Filipino-American Summer Camps

Summer is almost here, school is out or almost out and parents are scrambling to find ways to entertain the kids. Time to think of summer camps.

Traditionally, summer camps involved outdoor activities but newer programs offer a variety of specialized activities geared towards specific sports, performing arts, travel, technology, education, religion and ethnic activities. If you have a are a Filipino parent or have a child of Filipino descent, looking for exposure to the native culture, you might consider a camp like one of the following. This is just one way of cultivating the Filipino pride.

The Filipino Heritage Camp is one of the ten camps run by the Colorado Heritage Camps, Inc. which is committed to "exploring both the cultural and the adoption aspects of growing as an adoptive family". It will held on Aug. 7-10, 2008 at the YMCA Snow Mountain Ranch facility amid the beautiful Colorado Rockies near Winter Park, CO.

Camp Mabuhay North is a program of After You Adopt, Inc., a Connecticut non-profit 501(c) (3) organization for adoptive families. Families with Filipino adopted children will gather together for a weekend where they learn music, language, dance, cooking, geography, and martial arts and enjoy authentic Filipino food. It will be held on July 12, 2008 at the University of Hartford Magnet School.

SIPA (Search to Involve Pilipino Americans), an organization founded in 1972 in historic Filipinotown, Los Angeles CA, has a 2-week pilot program from July 14-25, 2008. The Pilipino Summer Day Camp will offer "exposure to (the) rich heritage and culture of the Philippines and Filipino-Americans including Pilipino language, customs, and cuisine." There will also be recreational activities like games, sports, visual and performing arts.


In New Jersey, FFFNE (Filipino Family & Friends of North Edison) has been conducting summer day camps for the last 14 years. According to some of the organization's officers, past attendees have become leaders in their school's Fil-Am associations. a proof of the camp's success. Bayanihan Summer Camp 2008 will be held on Aug. 6-10. Activities will involve Filipino dances, music, arts & crafts, cooking, storytelling, games and history. The modern tinikling dance seen in this youtube video. was presented by the 2006 attendees.