecting with their older counterparts and finding role models that overcame challenges similar to their own. This was a memorable experience for our AALEADers to share their stories in a college setting with their own peers and college peers.
