The Australian‑Filipino Community Services (AFCS), in partnership with the Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) through its Youth Leaders in the Diaspora (YouLeaD) Program, designed the Experience Filipino! Cultural Immersion Trip & Documentary to bring Australian‑Filipino youth leaders and creatives to the Philippines for ten days of learning, self‑discovery and connection from 3-13 January 2026.
The trip was designed to connect young Filipinos born and/or living in Australia with their Filipino roots. Through an immersive journey in the Philippines, participants explored their cultural identity and what it means to them as Australian‑Filipinos.
The delegation included AFCS Youth Engagement Coordinator and Tinikling Teacher Arrifa Nasarudin, Digital Content Creator Lawrence Jasper Menor, Filmmaker Karl Johann Te, and AFCS CEO Corina Dutlow. The group consisted of first‑ and second‑generation migrants — some born in the Philippines and raised in Australia, and others from mixed families born and raised here.
The immersion tour began with learning history, language and leadership with visits to the National Museum of Anthropology and the National Museum of Natural History and a Basic Conversational Filipino Workshop led by Komisyon ng Wikang Filipino Director General Jomar Cañega.
Environmental stewardship formed a central thread through people‑centred conservation. In Real and Infanta, Quezon, participants worked alongside the Haribon Foundation, Barangay Tanauan Farmers Association, the Samahan ng Katutubong Dumagat ng Real Quezon Inc., and the Alitas Farmers and Fisherfolk Association. Activities included native tree propagation and mangrove nursery work, demonstrating how forests, rice systems and coastal ecosystems are interconnected from ridge to reef.
A significant component of the journey involved immersion with Indigenous Aeta communities in Zambales. Time spent with the Tingtingin and Yangil Aeta communities highlighted Indigenous leadership in land stewardship and cultural continuity. The delegation trekked to Mt Pimmayong and were guided by community leaders and supported by kalabaws as they crossed four rivers to reach the Yangil Aeta community.
The program also explored faith, ageing and inclusive community care with visits to Paco Baptist Church, an organisation supported by AFCS, which fostered intergenerational dialogue around ageing and dementia.
Heritage and craftsmanship were explored at Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar, where preserved ancestral homes and historic architecture prompted reflections on Filipino, Malay and Filipino‑Chinese identities. The experience underscored how history is preserved not only through storytelling but through space, design and lived memory.
This initiative has been intentionally designed to deliver a meaningful and culturally grounded program centred on the discovery and strengthening of Filipino identity. It paves the way for a structured and intentional annual immersion program for young Aussie‑Filipinos. Participants also met with Secretary Dante “Klink” Ang II of the CFO to discuss their experiences.
“The thing that I really connected to with this trip was the insight and learning of the diverse cultures of the Philippines. As a Filipino Australian who moved when I was young and struggled with my own diverse culture and upbringing, to know that I actually come from a place that is so diverse makes me feel less alone,” said participant Karl Johann Te.
“This trip was a bittersweet awakening that left me feeling every wave of my identity, deeply grateful for the chance to see where I truly belong,” shared Lawrence Jasper Menor.
The January 2026 immersion forms the foundation of the Experience Filipino! documentary, with future plans including community screenings, dialogues and expanded immersion opportunities.
Through an immersive journey in the Philippines, participants explored their cultural identity and what it means to them as Australian‑Filipinos.
