Moving up

	Kevin Chief

Since my last article, I’ve made some new Filipino friends who related their youth in the baranggay to my upbringing in Winnipeg North. It is comforting to know that in every likely corner of the world there is a sense of community – a spirit of bayanihan (unity, cooperation) that is there to offer us hope against what may seem like a long list of challenges. For us, it’s not about getting out from where we are, but about moving up together to where we need to be.

Throughout the summer, I’ve met many bagong dating (newcomers) who needlessly struggle paycheque to paycheque on survival jobs because they need to meet the immediate needs of their families. There are also many more who I know are underemployed because their skills and education are not recognized. In my work, I also see too many young people believing that greater education is simply not an option for them. So, how do we move up when, in reality, there are barriers that try to keep us behind?

With my years of experience working at the university level, I have helped many students receive scholarships and bursaries. Also, in my 15 years working with young people, I have employed hundreds of teens each summer, who act as mentors to over thousands of elementary age children who will only benefit from their positive example. For me, the key for us to move up is to create opportunities that will ensure our own level of access to success. I have been fortunate to meet so many people who have supported me to reach my goals. As each day passes, I work to share my fortune with others.

I believe in the values that the Lakota people have lived by for generations: kinship, courage, fortitude, wisdom, and generosity. I realize that among the Filipino community, these values mean regaining the support of loved ones through the fair and timely processing times for Family Class immigrants; clear and objective foreign credential recognition that will ensure our internationally educated professionals have a fair chance to compete in the labour market; and greater investment towards post secondary education for all. The barriers that hold us back do so because our full potential is not yet seen. For us to move up together, this needs to change – we know our worth.

Kevin Chief is the coordinator for the Innovative Learning Centre at the University of Winnipeg. He is also the Executive Director of the Winnipeg Aboriginal Sport Achievement Centre and the NDP Candidate for Winnipeg North MP. Share your concerns with the author on September 14 at the NDP Task Force: Working for Fair Immigrationin the Sir William Stephenson Library, 765 Keewatin, from 7:00pm to 8:30pm.

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