Our Journey
A Timeline of Impact
Explore the transformative journey of FRIENDS from grassroots emergency response to comprehensive community development
COVID Response
Youth Programs
Community Building
Wellness & Mental Health
2013-2017
Seeds of Community Response
Filipino community members organized grassroots emergency response efforts to support communities affected by natural disasters.
Community Building- Organized response to Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines (2013)
- Coordinated support for Fort McMurray wildfire response in Alberta (2016)
- Demonstrated strength of collective community action
- Laid foundation for formal organization development
2018
Organizational Development
November-December 2018
Community members convened strategic planning meetings to develop an organization focused on addressing both immediate crises and long-term systemic challenges.
Community Building- Held founding meetings to establish organizational vision
- Developed founding principles: equity, inclusion, collaboration, and community leadership
- Created framework for community-led response model
- Built foundation for formal launch in 2019
2019
Official Launch & Early Programs
January 18, 2019
FRIENDS officially launched at Penbrooke Meadows Community Association, beginning programs in family wellness and worker support.
Community Building Wellness
Family Wellness Initiative (February-April)
- Participated in ActionDignity's North Star Project
- Delivered information sessions on healthy family relationships
- Domestic violence prevention education
- Provided financial and logistical support to workers
- Delivered education on workplace rights and resources
- Organized Filipino Working Group on Healthy Family Relationships
- Convened faith leaders, service providers, and organizations
- Conducted readiness assessment with 22 community members
2020
COVID-19 Community Response
March-December 2020
Comprehensive emergency response serving thousands of community members through resource navigation, mental health support, and direct services.
COVID Response Mental Health
Operation BAYANIhan - Community Resource Navigation
- Recruited and trained community volunteers
- Created multilingual resource lists and referral system
- Launched FRIENDS website as central information hub
- Partnered with ActionDignity and Philippine Emergency Response Taskforce
- May 28: "Healing Together: Alay sa Essential Workers" - Virtual concert and community support event with artists from across Canada and Philippines
- May 29: Filipino Stress Management Workshop
- June 24: Panel on Filipino community COVID-19 experiences
- December 26: TV/Radio education on accessing multilingual COVID-19 services
- May 18: Care package distribution to vulnerable community members
- June: Care packages in Brooks, Alberta (with Centre for Newcomers)
- December: Care packages and PPE distribution (supported by ActionDignity)
- Supported workers affected by workplace outbreaks
- Facilitated access to testing and vaccination
- Connected workers with health services and community resources
- June 12: "Busting the Myths: Understanding Domestic Violence" (with ActionDignity)
- November-December: Focus groups on workplace health and safety
2021
Capacity Building & Program Expansion
January-December 2021
Officially incorporated as registered society. Expanded mental health programming and reached 18,000+ community members through MERC program.
COVID Response Mental Health Community Building
Multilingual Emergency Response (MERC) Program
- Operated multilingual hotline with community brokers
- Connected 18,000+ community members (52% Filipino) to services
- Provided care packages, mental health support, employment assistance, government benefits
- Partners: ActionDignity, Centre for Newcomers, TIES, Immigrant Services Calgary
- March 14: "Mga Kulay ng Buhay" - Seniors painting and mental health session (ACCT Foundation/Red Cross)
- March 27 & April 17: "Resilience in Action" - Youth improv theatre workshops (Third Space Playback Theatre)
- May 29: Launch of "Boses Pinoy Canada" health education program
- November 28 & December 5: "Nurturing Roots, Strengthening Filipino Families" multi-session event (YEP, Bahaghari, ActionDignity, United Way, Calgary Foundation)
- June 5-6: Vaccine clinic mobilization - 4,000 doses administered at Village Square Centre
- June 25: "Second Dose ng Bakuna" education session
- October 24: Screening of "Long Distance" documentary on essential workers' experiences
- November 6: Community consultation for City of Calgary's Anti-Racism Strategy
- February: Community broker training on engagement and development
- July: Trained 26 community volunteers on resource navigation
- Officially incorporated as registered society
- February: Project Tulungan - DIY Filipino Food Packages (Taking IT Global, Canada Service Corps)
2022
Continuing Support & Expanding Services
January-December 2022
Continued COVID support while expanding workforce development and cultural education programs.
COVID Response Community Building
Health Education & Vaccination
- January 29: "5th Wave: Omicron and Vaccination" education with medical professionals (ActionDignity)
- March 12 & 19: Pediatric vaccination clinic mobilization at Village Square and Genesis Centre
- September: First Filipino Temporary Foreign Worker Assembly - employment connections (Calgary Catholic Immigration Society)
- September: "Essential Workers Rights" workshop with legal education - 25 participants (ActionDignity BRAVE project)
- September: Human rights and historical awareness event at Calgary Public Library (Friends for Democratic Philippines)
- December: Human Rights Day Celebration at Alex's Community Food Centre (ActionDignity)
- Film screening: "Katips" historical education (Friends for Democratic Philippines)
- January-May: Community education and engagement around democratic processes
2023
Leadership Development & Community Planning
November 2023
Supported rural community leadership development and contributed to municipal planning processes.
Community Building
Municipal Planning Participation
- November 3: Greater Forest Lawn Communities Local Area Planning consultation
- 27 participants provided input on community planning (City of Calgary partnership)
- November 25-26: First Provincial Convention of Filipino Community Leaders in Rural Alberta (AFCLA)
- Provided workshop framework and facilitation support
- Leadership team coordination for 3 workshops
- Committed to ongoing rural community leadership development support
2024
Strengthening the Weave: Mental Health & Systems Change
2024
FRIENDS focused on integrating mental health, collaboration, and leadership into sustained systems-change work through the Weave Project and community-led response model development.
Mental Health Community Building
The Weave Project - Mental Health Initiatives
- Convened mental health conversation circles with community members
- Facilitated focus groups to identify mental health service gaps and needs
- Organized community gatherings to share results and co-create next steps
- Built collaborative approach to mental health support
- Expanded youth programming using arts, sports, and dialogue
- Integrated creative expression with youth development
- Built foundation for Youth Rising program launch
- Strengthened leadership development training for volunteers and community organizers
- Capacity building for sustained community-led initiatives
- Prepared community members for leadership roles
- Developed groundbreaking model: "From the Margins to the Centre: A Model of Community-Based Response to Fast and Slow-Moving Crises"
- Crystallized years of practice into replicable framework
- Positioned communities as leaders in shaping emergency responses and long-term solutions
- Created blueprint for community empowerment and systems change
2025
Youth Rising Program Launch
April 2025 - Present
Launched comprehensive youth development program serving 40+ young people weekly through recreation, mental health support, career mentorship, and leadership development.
Youth Programs Mental Health Community Building
Core Programming (April-October)
- Weekly basketball: 16-25 youth participants, growing female participation
- Weekly Youth Night: mental health and social-emotional learning sessions
- 10-week U12 basketball clinic: 22 children participants
- Parent education: 14 families on wellness, mental health, parenting practices
- "Itanong mo kay Kuya/Ate" mentorship series with Filipino-Canadian professionals
- Career fields: law enforcement, accounting, and more
- Networking skills and professional development
- July 12: "Kwento at Laro" - Inter-generational Heritage Month celebration with traditional Filipino games
- August: "Paint me a Picture" - Cultural identity exploration
- Traditional games programming (Patintero and more)
- 8 youth leaders coached 12 children in U12 basketball clinic
- Youth Leadership Forum participation (ActionDignity)
- High school graduation celebration: 4 graduates
- July 23: Planet Youth consultation on mental health and community safety
- August 23-24: Taste of the Philippines - 10 youth volunteers
- August 25-27: AFCLA Youth Love Summer Camp - 13 youth participants
- Youth Advisory Committee referrals to Calgary Communities Against Sexual Abuse (3 youth)
- Mental health focus group on referral systems: 23 youth participants
- Ongoing mental health awareness and peer support programming
- Action Dignity, YMCA Saddletowne, Calgary Sports Complex
- AFCLA, Calgary Communities Against Sexual Abuse, Planet Youth
- 8-12 dedicated volunteers providing weekly support, mentorship, and coordination
2025
Scaling Bayanihan Across Alberta
2025 - Present
FRIENDS extends impact provincially, transforming into a model for community-led response ensuring Filipino communities are empowered to shape systems that govern their lives.
Community Building Mental Health Youth Programs
Mental Health Expansion
- Deepening mental health initiatives with conversation circles
- Community-led mental health response programming
- Building on Weave Project foundations
- Growing provincial Filipino Collaborative network
- Operationalizing bayanihan (collective solidarity) across communities
- Collaborative focus on: inclusion education, workplace support, family well-being, and civic participation
- Expanding youth and leadership programs provincewide
- Preparing new generation for community leadership and civic engagement
- Building capacity for sustained community organizing
- Strengthening partnerships across municipal and provincial sectors
- Contributing Filipino-Canadian perspectives to policy discussions
- Ensuring community voices inform decision-making processes
- Transformation into model for community-led response
- Building resilience for both crisis response and long-term systems change
- Empowering communities to shape systems that affect their lives