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| Written by Janine Urbano | |||||
| Tuesday, 01 September 2009 00:14 | |||||
A community is a group of individuals united by common tangible and intangible ideals. Thus, a person is easily defined by their present community. In order for a community to flourish, it must have a leader that is able to provide stability and progression. In an ever-changing world, the Filipino-Canadian community needs to give the youth a stable foundation through traditions and instil the ability to accept positive change in order to assure its continuous development in the future. Therefore, the leadership the Filipino-Canadian community needs is one that honours the past and still adapts to the progress of the present; enabling its members to be Filipinos with a strong sense of identity. Mainland and newly immigrated Filipinos have a strong bond with the traditional Philippine morals, values, and beliefs; thus, molding them into respectful, strong-willed, and hardworking people – characteristics that truly define a Filipino. From birth, Filipinos are taught the rules of respect and courtesy – saying “po” and “opo”, and giving beso-beso and mano – for them to coexist with their elders and neighbours. Due to their strong set of beliefs, Filipinos develop a strong will and determination in every aspect of their lives – especially when they are working. Filipinos work extremely hard for their money (valuing efficiency and quality) in order to give the best results and impress the public. Therefore, being able to incorporate the traditional Philippine values and beliefs to the present laid-back system of society shall bring the much-needed sense of hard work into the community. As a leader, one must influence this change by introducing it, not as part of the past, but as timeless characteristics that will improve the lives and reputation of Filipino-Canadians. Similar to what Dr. Jose Rizal said, “He who does not know how to look back at where he came from, will never get to his destination;” thus, signifying the importance of our past in the development of our community in the future. The community’s leader must not only be able to incorporate the classic traditions of the Filipino culture, but also integrate positive progress of the modern world into the community. In order to do so, the community must have an open mind to accept change. This change opens up more freedom and opportunity. The modern world presents a place of reason; where there are grey shades in between black and white (having flexibility). Thus letting the modern world’s influence into the members’ lives allows the community to flourish and achieve development that is beyond expectations and trends. We need a leader that is able to introduce change as a positive force, and not as something dark and evil. Assuring that progression is just a matter of making the right choices, a community’s leader is able to open the members’ minds and guarantee acceptance – inviting creativity and innovation into their lives. Members are exposed to unlimited resources, unrestricted by strict rules of the past, which benefits the success of the general community. Therefore, the Filipino-Canadian community needs a force that can bring conflicting perspectives of the past and present together. The community needs someone that can balance the influence of the past and present in order to give way to the development of our own Shangri-La. The community will only be strong and successful beyond their potential if they have a strong foundation and acceptance of change. Janine recently graduated from Sisler High School. Among her many honours, she is also a recipient of the ANAK Liwayway Scholarship for Leadership Excellence 2009. She submitted this essay as part of the competition. Best wishes Janine! Contact the author at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Have a comment on this article? Send us your feedback
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