Project News

October 2012 | Principal Investigator of the FYTiC project, Philip Kelly and FYTiC Graduate Assistant, Conely de Leon, attended the Ninth International Conference on the Philippines at Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan.  The conference took place from October 28 to October 30 and featured a wide range of interdisciplinary research on the Philippines and the Filipino Diaspora. Philip Kelly presented some preliminary findings of the FYTiC research. His presentation was titled, “Geographies of the Second Generation: Filipino-Canadian Youth and Inter-Generational Class Reproduction.” Graduate Assistant, Conely de Leon, was there to capture footage and report on the conference.

The Conferene programme is available here.

3 March 2012 | FYTiC, in association with Kapisanan, is presenting Growing Up Canadian: An Interactive Arts Event on 3 March 2012 from 6 to 10pm at 167 Augusta Ave, Toronto (Kensington Market). They are welcoming anyone interested in Filipino-Canadian youth issues: education, jobs, identity, parents, religion, culture to attend. The event will include performances by some great Filipino-Canadian artists, free snacks and discussion. Admission is free and all are welcome.
Visit us on Facebook: 'FYTIC' for more details

2 March 2011 | Members of the research team presented at the 14th National Metropolis Conference, held in Toronto. The panel was titled 'Second Generation Youth: Educational and Employment Trajectories among Filipino Youth in Canada.' A story on the presentations and the findings the researchers shared was published in The Philippine Reporter on 9 March 2012.

7 November 2011 | The project launches the YouTube FYTiC channel - http://www.youtube.com/user/2FYTiC with a call for participation for the survey - Watch it here: http://www.youtube.com/user/2FYTiC#p/a/u/0/vfdbMPKCWp4

20 October 2011 | Philip Kelly's research related to the project was highlighted in a talk he gave on Parliament Hill in Ottawa. It was part of the Big Thinking series. In “Generation Next: Social Mobility and the Children of Immigrants,” he focused on Winnipeg as a success story of a Filipino community. Click here to read the story and click here to see the video. He was also itnerviewed on CBC Television on the topic.

Held up to six times a year on Parliament Hill, the Big Thinking lecture series brings the best Canadian research and scholarly work in the social sciences and humanities directly to the attention of elected officials, policy-makers, government officials, non-governmental organizations and the media. The series is organized by the Canadian Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences, with support from Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).

20 September 2011 | The project survey is now live! Access it here.

6-7 August 2011 | Look out for the FYTiC team at the ‘Filipinos Making Waves Festival’. The Festival will be held at Yonge and Dundas Square and is expected to be the largest festival gathering of Filipino youth in Toronto this summer. See it on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AmzK55V73s&NR=1.

23 July 2011 | Look out for the FYTiC / Kapisanan booth at the Mabuhay Philippines Toronto Summer Festival. The Festival will take place from 8am to 11pm at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

20 July 2011 | FYTiC team members Veronica Javier and Alex Felipe will be guests in ‘Radio Migrante’ on Community Radio, 105.5FM or www.chry.fm. Radio Migrante runs from 4 to 5pm, alternating Wednesdays at York University and features programming about the Filipino migrant experience. Veronica and Alex will be talking about the FYTiC research. For more information about Migrante Canada visit: http://migrante.ca/.

15 July 2011 | Philip Kelly is quoted in the Toronto Star in “Immigrants hardest hit by recent recession, study says”. He is lead investigator of a Toronto Immigrant Employment Data Initiative report that will be released on 22 July 2011 on the growth of the gap between immigrant and Canadian-born workers since the global economic meltdown began. The 5 July 2011 article by Nicholas Keung can be found at: http://www.thestar.com/printarticle/1025095.

7 July 2011 | FYTiC team members Conely de Leon and Veronica Javier attended the Quixotic Theatre and Carlos Bulosan Theatre production of ‘Shotgun Wedding:’ A 90s R&B Mix Tape Musical, held at the Alexandra Park Community Centre during the Toronto Fringe Festival. Veronica and Conely promoted the FYTiC research at this event. For more information about future Carlos Bulosan Theatre productions and information visit: http://www.carlosbulosan.com/.

21 June 2011 | FYTiC team member Veronica Javier teamed up with TAHANAN Media Publications to promote FYTiC and TAHANAN Magazine at the ‘Pinoy Fiesta sa Toronto’ held at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. The fiesta featured the culture and traditions of Culture Philippines of Ontario. The event also exhibited Culture Philippines of Ontario’s talents and the best of the Philippine culture. For more information about TAHANAN Media Publications and the magazine visit: www.tahananmagazine.com.

16 June 2011 | Philip Kelly presented some of the issues that the project is addressing to the Kamalayan Filipino Konsciousness Series. The series aims to "uplift and inform young people to move forward responsibly, conscious of their power and their crucial role in creating change". A lively discussion on second generation issues followed. The event took place at Last Temptation in Kensington Market. For more information on Kamalayan: visit http://www.facebook.com/kamalayankonsciousness.

12 June 2011 | Several members of the FYTiC team (Ricky Esguerra, Alex Felipe, Hermie and Mila Garcia, Philip Kelly) attended the screening of 'Ka Bel: A Documentary', held at the University of Toronto. The event was organized by the Filipino Migrant Workers Movement (FMWM). Philip Kelly gave a short presentation about the FYTiC project. For more on FMWM: http://en.wordpress.com/tag/filipino-migrant-workers-movement/.

2 June 2011 | Several members of the FYTiC team (Veronica Javier, Mila Garcia, Hermie Garcia and Philip Kelly) promoted FYTiC at the ‘Carassauga Festival’ Philippine Pavilion held in Mississauga. The Philippine Pavilions featured a wide variety of activities that depict the culture of the Philippines, including music, food, art, fashion shows, dance, story-telling, and much more.

2 April 2011 | Professor Philip Kelly presented his research project to the community at the launch of the Community Alliance for Social Justice (CASJ) "Leaders’ Speaker Series”. This annual series features a speaker with the hope of inspiring the Filipino-Canadian community, especially our youth, towards becoming leaders for social justice. The event’s invited guest was the Honourable Flor Marcelino MPP, Manitoba's Minister of Culture, Heritage, Tourism and Sports.

18 March 2011 | Professor Philip Kelly was featured in a recent Globe and Mail article on the Filipino diaspora in Canada, specifically in reference to the educational status of caregivers. In the article, “The Philippines now Canada's top source of immigrants,” Professor Kelly said that the proportion of Filipino caregivers with a university degree has risen to 63 per cent in 2009 from five per cent in 1993, making it an even better educated group than the skilled-worker class. But as the human capital of newcomers has jumped, concerns have intensified about the fate of the children of previous waves. He said research shows their outcomes are not what one would expect."In terms of statistical evidence, it looks like the story is not a happy one. Outcomes for Filipino youth are often quite poor, high levels of high-school dropouts and low levels of university graduation," Professor Kelly said. In Toronto, 37 per cent of first-generation Filipinos have a university degree, but that number dips to 24 per cent in the second generation, he said.

The 18 March 2011 article by Joe Friesen can be found here: www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/the-philippines-now-canadas-top-source-of-immigrants/article1948315/.

16 February 2011 | A profile of the project was added to and is now featured on the Community Alliance for Social Justice (CASJ) web site. It is be accessed here: http://casj.wordpress.com/2011/02/16/leaders-gala-april-2-2011-launch-of-casjs-annual-leaders-speakers-series/.

2011.2012 | In 2011.2012, the team plans to undertake a large scale survey of FIlipino youth in Toronto, as well as extend the project to Hamilton, Winnipeg and Vancouver.

24 September 2010 | Professor Kelly presented the project summary at the Philippine Studies Symposium in September 2010 at York University.  

2010.2011 | In the project’s first year, Professor Kelly formed the steering committee which guides the project and its research. Its members include graduate students, CASJ representatives, and Filipino youth leaders. York University graduate students Veronica Javier (Graduate Associate; Master’s Candidate, School of Social Work), Julia Mais (Master’s Candidate, Geography), and Conely De Leon (Graduate Associate; Doctoral Candidate, School of Women's Studies) are working with the project and conducting related research for their theses/dissertations.

The team have completed 15 key informant interviews with leaders and youth social workers in the Filipino community in Toronto.

All photographs Alex Felipe. Please contact the photographer for use inquiries.