Kalayaan School: Roots of Change, Roots of Freedom

Kalayaan (Freedom) School is a hybrid workshop series offering both online and in-person sessions. The series is open to participants aged 18 and over. Participants are strongly encouraged to attend all five sessions. Those who complete the full series will receive a Certificate of Community Engagement from Centre Kapwa.

For in-person sessions, we ask for a suggested $5 donation per session to help support shared food.

You can make a donation here: https://ko-fi.com/centrekapwa

Please register for each workshop separately.

Listening as Care: Active Listening Workshop | Facilitated by France Stohner

Online (Zoom link will be shared days before the workshop)

Après Moi, Le Déluge: The Origins of Corruption in Philippine Politics | Facilitated by Dr. Allan Lumba

In person at SHIFT Centre for Social Transformation

How to Leverage Tech to Simplify Your To-Do List | Facilitated by Katerina Perez

Online (Zoom link will be shared days before the workshop)

Youth Leadership and Advocacy | Facilitated by Veronica Bertiz

In person at SHIFT Centre for Social Transformation

Jaconda: Portraits of Filipinx Belonging | Facilitated by MJ Desharnais

In person at SHIFT Centre for Social Transformation

Kalayaan School is a workshop series that supports youth in connecting their personal stories to broader social and political realities through storytelling, creative expression, and dialogue. Led by Filipino/a/x leaders, artists, and scholars, the sessions combine mentorship with critical exploration of identity, migration, and community. Over the course of five workshops, participants will cultivate cultural pride, strengthen their voices, and collectively imagine more just and inclusive futures rooted in shared experience and empowerment.

Instagram: @centrekapwa

Website: centrekapwa.org

Email: [email protected]

Info: Listening as Care is a trauma-aware workshop that strengthens active listening as a practice of care, accountability, and collaboration. The session explores presence over fixing, intention versus impact, and how power, role, and identity shape how we listen and are heard. Participants leave with practical tools for reflective listening, navigating rupture and repair, and offering care without absorbing everything.

Info: Recent months in the Philippines have seen mass protests against systemic corruption, failures of governance, and mass criminalization of dissent by the Marcos administration. This seminar will shed light on the colonial and neocolonial histories that continue to structure the contemporary political terrain of the Philippines, and the possible social movements that are struggling to emerge.

Info: This hands-on workshop explores how everyday technology — from apps to smart devices — can help you organize, prioritize, and streamline your to-do list. Learn practical tips and discover digital tools that make managing your time easier, reduce stress, and help you stay on top of what matters most. Whether you're tech-savvy or just getting started, this session will empower you to take control of your schedule with confidence.

Info: Participants will learn the basics of community organizing strategy such as problem analysis, resource mobilization, and advocacy. With a focus on leadership, empowerment, and collective action, this workshop will inspire youth to become agents of change.

Info: This workshop invites participants to reflect on how Filipino/a/x identity can be carried, revealed, or echoed through the everyday objects we keep close. Whether inherited, purchased, improvised, or carried through migration, these small items often hold stories of care, culture, survival, and connection that are not always spoken aloud.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

SHIFT Centre for Social Transformation, 1400 Boulevard De Maisonneuve Ouest, Montreal, Canada

Concerts, fests, parties, meetups - all the happenings, one place.

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