Section Juan holds maiden meeting with members

Not your typical Hong Kong Sunday. Both board members and members of Section Juan, a pioneer peer support group for Filipino youths in Hong Kong, held a get-together at the Hong Kong Musicians’ Union office in Mirador Mansion, Tsim Sha Tsui, on March 1.

It was the first time the group had called on all its now 20 plus members since it was recognised as a society by the Hong Kong government in March 4th, 2014, and also as a registered association with the Philippine Consulate since July 2014.

Section Juan President and Founder Jan Yumul, welcomed the newest members, which comprised of Filipino students now in form six, a Filipino scholar from Bicol, and a returning Hong Kong resident from the United States. The two-hour meet served as an opportunity for a sharing session of getting to know one another and a brief introduction on the group’s past activities and plans.

“Thank you for coming to our meeting. It gives us renewed hope and hope renewed. During the past few months, I want to be honest in sharing with you that we have met internal and external challenges, both of which have also been the reasons that inspire us to just keep going,” said Yumul.

“We see a greater need to have a support group for our youths who are often caught in a dilemma with education and career-related concerns and issues, including an apparent lack of knowledge regarding Filipino roots, history and culture in Hong Kong that need to be shared out there,” she added.

One of Section Juan’s more senior members in attendance included Hong Kong-born Paul Moreno, whose family came to the territory in the 1960s. Moreno, an alumnus of the Diocesan Boys’s School and whose parents hail from Mindanao, shared how he would make regular visits to the Philippines with is family and memories of having his first “jeepney” and “pedicab” ride.

He also encouraged the younger members to “always think of options”.

“If you study French in school, that’s useful, too,” said Moreno.

One of the latest additions to the group, Candice Tomale-Adams, a returning Hong Kong resident and an alumna of Sir Ellis Kadoorie Primary and Secondary School, spoke about her experience completing her university in Seattle and compared the culture and sense of identity of being a Filipino in the US.

“Ironically, it was stronger there. So, I wanted to share it here. Plus, Hong Kong and the Philippines are near each other. I feel like we’re doing a disservice to our youths and, well, the country, if we’re not sharing the richness of our heritage and roots enough,” said Adams.

Perhaps giving a twist to the local meet was Philippine-born and raised Ferna Simbulan, currently in Hong Kong as a scholar at the Li Po Chun United World College, who told the group she came to know of Section Juan through a friend in school.

“My experience is different from everybody else in this room. I grew up thinking (reaching) Manila would be a dream, but wow, it’s nice to hear all your experiences and stories here. I look forward to learning more about Hong Kong,” said Simbulan.

Since its recognition as an association, Section Juan has co-organised a workshop on Sex and Race Discrimination with the Equal Opportunities Commission, the Hong Kong Musicians’ Union and Enrich HK.

To prepare its founding board of directors, it has also conducted immersion activities that involved a visit to the Kowloon Mosque, non-governmental organisations such as the Mission for Migrant Workers’, the Bethune House Migrant Women’s Refuge, a shelter for distressed women migrants in Hong Kong, and the Christian Action Chungking Mansions Services Centre for a peek into the lives of refugees, asylum seekers and their children.

Some of the other activities by the pioneer Filipino peer support group included supporting the education of ‘ethnic minority children’, both in the Philippines and in Hong Kong, as well as providing immediate relief to typhoon survivors mostly in the Visayas region.

Most recently in December 2014, Section Juan also became the first group of its kind to join “PaSTARan 2014” an annual parol-making contest organised by the Philippine Consulate, with their theme “Ang kabataan ay pag-asa ng bayan.” It also carried out its first educational event, a historical walking tour, in cooperation with Lakbay Dangal, dubbed, “A Rizal Day Activity: Filipino Heroes and the Hong Kong Connection” to commemorate the death of Philippine national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal.

“We have decided to suspend our planned mobile mural painting for the Sentro Rizal room at the Philippine Consulate, as well as collaborating with other groups to do some workshop. We will now focus our energies on doing more outreach to the Filipino families and youths in places like Lantau Island, Discovery Bay and Lamma Island,” said Yumul.

The group also aims to take part in the upcoming Philippine Independence Day celebrations this June.

Section Juan is open for membership. For more information, please visit: http://sectionjuan.wix.com/sectionjuan#!be-juan-of-us/c1uuh to see the requirements and simple procedures or send an email tosectionjuan@gmail.com

Not your typical Hong Kong Sunday. Both board members and members of Section Juan, a pioneer peer support group for Filipino youths in Hong Kong, held a get-together at the Hong Kong Musicians’ Union office in Mirador Mansion, Tsim Sha Tsui, on March 1.

It was the first time the group had called on all its now 20 plus members since it was recognised as a society by the Hong Kong government in March 4th, 2014, and also as a registered association with the Philippine Consulate since July 2014.

Section Juan President and Founder Jan Yumul, welcomed the newest members, which comprised of Filipino students now in form six, a Filipino scholar from Bicol, and a returning Hong Kong resident from the United States. The two-hour meet served as an opportunity for a sharing session of getting to know one another and a brief introduction on the group’s past activities and plans.

“Thank you for coming to our meeting. It gives us renewed hope and hope renewed. During the past few months, I want to be honest in sharing with you that we have met internal and external challenges, both of which have also been the reasons that inspire us to just keep going,” said Yumul.

“We see a greater need to have a support group for our youths who are often caught in a dilemma with education and career-related concerns and issues, including an apparent lack of knowledge regarding Filipino roots, history and culture in Hong Kong that need to be shared out there,” she added.

One of Section Juan’s more senior members in attendance included Hong Kong-born Paul Moreno, whose family came to the territory in the 1960s. Moreno, an alumnus of the Diocesan Boys’s School and whose parents hail from Mindanao, shared how he would make regular visits to the Philippines with is family and memories of having his first “jeepney” and “pedicab” ride.

He also encouraged the younger members to “always think of options”.

“If you study French in school, that’s useful, too,” said Moreno.

One of the latest additions to the group, Candice Tomale-Adams, a returning Hong Kong resident and an alumna of Sir Ellis Kadoorie Primary and Secondary School, spoke about her experience completing her university in Seattle and compared the culture and sense of identity of being a Filipino in the US.

“Ironically, it was stronger there. So, I wanted to share it here. Plus, Hong Kong and the Philippines are near each other. I feel like we’re doing a disservice to our youths and, well, the country, if we’re not sharing the richness of our heritage and roots enough,” said Adams.

Perhaps giving a twist to the local meet was Philippine-born and raised Ferna Simbulan, currently in Hong Kong as a scholar at the Li Po Chun United World College, who told the group she came to know of Section Juan through a friend in school.

“My experience is different from everybody else in this room. I grew up thinking (reaching) Manila would be a dream, but wow, it’s nice to hear all your experiences and stories here. I look forward to learning more about Hong Kong,” said Simbulan.

Since its recognition as an association, Section Juan has co-organised a workshop on Sex and Race Discrimination with the Equal Opportunities Commission, the Hong Kong Musicians’ Union and Enrich HK.

To prepare its founding board of directors, it has also conducted immersion activities that involved a visit to the Kowloon Mosque, non-governmental organisations such as the Mission for Migrant Workers’, the Bethune House Migrant Women’s Refuge, a shelter for distressed women migrants in Hong Kong, and the Christian Action Chungking Mansions Services Centre for a peek into the lives of refugees, asylum seekers and their children.

Some of the other activities by the pioneer Filipino peer support group included supporting the education of ‘ethnic minority children’, both in the Philippines and in Hong Kong, as well as providing immediate relief to typhoon survivors mostly in the Visayas region.

Most recently in December 2014, Section Juan also became the first group of its kind to join “PaSTARan 2014” an annual parol-making contest organised by the Philippine Consulate, with their theme “Ang kabataan ay pag-asa ng bayan.” It also carried out its first educational event, a historical walking tour, in cooperation with Lakbay Dangal, dubbed, “A Rizal Day Activity: Filipino Heroes and the Hong Kong Connection” to commemorate the death of Philippine national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal.

“We have decided to suspend our planned mobile mural painting for the Sentro Rizal room at the Philippine Consulate, as well as collaborating with other groups to do some workshop. We will now focus our energies on doing more outreach to the Filipino families and youths in places like Lantau Island, Discovery Bay and Lamma Island,” said Yumul.

The group also aims to take part in the upcoming Philippine Independence Day celebrations this June.

Section Juan is open for membership. For more information, please visit: http://sectionjuan.wix.com/sectionjuan#!be-juan-of-us/c1uuh to see the requirements and simple procedures or send an email tosectionjuan@gmail.com