PAMANTASAN CONFERENCE 2018
Friday, October 5, 2018, University of Hawaii at Manoa
An impressive 300+ participants composed of high school and college students, UH system faculty and staff, and community members participated in this 30th annual conference that held the theme #BeKindToAStudent which was the mantra of the late Dr. Niki Libarios. SG participated with a panel presentation on “How Sariling Gawa Youth Council has Contributed to Educational Achievement in Filipino Youth in Hawaii.”
Thank you very much to Mia who wrote the proposal and made sure it was approved! Salamat to all who participated in the presentation! Panelists were Mia Luluquisen, Ernie Libarios, Milli Asuncion, Rouel Velasco, Hannah Beltran, Anjanette Pablo, and Julie Tabarejo. Rouel, Hannah, Anjanette, and Julie shared their educational journeys while Mia and Milli gave a brief history of SG.
Although there were only 3 audience members, Ernie’s presence was very special especially for the leaders, and hopefully for Rouel and Mia, too, since Milli is the only one in that panel who was present at the very first training sessions he and his late wife Shirley (Niki’s parents) provided in the early 80s. It was heartening that they were able to hear – in his own words – the training points they taught leaders in the early years, and he shared many rules and ideas that are still being done in conferences today – 38 years later – such as energizers, no sex no violence, no right no wrong, be positive, right to pass, build self esteem, meet in a circle where everybody’s equal, and build community. He emphasized that everyone has a story, and described an activity involving a Life Map. He also reminded us to “always give praise” to people you meet!
Additionally, a big mahalo and shout out to the SG leaders who volunteered to usher the 100 high school students to their activities and distribute bentos to them as they climbed into their buses. Thank you to volunteers Hannah Beltran, Miki Nishizawa, Anjanette Pablo, Deseree Pablo, and Julie Tabarejo! Maraming salamat for your hard work!