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Program/Attendee Guide

 TABLE OF CONTENTS

TABLE OF CONTENTS        1

THE FILIPINO CANADIAN SOCIAL AND COMMUNITY WORKERS NETWORK (FCSCWN)        1

THE SYMPOSIUM        1

COMMUNITY GUIDELINES        2

SYMPOSIUM AGENDA        3

OUR SPEAKERS        5

Day 1 | Keynote Address: Creating New Possibilities in Social Work: Lessons from an Africentric Perspective        5

Day 2 | Academic Panel Presentations        5

Combatting in/visibility in Canadian social work        5

Strengthening the transnational links between the Philippines and Canada        10

Bridging theory, practice, and policy through anti-racist and decolonizing efforts        14

Day 3 | Community of Practice and Kuwentuhan        18

                           

THE FILIPINO CANADIAN SOCIAL AND COMMUNITY WORKERS NETWORK (FCSCWN)

The Filipino Canadian Social Workers, Social Service Workers, and Community Workers Network (shorthand: Filipino Canadian Social and Community Worker Network; FCSCWN) was established in 2017 coinciding with the annual conference for the Canadian Association for Social Work Education (CASWE-ACFTS) in Toronto, Ontario. We are a grassroots, voluntary group and professional network of Filipino/a/x-Canadian within social services, loosely organized across various cities, with the strongest networks and mobilizations in Toronto and Calgary.

Our Mission

Our Vision

THE SYMPOSIUM

Since the 2017 formation of the Filipino Canadian Social and Community Workers Network (FCSCWN), there has been a growing number of Filipino and Filipino-Canadian social work scholars entering into graduate studies as well as tenure-track faculty positions.

The Contours of Filipino Social Work Praxis in the Canadian Diaspora Virtual Symposium is the first academic conference for FCSCWN. We invite Filipino-Canadian scholars and practitioners in all stages of their careers (including undergraduate and graduate student scholars, community-based researchers, service providers, community organizers) to gather for critical kuwentuhan (storytelling) on the emerging field of Filipino-Canadian social work.

The key questions guiding this gathering are:

1. How do we mobilize Filipino ways of knowing and diverse lived experiences to inform social work practice, theory, and policy?

2.How do we push against the dominant, normative institutional boundaries through critical, feminist, and decolonizing frameworks?

3. How can our processes and practices of building Filipino knowledges contribute to the decolonial work of Indigenous, Black, Queer, and other racialized and marginalized research projects and activism in ways that are more reflexive and reciprocal?

COMMUNITY GUIDELINES

As a Network, we hope to increase visibility of Filipino/a/x Canadians in Canadian society and effect transformative change in the Filipino/a/x Canadian communities. To this end, we resist ongoing processes of coloniality and epistemic racism in social work to centre Filipino/a/x ways of knowing, being, and doing.

For this Symposium, we invite Filipino Canadian scholars, practitioners, and kin in all stages of their careers to gather for critical kuwentuhan (storytelling) on the emerging field of Filipino Canadian social work. Each community member’s presence and contribution is valuable – everyone plays a role in fostering a welcoming and collaborative virtual space.

As a community, we agree to the following:

Demonstrating Pakikipagkapwa

The Filipino value of kapwa encompasses the collective spirit of shared humanity, interconnectedness, and deep commitment to community over the individual (Desai, 2016). Pakikipagkapwa means treating another person as kapwa or a fellow human being; the self in and as equal to the other (De Guia, 2005). In line with this, we expect everyone to:

Addressing Microaggressions

“Microaggression” refers to the subtle, covert, and often unconscious acts of racism, sexism, ableism, sanism, homophobia, transphobia, etc. and includes verbal and non-verbal harms such as body language (e.g. Rolling of eyes).

Valuing Open Communication and Transparency

Committing to Accountability and Reciprocity

SYMPOSIUM AGENDA        

Day 1 | Friday, February 7, 2025

Delivered by the inspiring Hon. Wanda Thomas Bernard, PhD, C.M., O.N.S., Senator - Nova Scotia (East Preston), this keynote will ground our gathering in critical reflection and possibilities for transformative social work.

Open to all

6:30 PM EST: Welcome and Opening Remarks

7:00 PM EST: Keynote Address: Creating New Possibilities in Social Work: Lessons from an Africentric Perspective

Speaker: The Honourable Wanda Thomas Bernard, PhD, C.M., O.N.S Senator - Nova Scotia (East Preston)

Day 2 | Saturday, February 8, 2025

Thought-provoking scholarly presentations and discussions amongst Filipino Canadian social work scholar-practitioners

Open to members of the FCSCWN as well as guests invited by Network members

11:00 AM - 1:00 PM EST: Combatting in/visibility in Canadian social work

1:00 PM - 2:00 PM EST: Break | Tambayan Breakout Room

2:00 PM - 4:00 PM EST: Strengthening the transnational links between the Philippines and Canada

4:00 PM - 4:30 PM EST: Break | Tambayan Breakout Room

4:30 PM - 6:30 PM EST: Bridging theory, practice, and policy through anti-racist and decolonizing efforts

Day 3 - Sunday, February 9, 2025

Participatory activities to build community and foster dialogue amongst our network members

Open to members of the FCSCWN as well as guests invited by Network members

11:00 AM - 12:00 PM EST: Guided Wellness Practices with Jaisa Sulit

12:00 PM - 1:30 PM EST: Network Kwentuhan / Conversation Circle with Social Service Practitioners and Researchers

1:45 PM - 2:45 PM EST: Arts-based Activity with Esther Dimalanta: Hopes & Dreams for the Future of Filipino-Canadian Social Work

2:45 PM - 3:15 PM EST: Closing Reflections

OUR SPEAKERS

Day 1 | Keynote Address: Creating New Possibilities in Social Work: Lessons from an Africentric Perspective

The Honourable Wanda Thomas Bernard, PhD, C.M., O.N.S.

Senator - Nova Scotia (East Preston)

In November 2016, Senator Wanda Thomas Bernard became the first African Nova Scotian woman to be appointed to the Senate of Canada. She proudly holds her position in the Red Chamber representing the province of Nova Scotia, championing issues impacting African Canadians nationally in her work. Senator Bernard is a proud resident of East Preston, where she lives with her husband George, their daughter Candace, son-in-law David and grandsons Damon and Gavin.

 

Throughout her social work career, Senator Bernard has maintained a deep dedication to social justice and racial justice. Based on this work and perseverance she was awarded the Order of Canada in 2005, and the Order of Nova Scotia in 2014. After practicing frontline social work in Nova Scotia and founding the Association of Black Social Workers in 1979, Senator Bernard became a professor at the Dalhousie School of Social Work in 1990 where she subsequently held the position of Director for 10 years. During her time at Dalhousie, Senator Bernard developed a curriculum for the ‘Africentric Social Work’ course. In 2016, she was appointed Special Advisor on Diversity and Inclusiveness at Dalhousie University and is the first African Nova Scotian to hold a tenure track position. In 2017, Senator Bernard was the first African Canadian to be appointed Professor Emeritus in the School of Social Work (SSW) at Dalhousie University; the first woman within the SSW to achieve this appointment. In recognition of her work to advance diversity and inclusion through leadership, activism, research and community efforts, Senator Bernard was awarded the Frank McKenna Award for Leadership in Public Policy in 2021.

 

Senator Bernard has continued to enact social justice and fight for racial justice in the Senate. Senator Bernard is the Deputy Chair of the Senate Standing Committee on Human Rights and she also serves as the Deputy Chair of the Senate Standing Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology. She is proud to be a member of the Progressive Senate Group, and a founding member of the African Canadian Senate Group.

Day 2 | Academic Panel Presentations

Combatting in/visibility in Canadian social work

Discussant: Dr. Edward Ou Jin Lee

Associate Professor, Université de Montréal

Canada Research Chair in Sexualities, Genders and Migrations

As Associate Professor at the School of Social Work at the Université de Montréal and holder of the Canada Research Chair in Sexualities, Genders and Migrations, Edward Ou Jin Lee’s research addresses health care access, policy advocacy, movement building and producing knowledge with and about queer and trans migrant and racialized communities. Drawing from critical, participatory, community-based and intervention research methodologies, Ed aims to deepen understanding of peer-led initiatives by and for oppressed groups, including those who are undocumented, street-involved and people living with HIV. Their interests also include research about how to foster anti-oppressive, reflexive and decolonial social work practice and education. Ed’s teaching interests include how to mobilize critical, mindfulness-oriented, inquiry-based and trauma-informed pedagogies in order to foster transformative learning within social work education, including field education.

Moderator: Ben Capili

PhD Candidate, Memorial University

Benito Capili graduated with a BSW from Booth University College and an MSW from Wilfrid Laurier University. He is currently a PhD in Social Work student at Memorial University of Newfoundland. Benito has been involved with numerous research projects, such as historical research on southern Ontario poorhouses in the late 19th to early 20th centuries and a study on police responses to gendered violence on university campuses. Benito has a passion for issues involving race, diversity, and equity. During his MSW studies, he was involved with the Equity Planning Committee to develop a Five-Year Equity Plan for the Wilfrid Laurier University Faculty of Social Work. Benito has been employed in the field of mental health for several years in Winnipeg, MB, which has involved hospital social work, family therapy services, Social Work Clinical Lead, and management positions in child & adolescent mental health and adult day hospitals. His research interest involves the exploration of mental health help seeking behaviours of first generation Filipinx in Canada.

Monica Batac

PhD Candidate, McGill University; Lecturer, University of Manitoba

Monica Anne Batac (she/they/siya) is currently a Lecturer at University of Manitoba’s Faculty of Social Work and completing her PhD in Social Work at McGill University. She is a critical qualitative researcher, community practitioner, and educator. Her interdisciplinary research program focuses on community capacity-building and mobilizing with Filipino community members, groups, and organizations in Canada.

Title: Organizing for ourselves and each other: collective autoethnographic reflections on building and sustaining a network for Filipino Canadian social and community workers

Abstract: In Canadian social work, the practice histories and contributions of Filipino practitioners are not well known. This article documents the formation, impetus, and early development of the Filipino Canadian Social and Community Workers Network (FCSCWN) from the perspectives of its four co-founders and core organizers. Building on a facilitated focus group discussion amongst the authors, we utilize collective autoethnography and kwentuhan (storytelling) to engage in shared meaning-making to co-create knowledge about the FCSCWN.

We share our motivations in forging this network, driven by a shared and persistent need for relationships and community. We revisit our early development, particularly our first group gathering in Toronto in 2017. We then describe the emergence of a non-hierarchical, feminist, and decolonizing approach to our organizing efforts. Lastly, we reflect on our intentional, slow-to-grow efforts to advance the network, reflecting on our limited capacity, priority to securing external resources, recognition of our positions within institutions, and commitment to community-driven research and collaborations.

Our aim in this article is to encourage and inspire Filipino and other racialized social work students, scholars, educators, and practitioners to document their stories and efforts in organizing amongst themselves.

Benjamin Bongolan

PhD Student, University of Toronto

Benjamin is a queer Filipino community development practitioner and a 2nd year PhD student in Social Justice Education at the University of Toronto- OISE. He is currently the EDIAA Lead (Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, Accessibility, and Anti-Racism) at the Canadian Mental Health Association, Ontario Division and is an urban planning Instructor at Seneca College. He completed a master’s degree in urban planning from York University and a BA from the University of Toronto. He was named a 2021 Leading Social Justice Fellow with the School of Cities and a 2018 DiverseCity Fellow with the Civic Action Leadership Foundation.

Title: Facilitating Filipino Futurities within the Built Environment: Supporting the Development of Spaces to be reflective of the Filipino Diaspora in Toronto

Abstract:

This paper will focus on how members of the Filipino diaspora experience public spaces in the City of Toronto and how these urban environments help shape their identities and social relations. In 2021 the top birth country with the highest proportion of immigrations within the City of Toronto was the Philippines at 10.3 percent (City of Toronto, 2021). Given this rapid surge in Filipino migration it is crucial for urban planners and those who are tasked with the planning and development of the city to understand how Filipino’s experience and perceive urban environments. This paper will draw theories of urban inequality and Indigenous scholarship to interrogate the settler colonial technology of urban planning that has been used as a vehicle to solidify socio-spatial control (La Paperson, 2017; Pitter, 2020).  Correspondingly, this paper will draw on adult education theory on knowledge transfer and Indigenous scholarship on transformative reconciliation (Macdonald, 2020) to propose a set of strategic directions that can help advance this work within an applied workplace learning context. This paper will act as a roadmap for urban planners to integrate the spatial aspirations of the Filipino diaspora within urban development processes, and will draw on the researcher’s academic training and professional background in urban planning, social justice education, and 10+ years in LGBTQ  and Filipino community-based newcomer services.

John Segui, john.segui@mail.utoronto.ca 

PhD Student, University of Toronto

John Segui (he/him) is a Ph.D. student in Public Health at the University of Toronto, a Research Trainee at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, and a 2SLGBTQ+ Health Hub Fellow. Prior to his doctoral work, he has been a practicing social worker for over 5 years in Vancouver, BC. Primarily, he has worked in in-patient psychiatry in B.C. Children’s Hospital and a community psychotherapist working with children, youth, immigrant, and 2SLGBTQ+ community. John’s doctoral dissertation examines the association between mental health and sexual racism experienced by young Asian men who have sex with men on dating applications.

Title: Dual-Identity in Action: A Queer Filipino Social Worker’s Reflexive Journey in Academia

Abstract:
As a Queer-Filipino social worker and Ph.D. student researching the mental health of Asian queer people, I often reflect: how do I actively engage with the concept of analytic practices of refusal, which involves refusing and resisting the commodification of pain and humiliation of participants for research and knowledge expansion. Given my privileged social position and my educational training within institutions with colonial foundations, my endeavors to foster relationality, decolonization, and social justice within my research practices are at risk of becoming extractive or perpetuating a settler-colonial gaze; thus (re)creating systems of oppression such as racism, homophobia, and colonialism. Yet, ignoring these issues also reinforces privilege and perpetuates oppression.

Objectives: This paper aims to address gaps in the literature regarding the experiences and reflexivity of a Queer Filipino clinician-researcher and discuss strategies for conducting emancipatory research that prevents the distortion and exploitation of participants. I begin by reflecting on my positionality and examining the intersections of my race and sexuality. I then explore how these identities have influenced my dual role as both a clinician and researcher, framed within a critical social paradigm. I follow by highlighting key tensions, ethical issues, and dilemmas that have emerged, or may emerge, throughout my doctoral journey. Finally, by contextualizing my experiences, I offer considerations and suggestions for navigating the dual role of clinician-researcher, while employing the analytic practices of Refusal.

Significance: First, this article uses an intersectional framework, to examine my experiences as a Queer-Filipino navigating the ethically complex role of clinician-researcher. Second, I seek to expand the limited literature on the reflexivity of clinician-researchers, particularly those within the Filipinx diaspora. Third, this paper underscores the importance of practicing reflexivity regarding the power dynamics between a researcher’s positionality and the populations they serve. Finally, the article can potentially offer insights and guidance on theory and practice for aspiring Filipinx social workers interested in research, clinician-researchers, and beyond.

Shella Zagada, shella.zagada@uwaterloo.ca

PhD Candidate, University of Toronto

Shella Zagada is a program manager and oversees field education in graduate social work. With a background in psychology, sociology, and social work, she is currently pursuing her PhD in Adult Education & Community Development. Shella is a first-generation Filipino immigrant who has lived and worked in Korea and Hong Kong, prior to her family’s arrival in Canada. She has contributed to diverse roles across academic administration, field education, family & children’s services, migrants’ rights training, youth and gender justice, international development work, and human resource development. Shella engages in collaborations that are compassionately just, antiracist, anticolonial, equity-focused and inclusive.

Title: Kapwa-informed Antiracist Leadership Praxis

 

Abstract:

Racism persists across all levels of society, upheld by systemic privileges that benefit dominant groups and maintain racial hierarchies. While many Whites may be reluctant to challenge these structures, marginalized groups have a vested interest in confronting their oppressive realities (Freire, 1970/2018). Tackling racism requires structural transformation, sustained leadership, and antiracist practices that cut across societal spaces and forms of resistance. Coalition-building among diverse social actors is crucial to achieving meaningful racial equity. Audre Lorde’s assertion that “the master’s tools will never dismantle the master’s house” highlights the importance of engaging marginalized voices and exploring new tools for change.

This qualitative study will examine Kapwa-informed antiracist leadership practices among Filipino leaders in Canadian social service organizations. Kapwa, a Filipino worldview that emphasizes shared humanity and interconnectedness, offers a relational and humanizing approach to addressing racial inequities. Kapwa is also associated with the values of dignity (Karangalan), justice (Katarungan), and freedom (Kalayaan).

Using a critical framework, this research will explore how Filipino leaders practice antiracist leadership while upholding the value of Kapwa through semi-structured individual interviews and focus group discussions employing pakikipagkwentuhan or Kwento (Pino, 2023) method. Participants will be leaders who are currently or previously engaged in shaping organizational directions, making operational decisions and involved in governance processes and holding positions such as executive director, manager, program leader, team lead, supervisor, director, or board member.

Key research questions focus on the experiences of Filipino-Canadian as racialized leaders in a predominantly White social service sector, their understanding and application of Kapwa, and how this worldview informs their antiracist leadership practices. The study aims to contribute to antiracist scholarship by highlighting the subjugated knowledge of racialized communities, particularly Filipinos in Canada, whose leadership practices may be grounded in Kapwa and the indigenous practice of pakikipagkapwa-tao (engaging with others, showing concern for others).

By centering Filipino-Canadian perspectives and drawing on the work of Filipino-Canadian scholars, this research seeks to illuminate the contributions of Filipinos to social change and racial justice in Canada, expanding the scope of racial justice work and scholarship (Bonifacio, 2013, Coloma, et.al. 2012, Pino, 2023, Sato, et.al., 2022, Tolentino 2023, Ty, 2012).

Strengthening the transnational links between the Philippines and Canada

Discussant: Dr. Billie Allan (Associate Professor, University of Victoria)

Moderator: Ruth Wilson

PhD Student, University of Toronto

Ruth Wilson (she/her) is a faculty member at the School of Social Work at King’s University College at Western University. She has more than 10 years of professional experience as a community practitioner and 15 years of experience conducting participatory action research with racialized communities. Her research draws on critical race and participatory frameworks to mobilize racialized immigrants and refugees as significant knowledge producers in social work. As part of this work, Ruth examines the nature of epistemic in/justice in the ways research is produced and applied in social work in North America.

Nellie Alcaraz

PhD Candidate, McGill University

Nellie came to Canada under the now-defunct live-in caregiver program and has been living in Mohkinstsis (Calgary) for more than a decade. Nellie's way of thinking and living has been shaped by her experience living in underprivileged neighborhoods in the rural and urban areas of the Philippines where she originally came from. Nellie is a migrant and Indigenous rights advocate. She is a Ph.D. candidate at McGill University’s School of Social Work and her doctoral research will examine the experiences of non-status migrants in Canada.

Title: Navigating the Long and Uneven Road to Decolonization: A Filipinx Immigrant Perspective

Abstract:

This paper examines the complexities of social work and the pursuit of decolonization from the perspective of a Filipino immigrant in Canada, a settler-colonial state. My journey began in the Philippines, where my collective upbringing and involvement in the struggle for liberation shaped my identity and motivated my migration. Upon entering Canada as a live-in caregiver, I experienced enforced precarity while confronting the lingering legacies of colonialism. My engagement with the migrant justice movement revealed the intersectionality of race, class, and labor rights, deepening my understanding of social justice. Seeking and forging relationships with Indigenous Peoples in Canada have been particularly transformative, exposing me to the ongoing impacts of colonization. These connections helped me uncover my own colonial orientation and disrupt my previously held notions of innocence regarding race and privilege.

This process compelled me to confront my complicity in colonial systems and reassess my

understanding of solidarity. As I reflected on my practices, I recognized that despite my efforts to combat colonialism, my views were often influenced by ingrained colonial legacies that felt “normal”; in my daily interactions. This realization was disheartening but crucial for my growth. It prompted me to interrogate power dynamics in my relationships and engage critically with the historical contexts that shape our realities.

To honor the various forms of decolonial resistance, I draw upon critical theories and Filipino Epistemologies— such as “kapwa” (shared identity), “malasakit” (compassion), and ”bayanihan” (community spirit). These concepts not only inform my understanding of social work but also guide my community engagement approach. By integrating these frameworks, I have cultivated a practice that prioritizes relationality and emphasizes trust and reciprocity within communities. Moreover, my evolving understanding of the world is embodied in my community work and professional social practice. Engaging with these frameworks has led me to question traditional paradigms of social work, which often perpetuate colonial logics.

I argue that adopting a decolonial lens can reshape our understanding of ethics, responsibility, and accountability, urging practitioners to consider the historical struggles of the communities we serve. In conclusion, I invite readers to reflect on critical questions: As longstanding colonial subjects, how can diasporic Filipinos contribute to Indigenous self-determination and work in solidarity with Indigenous Peoples in Canada? In what ways can we confront the colonial systems that disperse Filipinos globally and marginalize racialized and Indigenous Peoples? This exploration is not merely academic; it serves as a call to action for those involved in social work, advocacy, and community organizing. By acknowledging our shared histories and the complexities of our identities, we can foster deeper connections and alliances that challenge oppressive structures. Ultimately, this paper seeks to illuminate pathways toward a just and equitable society—where decolonization is not just a theoretical concept but a lived reality for all.

Melissa Cortez

MSW Student, McMaster University

Melissa (she/her/siya) is a diasporic second-generation Filipina from Tkaronto (Toronto), ON. She is a current MSW Critical Analysis student at McMaster University and holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Toronto (Sociology, Equity Studies, and Buddhist Psychology & Mental Health), Social Service Work diploma from George Brown College, and a Bachelor of Social Work degree from McMaster University. Her research interests include second-generation Filipino experiences, identity navigation, transnationalism, youth work, and community-engaged research. She has experience working with marginalized youth and families, post-secondary assistant teaching, working with youth mental health in a clinical setting, and research partnered with university and non-profit community organizations. She is dedicated to continuous un/learning pertaining to Filipino diasporic epistemologies and developing theoretical foundations that will better inform her social work research/practice with marginalized youth and communities.

Title: Tensions in Anti-Oppressive Research as a Filipino Navigating through Identity

Abstract:

Background: As a second-generation Filipino who grew up in a predominantly white neighbourhood, reclaiming my identity, reconnecting with my ancestral roots, and learning more about my cultural heritage has been a difficult journey. Pursuing social work education at a graduate level has provided me the skills and space to explore my hyphenated identity and develop the necessary tools to integrate Filipino ways of knowing in my social work practice and research on second-generation Filipino youth. After the passing of my father before the start of my MSW program, this has been proven difficult and forces me into a critical reflexive position to make meaning of identity navigation and reclamation. With my current research skills, ongoing learning as an MSW student, and desire to honour my father by reclaiming identity and contextualizing my lived experiences, I aim to challenge whiteness in social work learning environments and imagine collective care rooted in Filipino values.

Abstract: There have been tensions between acting as a racialized researcher with a research question that is personally connected to my cultural heritage and making meaning of my own identity following the loss of my father. This research process has been embedded with feelings of bereavement, hopelessness in finding meaningful and personal connections to the Philippines, and a desire for collective care. While this has prompted critical reflexive thoughts that contribute to my MSW thesis, research tensions have emerged throughout the start of the process. This paper will identify an observed research tension and explore three areas of knowledge: biographical entanglements, art-informed approaches to alternative methodologies, and transnational ways of knowing. These areas will be applied as a critical framework to make meaning of the research tension that I have engaged with and am currently experiencing throughout my social work education/research journey. This paper will offer critical reflections on how my identity is influenced by the chosen areas of knowledge, implications that reframe knowledge production through an anti-oppressive lens, and imagine collective care informed by decolonial frameworks for Filipino researchers in academic spaces.  

SherJan Maybanting

MSW Student, University of Regina

SherJan Maybanting is a diasporic first-generation economic-based migrant from the Philippines. He is a racialized settler since 2009 in the colonial state of Canada’s rural geographic location situated in Treaty 4 Territory that encompasses the lands of the Cree, Saulteaux (SO-TOE), Dakota, Nakota, Lakota, and on the homeland of the Métis Nation in the province of Saskatchewan. He descended from ancestry that was colonized by Spain for over three centuries, went under American rule for almost five decades, and was occupied by Japanese for over three years. It is this positionality and social (dis)location that his research intentionality and work inclination is towards decolonial and anti-racist engagements.

Title: Anti-Colonial Approach and Anti-Racist Research Method in Constructivist Grounded Theory

Abstract:

There currently is underrepresentation of Filipino-Canadian researchers and research in Canada’s literature. Not because there are no Filipino-Canadian researchers nor because there is a lack of Filipino-Canadians. In fact, there is a growing membership of Filipino-Canadian in the academe and in practice and, statistically, the Philippines is the third largest source of immigrants. The reason, the paper argues, is in researching for and with Filipino-Canadians as being elusive. The research difficulty hinges on two things: one, the inclination of Filipino-Canadians towards research participation and, two, researcher’s approach as imposed by dominant methodology in engaging with Filipino-Canadians in research. The objective of the analysis is to explore an appropriate research approach that resists dominant research subjugation to address the challenge of the latter and pivots the problem posed by the former. The paper proposes a constructivist grounded theory that is informed by anti-colonial approach and anti-racist research method as a theoretical framework that can foreground in co-creating knowledge from the lived experiences of Filipino-Canadian researchers/participants that may not only disrupt dominant methodologies and epistemologies, address paucity of Filipino-Canadian literature, but also inform policy-making and practice regulation. Specifically, the paper presents three main components. Firstly, that anti-colonial lens is a staunch opposition to colonial practices of imposing dominance; two, anti-racism is about power relations embedded in domination and subordination; and, lastly, constructivist grounded theory is a contemporary version of grounded theory that challenges dominant research methodology.

In understanding anti-racist as a research method, it is imperative to understand the power relationships among the research community, researchers, and the participants of research. The principles of anti-racist research methodology and tenets of anti-colonial approach is methodically congruent in employing constructivist grounded theory as a qualitative research design. Anti-racist research method problematizes and centralizes the analysis in the lived experiences of racialized populations. By placing the centrality of analysis within the lived experiences of racialized population, as required by constructivist grounded theory and an act of decolonizing research method, an anti-racist research method “resist colonizing relationships and subverting hegemonic ways of knowing” as it “interrogates positivists' accounts of what constitutes credible, authentic, valid, empirical knowledge” (Dei, 2005, p. 13) by posing questions about “who is speaking, on what, and for whom” in the construction of knowledge grounded in the lived experiences of the research subjects. Hence, the very process of anti-racist research is itself decolonizing conventional research by methodically asking “whose interests continue to be served” (Dei, 2005, p. 19) in research in its search or construction of knowledge grounded in the lived experiences of the researcher/participant.

Dr. Jessica Ticar

Assistant Professor, Algoma University

Jessica E. Ticar, PhD, RP, CCC, is an interdisciplinary scholar, a Registered Psychotherapist (RP) with the College of Registered Psychotherapist Ontario (CRPO), and a Canadian Certified Counsellor (CCC) with the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association (CCPA).  Since 2008, she has worked in various social service and community mental health agencies. Her scholarly interests include work with anti-racist & anti-oppressive practice, critical mental health theory & practice, and transnational migration with racialized children, youth, and families. Currently, she works as an Assistant Professor in Mental Health and Addiction at the School of Social Work, Algoma University in the Greater Toronto Area.

Title: Foregrounding Filipino Epistemologies, Lived Experience & Praxis

Abstract:

This paper foregrounds Filipino epistemologies and highlights how their lived experience impacts social work praxis, particularly the ways in which these epistemologies challenge the reproduction of colonial harms in historical and contemporary social work theory, policy, and practice. It centres how the Filipino community in Canada continually engages in solidarity with other marginalized communities as a source of health, strength, agency, healing, advocacy, and social justice. These spaces transform social theory, policy, and practice as they decentre white supremacy, neoliberalism, and the ‘expertise’ of social workers; rather, the voices of Filipino communities are illuminated as they are acknowledged as the experts of their own experiences. Ultimately, these spaces hold their humanity and knowledge as sacred, thus contributing to culturally-relevant praxes in social work. Furthermore, Filipino epistemologies contribute significantly to the decolonizing work of marginalized communities in scholarship and activism in reflexive, mutual, and reciprocal ways through collaborative and collective action.  

Bridging theory, practice, and policy through anti-racist and decolonizing efforts

Discussant: Dr. Rhonda Hackett (Associate Professor, University of Victoria)

Moderator: Frankie Cabahug

PhD Student, University of British Columbia

Frankie (she/her, siya) is an interdisciplinary scholar from Cebu, Philippines. Frankie is a PhD student at the School of Social Work in the University of British Columbia, and has worked in the social service and shelter sectors serving Vancouver's Downtown Eastside for the last 10 years. Frankie's research interests are social infrastructure, relationship formation, migration and mobility frameworks, and Filipino postcolonial theorizing.

Althea Gorospe

MSW, Toronto Metropolitan University

Althea Gorospe, MSW, RSW (she/her) is a racialized immigrant settler woman with ancestral roots in the Philippines, a community practitioner (SSW, BSW, MSW), and a critical researcher living and working in so-called Toronto. Her work is grounded in anti-oppressive, critical race feminist praxis and is focused on mental health care, advocacy, and community organizing in the gender justice and anti-violence movement. Her research interests include gender-based violence; critical Filipino/a/x studies; anti-racism and anti-colonialism; and intergenerational trauma and healing.

Title: “Sometimes I see her”: Kuwentuhan about gender-based violence in immigrant Filipino communities

Abstract:

This paper explores the experiences of racialized Filipino women who survived gender-based violence following immigration to so-called North America. As a racialized immigrant settler woman researcher with ancestral roots in the Philippines, I cross-over between life-worlds and blend the ways of knowing and being of our people with the epistemology and methodology of critical race feminist scholars based in the Global North. Aided by the methods of kuwentuhan (storytelling) and narrative analysis, and guided by the Filipino value of pakikipagkapwa (shared humanity), we explore Grace Talusan’s story of migration and survivorship of gender-based violence as she tells it in her memoir entitled The Body Papers. The gift of Grace’s story invites us to consider all that came before: Histories of colonization, resistance, and revolution; survivorship of violence in context and across generations; and the hope and healing that is happening before our very eyes, even as we shape our lives around what is possible in the aftermath. Lastly, this research offers reflections on storytelling as a liberatory process and its implications for social work practice.

Darnel Tormon Forro

PhD Candidate, Memorial University of Newfoundland; Faculty Member, Red Deer Polytechnic

Darnel T. Forro is passionate about the critical examination and deconstruction of dominant discourses that define and silence the realities of oppressed populations. He is a faculty member at Red Deer Polytechnic’s Social Work Program and holds a Bachelor of Social Work and Master of Social Work from the University of Manitoba. As a Ph.D. student at Memorial University of Newfoundland, his doctoral work is invested in understanding the sexual experiences of migrant and racialized queer Filipino men in rural Canadian contexts. His study is informed by intersectional, critical, structural, and anti-colonial lenses. Darnel is an advocate for the centering of pre-colonial global south knowledges as a means for resistance and liberation, and as a potent tool for exploring contemporary experiences of individuals and collectives whose life stories are marked by invisibility and erasure.

Title: Exploring how Pre-Colonial Queer Filipino Perspectives can Frame the Sexual Experiences of Queer Filipino Men in Semi-Rural Alberta

Abstract:

My envisioned contribution to “the Contours of Filipino Social Work Praxis in the Canadian Diaspora” is the exploration of what I would like to coin as “Tumandok Q” - derived from the Filipino-Hiligaynon term “Tumandok” or literally, Indigenous, authentic, non-foreign, or non-exotic (Hiligaynon Dictionary, 2023), paired with “Q,” which stands for Queer. “Tumandok Q” may potentially offer a fresh or alternative framing of how pre-colonial queer Filipino sexualities inform contemporary sexual practices and experiences of queer Filipino men in semi-rural Alberta and their contribution to the decolonial conversations of social work around racialized queer sexualities.

Tumandok Q is not a historical, anthropological, sociological, psychological, or sexological explanation or analysis of diasporic queer Filipino sexual experiences. Rather, it is a proposed perspective aimed to shed light on these experiences of contemporary relevance through the lens of available surviving pre-colonial knowledges accessible through various forms. This perspective is not an embodiment of empirical or pseudo-scientific research, depiction, examination, or positioning. It is an effort of the growing revolution against domination, erasure, and invisibility. Tumandok Q is a dynamic mechanism to fight for space for our Filipino ancestors’ wisdom and way of life to be centered and viewed as legitimate sources of knowledge and potentially a vehicle for emancipation and validation of our own experiences.

Currently at its beginning stages of development, Tumandok Q builds on existing queer Filipino knowledges, including pieces that reside in the collective consciousness of the Filipino people. Through offering an alternative epistemology, it is an emerging force that mindfully challenges Whiteness and its monopolizing dominance in the spheres of discourse and knowledge production. Inspired by the spirit of resistance epitomized by our ancestors, Tumandok Q is rooted in the premise that queer Filipinos should define queer Filipino experiences, especially those that politically take place in their most personal and intimate spaces such as sexualities.

Tumandok Q proposes these five core tenets and defining features: Homosexuality (as we know it now) is a Western Fabrication; Same-sex Intimacy was an Experience instead of an Identity Indicator; Sexualities were Fluid and did not Conform to Heteronormative Hierarchies; Sexual Expressions were not Punished or Tainted by Shame or Guilt; and Tumandok Q Fights for the Recognition of the “Fully Human.” Drawing from the final tenet, “Tumandok Q asserts that the struggle to achieve social justice begins by finding a rightful place within the constellation of academic discourse that has historically silenced ours. If this space is never granted, then people like us should deplete all means and resources to create it. Only through the creation of this space can we find legitimacy for our knowledges, stories, and existence; and ensure their sustainability for the generations to come” (Forro, 2024, p. 49).  

“Queer activism is a form of social work practice of resistance against dominant norms, discourses and structures of gender and sexuality” (Pino, 2022, pp. 191-192). It is widely recognized that social work is a profession and field of scholarship focused on human empowerment, liberation, and reconnection. Tumandok Q explores the possibilities of how queer activism can manifest through reconnecting with stories of the past aimed at liberating contemporary oppressed experiences through finding the journey to empowerment. Queer Filipino men in semi-rural Alberta have profound potential in changing the discursive and practice landscape on issues affecting their lives; and social work can help facilitate this.  

Dr. Jacqueline (“Jax”) Colting Stol

PhD, McGill University

Jacqueline Colting Stol (she/her) completed a Masters (Carleton University) and a Ph.D. in Social Work (McGill University). Her research and practice focus on learning from and engaging with social movement praxis and intergenerational healing, especially among queer and trans racialized and Filipino/a/x communities. She is also interested in community and activist archiving practices to add to more transformative possibilities across generations.

Title: The body as a portal: Collective imaginings of queer and trans Filipinx futurisms toward communities of care

Abstract: This paper considers how the contours of Filipinx social work in Canada may move toward more decolonial praxis and prioritize growing communities of care by engaging with queer and trans Filipinx diasporic futurisms. Drawing from postcolonial, transnational feminist, and critical Filipinx studies, this paper re-examines the Kuwentuhan of seven queer and trans Filipinx involved in the author’s participatory action research (PAR) dissertation project to show how remembering and reclaiming ancestral and cultural teachings enabled a collective re-imagining of more transformative relations and co-constructing communities of care.

 

Through evaluating the methods of Photovoice and Kuwentuhan and a variety of artistic and community building practices infused into this PAR process, the findings showed that the participants built affective and intimate reconnections to each other and to ancestral and cultural teachings which helped them re-imagine more transformative meaning and action often subjugated by regimes of power and colonialism. Remembering and re-connecting to queer and trans Filipinx lineages, aesthetics, teachings and relations amid multiple forms of dislocation opens a portal within the present body for a re-imagination of decolonial possibilities. This “portal” was accessed in this study especially through artistic practices and the intimate collective space of meaning-making in exploring memories and possibilities of identity, community, migration and home.

 

This paper may advance decolonial Filipinx social and community work by revealing how our practice and research sites may build embodied practices toward communities of care by re-connecting to the body, the intimate, the affective and the aesthetic. Co-constructing methodologies in group and community spaces focused on embodied practice of care, such as the workshops in this study, may revisit past registers of queer and trans diasporic intimacies and lineages amid colonial regimes and attune to their influence on everyday moments and relations. These re-imaginations must consider migratory historical entanglements with settler colonialism, and ways to unsettle hierarchies of domination and power produced through settler and colonial formations of race, gender, class and sexuality. Building on other emerging studies, I explore how social and community workers may draw from multiple forms of creative technologies, embodied and artistic practices to access the past and further open this portal toward collectively re-imagining decolonial and liberatory futures.

 

Anabelle Ragsag

PhD Candidate, McMaster University

Anabelle B. Ragsag is a mother and Third World feminisms scholar originally from Mindanao, Southern Philippines. She is a PhD Candidate at McMaster University’s School of Social Work,  examining the politics and technology (AI) of social assistance and co-creating strategies for AI accountability with Asian solo mothers on Ontario Works. Her lived experiences as an immigrant, a Brown woman from Southeast Asia, a former international development professional, and growing up in conflict and resource-extractive areas inform her research and community work, rooted in Third World feminisms and critical political economy frameworks.

 

While interested in bringing people together, she finds significance in uncovering political contestations to envision possibilities of social change, work that can be seen at Springer, Nations and Nationalism (forthcoming), and in op-eds like at CBC, Rappler and Hamilton Spectator. She co-founded Filipinas of HamOnt in 2020 that provides locally-rooted spaces of belonging and transformative change for her  community.  She finished Politics and Industrial Relations (Labour) at the University of the Philippines, Grad Dip in Public Policy and Program Evaluation from Carleton, and a Certificate in Data Science from the University of Guelph.

Title: Finding one’s way: Integrating “pakapa-kapa” as a research-in-progress methodology to uncover historical and structural dimensions of welfare algorithms and its implications to women welfare workers, and solo mothers’ experiences

Abstract:

This paper is a contemporary account of navigating academia as a graduate student who is also a racialized newcomer woman, using the metaphor, strategy, and methods of pakapa-kapa – a process of "feeling one’s way" – and tan-aw tan-aw – or the process of looking out for and critically observing – through uncertainty. This reflection is framed in dialogue with the topic of algorithmic and automated decision-making within state welfare systems for a comprehensive exam.

Navigating the uncertainties of academic research as a racialized newcomer woman scholar required reimagining traditional notions of expertise and reframing self-doubt as a source of critical engagement. By adopting pakapa-kapa and tan-aw tan-aw as methodological models, I was able to transform uncertainty into a generative space for discovery and reflexivity. These culturally rooted approaches not only guided my comprehensive exam research on welfare algorithms but also challenged dominant paradigms in academia that often overlook the complexities of positionality and context. While most of the literature speaks about the symptoms of AI and algorithmic harms, pakapa-kapa and tan-aw tan-aw reminded me to deepen my inquiry by looking at the underlying structural and cultural factors that gave rise to algorithmic harms, specifically in the field of state welfare systems.

Ultimately, pakapa-kapa and tan-aw tan-aw offer not only tools for navigating research uncertainty but also a decolonial praxis for rethinking knowledge production. These methods invite scholars, especially those navigating the margins, to embrace uncertainty, center relationality, reclaim taken-for-granted culturally-rooted models, and critically engage with their positionality.

Day 3 | Community of Practice and Kuwentuhan

Guided Wellness Practice

Jaisa Sulit

Jaisa Sulit (she/her/siya) is an author and neuro-rehab occupational therapist who lives and works in Tkaronto. Her parents immigrated to Turtle Island from the islands colonially known as the Philippines. After a motorcycle accident left Jaisa with a spinal cord injury and paralysis from the waist down, Jaisa's healing quest led her on a path of re-indigenizing her colonially shaped understanding of what medicine can be. Jaisa went on to become certified to teach medical qigong and the Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) curriculums. Prior to her injury Jaisa performed with Folklorico Filipino Canada and the Kathara Indigenous Arts Collective. Jaisa is a proud member of Salaysay, which is a collective of Filipinx-Canadian writers in Tkaronto. Jaisa is excited to be a part of this year's FCSCWN Symposium.

Session Description:

During this wellness breakout session, Jaisa will guide participants through four mindful self-compassion practices that can easily be integrated into one’s personal and professional practice. The practical tools shared are meant for self-regulation, co-regulation and for sharing with others whether they be clients, co-workers, friends, family or community members. Session participants will be given an opportunity for witnessing & connecting through a facilitated discussion following the guided practice. Integrating a decolonial lens into evidence-based practices shown to prevent burnout in healthcare professionals, participants can expect to leave with tools that not only prevent empathy fatigue and burnout but also support our self-care for collective care and resiliency.

Network Kuwentuhan/Conversation Circle

Session Description:

During this Network Kuwentuhan / Conversation Circle, Filipino/a/x social workers, social service workers, and community workers across Canada come together to network, then identify and discuss pressing social issues facing the Filipino community. We envision this as a consciousness-raising gathering. We will use facilitated small-group discussions and a whole-group debrief to share 1) concerns and needs in our local contexts, 2) current initiatives and interventions addressing these issues, and 3) potential calls to action that can be mobilized through community education, social work practice, or further research. Sharings during this dialogue will inform future directions and priorities for the FCSCWN.

Participants will be asked to respond to the following prompts,

Digital Collaging: Future Imaginings of Filipino-Canadian Social Work

Esther Dimalanta

Session Description:

A digital collaging session that invites participants to look ahead and imagine the future of the Filipino Canadian Social and Community Workers Network (FCSCWN), and the Filipino-Canadian social worker landscape.

We will be creating online/digitally. We recommend joining from a desktop or laptop. Smartphones will work with some feature limitations.

Maraming salamat for attending the Symposium!

Contact Us

Website: https://filcanscw.ca 

Email: fcscwn@gmail.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/filcansocialserviceworkers

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/filcanscw