Bayanihan Sydney

A safe space for Filipinos who are living in Sydney, Australia, to connect, learn and share about their lived experiences, culture and have a sense of belonging. BAYANIHAN (Tagalog term derived from the term ‘bayan’ meaning community) is a grassroots Filipino community group led by a collective of Filipinos who are living in Western Sydney, Australia. The collective was recently formed by Western Sydney University’s Mental Health & Wellbeing Unit, Western Sydney University Filipino Student Society, The Western, Mosca Media Australia and the key members include:

• Moera Tufunga (Western Sydney University’s Mental Health & Wellbeing Unit and founder of Master Management)
• Ian ‘Esky’ Escandor (Independent artist and counsellor at The Street University, Mount Druitt)
• Laura Ranola (The Western and counsellor at The Street University, Mount Druitt)
• Jacob Laurel (Western Sydney University Filipino Student Society)
• Elisha Tulay (Social Work student at Western Sydney University)
• Liza Moscatelli (Multidisciplinary artist, academic at Western Sydney University and founder of Mosca Media Australia)

The group will be meeting monthly launching on Monday 28 February 2022 at Opn.Src (a community and multipurpose space), Glenndenning. The aim of the group is to reconnect to our cultural roots, bring people from the Filipino diaspora together giving us the opportunity to build connections, a stronger sense of belonging, foster our collective well-being, provide resources and support for those who struggle with mental health, provide a safe space for community to express themselves and share their experiences of being Filipino living in Western Sydney. Some of the themes that the group will cover are culture, identity, mental health, community and other relevant topics raised by participants through our monthly meetings.