Damayan Forges Leaders Through the Leadership Retreat
“I like all of the Damayan leadership retreat! I liked the personal stories of migration the most. It was a success and full of inspiration. I learned that where you came from is not important, what is most important is where you are going.”
- Ate Lillian, Damayan Worker Leader
From June 23 to 25, 16 Damayan staff members, Board members, and worker leaders ventured to The Uplands Center in Walton, NY and held a successful Leadership Retreat. Towards the goal of solidifying the unity, shared vision, values, and leadership skills of the current and upcoming leaders, the Retreat accomplished the following:
-Sharing Personal Migration Stories: From toiling as farmers in the Philippines to working as a domestic worker in Hong Kong or working as a driver for a United Nations’ mission, we emotionally reminded ourselves of the impact of the severe poverty, lack of livelihood opportunities, forced migration, labor trafficking, and family separation on our personal lives. We reminded ourselves why we want to organize and become empowered as Damayan leaders—why we need to fight against these systems of oppression.
-United States Situationer: Ben Becker, Editor-In-Chief of BreakThrough News gave a powerful overview of immigration policies, elections updates, and progressive movements in the United States. BreakThrough is a nonprofit media and educational organization dedicated to independent, fact-based reporting and commentary.
-Philippines Situationer: University of the Philippines professor Maria Lourdes Turalde-Jarabe updated attendees about the socio-economic challenges of the Philippines, especially regarding the Marharlika Investment Fund and the Philippine’s government’s continuing failure to lift the agricultural sector. We will never forget that the deep poverty in the Philippines pushed us to leave our children and families in search of livelihood overseas, leading to family separation. So, we will continue to organize and advocate for a sustainable economy and to end the Philippine Labor Export Program.
-Leadership Survey Results and New Initiatives: Damayan Consultant, Laurel Malloy of Innovations Quantified, presented the survey results regarding Damayan’s past and present leadership development activities and outcomes. The survey results showed the successes and challenges in our leadership development work in the recent years. Understanding how crucial worker leaders are to the sustainability of the organization, everyone brainstormed to develop new initiatives to recruit, train, and keep worker leaders, specifically those who are trafficking survivors.
-Rejuvenation and Leadership: With the support of the The Uplands Center staff and its amenities, leaders enjoyed nature, practiced mindfulness, and renewed their spirits so we are able to continue to educate, organize, and empower Filipino migrant workers to fight for their labor, health, gender, and immigrant rights in the US and support the continuing quest of the Filipino people for economic and social upliftment in the Philippines.
