Progressive change fuses GTA youth groups

Progressive change fuses GTA youth groups

By Ysh Cabana

A new alliance of youth groups in the Greater Toronto Area is reaching out to other Filipino youth asking “What’s the F?”
Filipinx Youth United for Change (FYUC) convened leaders from a faith-based group, student associations, service-oriented institution, settlement agency and community organizations, bringing together some 50 youth at Fife House on Friday November 11.

“In Toronto, we have so many existing organizations, each with their own mandate that are most likely overlapping with another’s. We are not telling them to stop conducting activities, but are asking how can we support each other,” said the group in a statement. “FYUC tries to build on our collective capacity and deepen our understanding of our shared history and responsibilities.”

Some of the alliance’s objectives are to provide a space for youth to voice their concerns and to raise resources as partnerships are developed among groups.

FYUC also explained that the challenge is how to construct that idea of our diversity within the Filipinx community. Thus, the use of the “filipinx” spelling “to resist and reintroduce the identity in Western paradigm.”

The Friday launch of FYUC had participating students from Northview Heights and St. Patrick Catholic Secondary School.

Organizers were youth leaders from Our Lady of the Assumption, Filipino Canadian Association at Ryerson, Filipino Students Association at York, Filipino Students Association of Toronto, United Filipino Students Associations of Ontario, Philippine Canadian Charitable Foundation Youth, Asian Community AIDS Services, Kapisanan Philippine Centre, Kababayan Multicultural Centre, Migrante Ontario and Anakbayan Toronto.