We're sharing a different kind of event this September!

We say that the Culture First Community is where global people leaders and change agents come together to be inspired by their peers, ideate, and share best practices on our shared mission to create a better world of work. We are united by a shared commitment to learning, growth, and creating meaningful change, with principles that focus on fostering inclusive environments and prioritizing genuine connections over networking or sales.

Many of us are looking to serve a more meaningful purpose in our lives. There are ways for us to pursue that within our workplaces, and in volunteering and mobilizing communities for an advocacy too.

Culture First Manila chapter lead Jen Horn is organizing Loob, Likha, Laya, a community conversation on co-creating cultures of collective care and liberation in and beyond the workplace on September 21, 1-4PM at Common Room in Atrium, Makati -- in collaboration with Ugnayan Cards, Mako Micro-Press, Jovie Galit of Pinay Collection, AM Valdez of Good Food Community, and Karina Abola!

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SADYA NG PAGTITIPON

• Storytelling of different creative expressions of collective care and liberation
• Connecting with our own creativity and advocacy
• Finding power and joy in community

WHAT TO EXPECT

• 1:00PM-1:30PM - Welcome and casual connection, introductions by Ugnayan Cards and Common Room
• 1:30PM-2:45PM - Kwentuhan and Q&A with Mako Micro-Press, Jovie Galit of Pinay Collection, AM Valdez of Good Food Community and Karina Abola; moderated by Jen Horn of Ugnayan Cards
• 2:45PM-3:00PM - Connection break
• 3:00PM-3:50PM - Guided group reflection & conversation
• 3:50PM-4:00PM - Closing

In line with the intention to co-create cultures of collective care and liberation, contributions collected from this event will be contributed to Good Food Community's work in supporting organic farmers and nourishing marginalized communities. 

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ABOUT THE EVENT PARTNERS

Ugnayan (@ugnayancards) means connection in Tagalog. Ugnayan's products were created to serve as companions in cultivating more meaningful and liberating connection with one's self, others and the world through reflection and conversation. By reconnecting with your own experiences and narrative, and listening to that of others, we hope to generate more empathy for ourselves and for each other towards a more mindful, fully expressed life, and a more connected and compassionate world. Learn more about and order at ugnayancards.com.

Common Room (@commonroomph) is a shared retail space for over 200 local makers, a place where local creatives find its home. Its physical and digital spaces offer Pinoy-made goods, from crafts and stationaries to home decor and accessories. Common Room goes beyond providing shared spaces to proactively encouraging creatives to embrace the mess of creativity. It’s a community space for connection, intentional shopping, and mindful making. A home where local talent is celebrated and homegrown brands grow. Learn more at commonroomph.com.

ABOUT THE FEATURED PANELISTS

Makò Micro-Press, founded in 2017, is an "ugnayan" that aims to contribute to the growth of counter-hegemonic cultures and narratives through the creation and self-publishing of zines, stickers, prints, and other DIY artworks.

Jovie Galit is an artist and community organizer living as a settler in Toronto, Canada. Originally from Nueva Ecija, Philippines, she has engaged deeply with cross-racial solidarity, migrant rights, intersectional feminism, anti-racism, and the struggles of the Filipino people both in the homeland and abroad. Through her art as a designer and hand-lettering artist, she founded Pinay Collection, a social enterprise and feminist merchandise line dedicated to reclaiming Filipino words that have been weaponized against our culture. It is a tool for advocating and mobilizing the Filipino diaspora, and championing movements in cross-racial solidarity, women’s rights, and the rights of activists both in the Philippines and around the globe. They are committed to radical change, with 15% to 100% of our sales continuously donated to liberation movements and grassroots organizations in the Philippines.

Good Food Community is a Filipino social enterprise that practices Pamayanihan, an alternative distribution based on community-supported agriculture, where the organic production by smallholder farmers is supported by a community in the urban area through prepaid subscriptions, and in turn eaters receive a weekly share of the harvest. Apart from this, the team has also engaged in different efforts to build community and solidarity with farmers through Food Today, Food Tomorrow (FTFT). AM Valdez has been a volunteer and friend of Good Food Co. since 2022. She previously helped raise funds for their farmer partners during her time at Toyo Eatery, and currently joins their community kitchens and food gardens through FTFT, supports communications and fundraising efforts, and assists them in catering events. AM is a designer by trade that has always sought alternative and intentional ways of living and working towards a more equitable society.

Karina Abola is a design strategist and social researcher informed by a multi-disciplinary background in psychology and design. Currently, she is the Strategy Director at Dapat, a Filipino design studio dedicated entirely to designing for social impact. Her research under her MA Psychology in UP Diliman is informed by Sikolohiyang Pilipino and explores the role of design in cultivating ginhawa for Filipinos.

ABOUT THE MODERATOR

Jen Horn (@pagbubuo) is a facilitator, coach and writer, born and raised in the Philippines. She cultivates connection through spaces for reflection and conversation, as a writer on @pagbubuo, as co-creator of Ugnayan Cards, as chapter lead of Culture First Manila, and as a facilitator of leadership and culture-building programs for individual and organizational transformation. Her curiosities and practice lie in the intersections of culture, creativity, and the wellbeing of the individual, communities and the natural world. Learn more about her work via bit.ly/jenhorn.