Fil-Am summer camp named a finalist for ‘14 Torchlight Prize

Fil-Am kids at Sama Sama Coop summer camp FACEBOOK PHOTO

• Local grassroots group may win $10,000 prize

• Prize rewards self-organized groups that strengthen communities

SAN FRANCISCO, California–Sama Sama Cooperative, a Filipino language, arts and ecology summer camp for children aged 5 to 10 years old, was chosen as a finalist for the 2014 Torchlight Prize.

The Torchlight Prize is an annual award that recognizes and rewards self-organized groups of families, friends and neighbors from across the US for their efforts to strengthen their communities.

Sama Sama Cooperative began with a group of five Filipina mothers who wanted a children’s Filipino arts and ecology summer camp. Seeing limited opportunities for their children to explore Filipino culture and history with a lens that “challenges dominant hegemony, colonialism and imperialism,” Sama Sama parents created an alternative educational space.

With an emphasis in Tagalog immersion, indigenous arts and ecological heritage, the program takes a hands-on approach to education. Initially, it organized a three-week outdoor summer camp.  The camp was so successful there is interest and momentum for doing year-round educational work.

“Sama Sama filled gaps of history and culture that I experienced being born and raised in the United States,” said Frolayne Carlos, Sama Sama Co-op member. “My daughter’s journey of cultural identity will begin at a very young age thanks to Sama Sama Cooperative. It offers a safe and nurturing space with unique learning opportunities that she might otherwise not have access to.”

The Torchlight Prize was established by Family Independence Initiative in 2012. Each year, up to four nominated groups are chosen to receive a $10,000 prize as recognition for their work. This year’s winners will be announced in September.

“Every day in communities across America, regular people come together to innovate and implement their ideas and solutions to create a better future for their communities,” said Mia Birdsong, vice president of Family Independence Initiative. “But, this work often happens without notice, and even more so, without celebration.”

“That’s why we created the Torchlight Prize to spotlight this initiative and encourage direct investment in resident-led solutions that are already working to improve some of our country’s least-resourced communities,” Birdsong added.

For more information about Sama Sama Cooperative, visit www.samasamacoop.org. For more information about 2014 Torchlight Prize, visit www.TorchlightPrize.org.