(Left)
Ambassador
Maria Theresa P. Lazaro during her opening remarks. (Right)
Ambassador Lazaro and Consul Lillibeth Pono with the organizers of
Noi-P.
Philippine
Embassy in Berne Inspires Filipino-Swiss Students
and Young
Professionals
to
Organize and Make a Difference
5
September 2010-Upon the encouragement of the Philippine Ambassador to
Switzerland Maria Theresa P. Lazaro, Filipino-Swiss students and
young professionals in Switzerland decided to network and organize,
in order to reach out to each other, strike a common cord for their
Philippine heritage, and endeavor to discover, together, their common
aspirations for the Philippines.
The
group, aptly called “Noi-P”
or Network
of Integrated Pinoys in Switzerland,
is made up of young men and women with Filipino parentage/background,
who were born and/or raised in Switzerland.
Noi-P
was successfully launched on 5 September 2010 in Zurich, with around
50 young Filipinos-Swiss present. With its theme “Connecting
Pinoys 2G,”
this occasion provided the right setting for the so-called “2nd
Generation Pinoys” to share their personal experiences as children
of migrants in a multi-cultural society.
During
this event, Noi-Pi’s
prime mover,
Ambassador Lazaro, encouraged the young people to strengthen their
network, evolve into a community that is deeply rooted in its
Filipino-Swiss identity, and be involved for a common cause.
Ambassador Lazaro added that the Noi-Ps in Switzerland generally
lead comfortable lives, without much struggles and difficulties,
which may be the opposite experience of many children of Filipino
migrant families elsewhere. She urged the Noi-Ps to go out of their
comfort zones and project the best of the Filipino in them through
worthy project within the mainstream Swiss society.
Some
accomplished Noi-P’s also shared their talents and reflections
during the launching program, like the current Miss Earth Switzerland
Liza Andrea Kuster, software developer Michael Alaba, and violinist
Yann Passabet-Labiste. The program was concluded with a presentation
of the Bolpen-Bata initiative, which encouraged the guests to donate
their spare pens for the pupils of a school in Cotabato.
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