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About Us
AN INTRODUCTION TO
THE
FILIPINO CANADIAN HERITAGE SOCIETY OF NOVA SCOTIA
By: Virgilio Sangalang, President
Filipino Canadian Heritage Society of Nova Scotia
April 3, 2000
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Our Society, The Filipino Canadian Heritage Society of Nova Scotia, was officially established in January 2000. It was founded in November, 1999 by a group of 16 Filipino Canadians who felt the need to define their identity and role in the Canadian community in expectation of the new millennium. Our founding members recognize the richness of Canadian society because of its multicultural diversity; however, they also envision that the ultimate direction of this multicultural character should be toward more cohesive and closer interrelations among the cultures especially in these times of increasing globalization. Thus, our Society regards membership in the Multicultural Association of Nova Scotia a distinction and a necessary first step toward this direction. Membership to our Society is therefore open not only to Filipinos but to all Canadians of various descents who are interested in learning about our cultural heritage. As members of the Filipino Canadian Heritage Society we respect the sensitivities of other cultures but we are certain that we share with everyone the belief that a closer understanding among ourselves can only translate, in both short and long terms, to a better social, economic, political, and academic environment for all. In the global sense, this will help Canada to deal more effectively and improve its relations with other nations. |
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The primary objectives of our Society, as defined in its Constitution and Bylaws are to promote a keen knowledge and preserve the good aspects of Filipino cultural heritage among its members, to promote awareness of this heritage in the community, and to encourage participation by its members not only in multicultural activities within Nova Scotia but also in various community and civic related activities. The Society's activities will mainly focus on reaching out to the community and endeavoring to fill a need where it may be. |
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Our projects include the following: 1), establish an historical repository and/or a library of our cultural heritage as a special resource accessible to the community; 2), form a glee club/music club for Filipino songs and vocal/instrumental music with scheduled performances before special groups such as the elderly, the youth, the sick and socially disadvantaged; 3), form a dance troupe to perform folk dances; 4), present cultural programs featuring Filipino Canadian artists and talents; 5), present seminars and workshops on various aspects of our cultural heritage; 6), present live demonstrations of our arts and crafts, cooking, etc. At this time, our newly formed glee club has already performed before senior citizens at two residences (Alderney Manor and Sir Joseph Howe) and came away with the most rewarding experience. So far, the present bookings indicate a very busy year ahead. Our current activities are made possible by mostly voluntary contributions in kind, money and time from the members. For our first year (2000) and beyond we seek other funds to support our projects.
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