In my final Fall quarter of 2011 at UCLA, I am very excited to do my theatre  internship at SIPA. “For over 36 years, Search to Involve Pilipino Americans (SIPA), which is located in multi-ethnic Historic Filipino town in Downtown Los Angeles, has served the impoverished neighborhood as well as the greater Los Angeles Filipino American community with mission-fueled passion and relatively little fanfare. SIPA continues to provide health and human services as well as community economic development and arts/cultural programs to the now diverse, multi-ethnic youth and families residing in the area as well as Filipino Americans all over Los Angeles County”( taken from SIPA’s website under its mission statement). I have had the great privilege to work with SIPA on numerous occasions hosting their benefit dinners to raise much-needed funds for the services that they provide for the Filipino American community. I am aware of the work that they do not only for the Filipino community but to all the ethnicities in their vicinity.

I have always wanted to work more in depth with the Filipino community and when the opportunity presented itself to personally spearhead an after school  activity that uses theatre as a tool to educate children about Philippine culture, I immediately proposed to the Executive Director Joel Jacinto that I would love to be involved in any capacity possible. I have been given the opportunity to develop, teach and implement two creative dramatic classes for SIPA's after school program for children. These two programs will be classified by age. The Young Artist Tier ( age 5-10 years old) and Pre-Teen/ Teen Artist Tier ( age 11-18). The children will then be given the opportunity to apply the skills they have been taught as they participate in a performance for the Philippine community during their Christmas Presentation.

I hope to gain valuable insight on how theatre can really help educate children and bring communities together through the arts. Working with children has always been something I have wanted to do and with this internship, I hope to learn through the various lesson plans that I will create what the children really absorb and then go back and reformulate the activities that I present so that I can develop more cohesive and structured theatrical and educational games. Using the theatrical skills I have learned as an actor from my professional experience and applying all the theatrical academic concepts I have learned at UCLA, I intend to create a program for children that inspires, motivate and involves  children in the Filipino culture. This will hopefully help shape their identities as they grow to be proud Filipino Americans here in the United States.

By using Filipino vocabulary words through various sensory, movement, pantomime, improvisation and characterization exercises to engage the children, I am hoping to expand their knowledge of their rich Filipino heritage. It is important that children of the new generation are exposed through a variety of stimulus particularly play and community, so that they may be able to understand the values and traditions of the Philippine culture.  Taking part in this internship will undoubtedly be a meaningful and fulfilling experience that will help me apply all my academic knowledge in a hands on environment where I have the capacity to affect and inspire young minds that are searching and forming their personal identities in this ever evolving, diverse world.

For inquires to join the program please contact Christine Calderon of SIPA at (213)382-1819 ext. 125. Classes begin on September 26, 2011. Mondays from 4-6pm or Wednesdays from 4-6pm.

                Search to Involve Pilipino Americans (SIPA) is located at:

                                               Temple Gateway Youth & Community Center
                                               3200 West Temple Street
                                                Los Angeles, CA 90026-4522
                                                Historic Filipinotown