about
Centre Kapwa is a non-profit organization decolonizing Filipinx-Canadian diaspora mental health through Art, Movement, and Conversations.
Our mission is to Unlearn, Unite, and Uplift.
unlearn
Centre Kapwa’s values are rooted in restorative justice and transformative leadership. This means that we aim to collectively unlearn imperial histories, and reclaim our narratives.
unite
With three historical colonial invasions, multiple waves of migration worldwide, and over 7000 islands, we recognize, honour, and celebrate that Filipino/a/x/s are not a monolith.
uplift
We offer experiences rooted in decolonization, healing, community capacity building, civic engagement, education, empowerment, and intergenerational leadership.
what is Kapwa?
Kapwa is the inner sense of connectedness to other human beings.
Reawakening this inner sense, through connecting and collectivizing, is how we, as marginalized communities, can overcome colonial efforts which aim to divide us.
About Our Logo
Our logo is inspired by pre-colonial tattoo symbols and was created by Queer Filipinx artist Julay Nieto of Sacred Spirit Ink.
The top symbol is a plant sprout. It represents what we are growing and tending to together as a community, while building and co-creating a better future for all.
The bottom symbol is a snake tongue. In Philippine indigenous cultures, the snake and its ability to shed skin represents honoring different generations, and the snake tongue allows the ancestors to speak their wisdom through us.
When the Spanish colonizers first arrived to the archipelago, they were met with heavily tattooed indigenous peoples and called us Las Islas de los Pintados, the Islands of the Painted People.
In this spirit, the symbols on the Centre Kapwa logo have two meanings. They are a way of celebrating where we have come from, those who came before us, and where we are heading collectively.
