Community Mixers: Filipino-American History Month is Among Us
Thank you so much to everyone who came out to our first community event of the school year last Friday! Our Among Us-themed mixer garnered around 40 people and was a great way to celebrate the end of our first full week of school. The event provided a space for some much-needed socialization; new members were able to get to know the people and the space, and returning members were able to catch up with each other.
Graphic by Julius Abad
The night started out with a fun icebreaker to learn everyone’s names. All the attendees were split into two breakout rooms and tasked with the job of creating a story, word by word, that followed their given prompt. Everyone’s names were then put into alphabetical order, and each person would say their word before passing it on to the next person by saying their name. After creating their stories, both groups then shared their creations through fits of laughter as they ended up being quite silly. Group One was given the prompt “the Jollibee species is real!” The story they created was “The Jollibee bee went to Jollibee after eating chicken bees what! Then he flew to a volcano and decided to jump. Later it went to eviscerate his backpack.” Group Two, however, was given the prompt “giant turtles walking outside”. The story they created was “One day ago, I saw a giant turtle walking quickly outside the street sadly in the neighborhood”. Both silly stories indeed! This activity definitely helped to break the ice by getting everyone to loosen up and feel more comfortable in the space.
The main activity of the night was intended to get folks to learn more about each other. Dubbed “halo-halo”, meaning “mix-mix”, this activity put attendees into breakout rooms of four so that everyone could get to know each other on a more personal level. A guiding question was provided as a starting point of conversation, but folks could take it in any direction they pleased. After five minutes, everyone was called back into the main room so that the next guiding question could be revealed. These breakout rooms changed with each question so that more everyone could meet more people. The first question, “What interests you/made you stay in Bayanihan?” provided the new members with a more personal introduction to the space as returning members shared their experiences. The second question, “What do you admire most about the Philippines/Filipino culture?”, was an ode to October being Filipino-American history month. It allowed individuals to really think about all the aspects of Filipino culture that make it so unique. The third and final question, “What’s something you miss about life before social distancing?”, simply provided a bit of nostalgia for the days before the pandemic.
The event ended, of course, with an Isang Bagsak. Doing this closing over Zoom was a rather interesting experience, but everyone was a good sport about it. As folks unmuted and the heartbeat clap began to build, a great sense of community and accomplishment could be felt. The first community event was a success! The turnout was incredible, and meeting all the new members interested in the space was quite exciting. The mixer officially ended around 8:30, but some folks hopped on to the Bayanihan Discord server to mingle some more by playing Among Us. What better way to finish off the end of Week 1 than with an event like this? Let us know your thoughts on last week’s mixer by filling out our feedback form!
Illustration by Chantel Gee | Graphic by Julius Abad
If you missed last week’s mixer, fear not! There will be more events for folks to attend, like this week’s mixer! It will be TOMORROW, October 15th, at 7:30, over Zoom. Come through for some creative activities and discussions on Filipino American history! Hope to see you there!
Written by Samantha Sebandal