Past work with
Kapisanan Philippine Centre for Arts & Culture

Board Director - Treasurer

2018 - 2021

Kapisanan Philippine Centre for Arts & Culture


Kapisanan Philippine Centre for Arts and Culture is a charitable non-profit dedicated to supporting the creative endeavours of Filipino/a/x youth in the Greater Toronto Area. Kapisanan, or “The K” as many of us call it, once occupied prime real estate in vibrant Kensington Market, and at its height, mounted its signature KULTURA festival at major venues in the city such as Nathan Phillips Square and Yonge and Dundas Square. Back in those days, I was a major participant at many of their events and workshops, volunteered on occasion, and generally hung out a lot (“tambay” in Tagalog).


As many things in my life shifted, so did things with The K. I found myself re-entering the organization’s orbit at a time when capacity, activities, and funding slowed down. By the time I took on the role of Board Treasurer, we had evolved into a very lean, virtually-run team of volunteers dedicated to taking on the task of rebuilding Kapisanan from the ground up. In the four years I had served as Board Director and Treasurer, the organization went from being inactive and addressing finance and capacity issues, to mounting our first event in five years.


Working collaboratively with other board directors and committee members, I placed my focus on strengthening the operational areas of the K, addressing fiscal deficiencies, expanding administrative systems, and building capacity through volunteer and staff recruitment. Some examples of these collaborative milestones include:


  • Providing leadership in promoting the organization's anti-oppression efforts

  • Ensuring compliance with organizational and legal obligations

  • Working with the Board and Board Committees to develop and implement organizational policies, procedures, directions, and initiatives

  • Helping guide the operational and strategic planning processes and implementation

  • Supporting grant applications and other funding initiatives

  • Developing partnerships and collaborating with post-secondary institutions and other organizations in the non-profit space

  • Introducing human-centered project management principles to ensure projects are carried out sustainably with everyone’s personal capacity in mind

  • Reinvigorating our volunteer and personnel department

  • Planning and implementation support for Pasko sa Kultura 2021, Kapisanan’s first public event since 2017.


My time at the K was an incredibly profound experience in community engagement, and I am excited to see the organization further thrive and flourish.