Posted by wendel on October 28, 1999 at 09:43:18:
In Reply to: Re: Effective FIND Workshops as opposed to the past spring Workshops posted by Arlene on October 27, 1999 at 17:04:22:
I, too, am a recent DVI alum (Hi, Arl!), and I must say that I've seen FIND go through so much during these past years I've been involved. It's hard to pinpoint and choose exectly what makes a really "effective" FIND workshop. There are so many factors involved, and I think we must all be aware of some of them...just so that there may be an idea for redress.
For one thing, it's pretty obvious that the FIND audience has grown extensively through the years. My first FIND event was the dialogue at UVA (which, I feel, was one of the most effective dialogues in FIND history). That was basically when FIND was an "east coast" entity. But as the years progressed, we've seen FIND reach out to the greater community - going as far as Canada, the Southeast, Texas, the Midwest, and California. In doing so, the content of FIND had to switch gears and cater to the delegates. It's true that there are many things among Fil-Am communities EVERYWHERE that are common. However, due to economic differences, living experiences, and professional services offered in the different areas, many times the content of the FIND workshops would not really touch base with everyone. Rather it would touch base with people from specific backgrounds. In the crossfire, disgruntled delegates would critique the workshops as being biased or the like. Instead of seeing it that way, it should be seen as a learning experience for everyone involved.
Another thing is that the intercollegiate community is constantly changing from generation to generation. Because of this, it's important to continue with the educating process. Mind you, the FIND generation that I grew with knows some extensive information regarding the Fil-Am community, as well as Fil-Am and Asian American history. However, this isn't always the same for in-coming students. Like the idea at Harvard was great because it did touch base with knowing HISTORY. Life is always about knowing where you came from, and what better way to learn than from knowing history. The educating process is, and will always be, one of the driving forces of FIND. Because many schools today don't offer such programs in Asian American and Filipino American history, it is imperative that FIND be this outlet for students who desire to know these things.
Another important factor is the whole Philippine History issue. As Fil-Ams, how are we to truly understand our own issues if we are clueless to the history of our forefathers? Someone in another post said that this must start in the home - a true statement, no doubt. However, the sad thing is that many times our own parents, aunts, uncles don't even know their history well enough to impart it on us. At FIND, delegates should be open to this as well. Knowledge of Philippine History is key to understand why things have happened to us in the past, and why things seem to happen to us in the present day and future.
As far as activism is concerned, there are many levels. When we brought you FIND'98 at GWU, we recognized this fact, and we wanted to capitalize on the fact that there is not just one route to activism. Yes, it's important to empower the delegates and to bring them a "step closer" to more effective activism. But it really has to come from within each person. Every year, the FIND dialogue and the FIND conference boasts about their workshops "taking the next step." Even my conference at GWU was guilty of this. However, what we learned from our conference was that this "next step" has to come from within each person at their own time. So with that in mind, it's always good to educate the delegates about being active, but this notion will, too, continue on as the generations of Fil-Ams continues to change.
There are many other factors, but I'm sure it will just take up time. BUT the bottom line here is that the turnover rate of intercollegiate organizations like FIND is constantly moving. And with each move there is always a yearning to step forward, esp. for those people who have grown with FIND. That's good and all, but let's not forget that with each FIND conferece/dialogue there is a wave of new faces with new minds. Some of them may have some Fil-Am history on their belt, and some won't. It's the duty of FIND to continue to share the knowledge with the newer members by using what the older members have already learned. It's the circle of life...
So with that in mind, I offer my best wishes to DVII. Don't worry about what others say, and don't worry about what others may feel. You have to work hard on bringing out the message that YOU want each delegate to take back home with them. If you do this well, then you know you have succeeded in your goal. Being on the planning side of a FIND event is hard work, and I commend you on your efforts. Each FIND district has something to be proud of, but keep in mind that the message isn't about how effective the workshops were in each dialogue or conference, for in each workshop in each FIND event SOMEONE will find SOMETHING effective about it. If you choose to sleep during a workshop, then it's obvious that you don't need to be there. And if you're there just to ensure yourself a spot in the party afterwards, sorry for you. There is so much you could be missing out on.
~wendel ladringan, d6 alumni