Sadya: Filipino Conversation Circles (February to December 2025)
What is it about?
From February to December 2025, Sadya (pronounced sad-YAH, meaning “happy” in Ilonggo and Cebuano, and “intentional” in Tagalog) served as a once-a-month Filipino conversation circle that embodied a “happily intentional” approach to language practice. Rooted in a feminist, queer, healing-centered and decolonial framework, Sadya prioritized anti-oppressive and anti-racist group dynamics to create an inclusive and transformative space. The deliberate choice of the word sadya reflects its layered meanings across Philippine languages, underscoring the program’s commitment to embracing diversity within the Filipino/a/x community and addressing the complexities of “contested nationalisms.”
Partners (Community and Campus): Hamilton Public Library, Hamilton Centre for Civic Inclusion, YWCA Hamilton, Hamilton Community Foundation.
Sadya: Filipino Conversation Circles Events 2025
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Review Sadya 2024 and Common Words
February 12, 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. (Hamilton Public Library Central)
For our first Sadya of 2025, participants will be provided a booklet to review 2024 Sadya: Filipino Conversation Circle activities, words and phrases in Tagalog. Learn additional common words and phrases.
Sadya: Filipino Conversation Circles Events 2024
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Introductions, Tracing Roots and Creating Connections
June 12, 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. (Hamilton Public Library Central)
Participants will learn how heritage language learning intersects with decolonization, activism and self-care, phrases to introduce themselves through songs and identify or trace their roots on a map of the Philippines.
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How to order, cultural food and snacks and community gathering
July 10, 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. (Hamilton Public Library Central)
Participants will learn how food and heritage language learning intersect with decolonization activism and community spaces through gathering around food.
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Identity, Feelings and Emotions
August 14, 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. (Hamilton Public Library Central)
Participants will explore how heritage language learning intersects with decolonization, activism and self-care by identifying their emotions, pronouns and learning phrases to express these feelings and deepen their emotional connection with their identity and community.
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Everyday Expressions
September 11, 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. (Hamilton Public Library Central)
Participants will use everyday expressions in their daily conversations to connect with Filipino speakers in a more authentic way.
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Sports as Resistence and Celebration
October 9, 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. (Hamilton Public Library Central)
Participants will learn how sports is resistance through storytelling and phrases in Tagalog to join a game such as basketball.
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Freedom Hymns/Songs
November 13, 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. (Hamilton Public Library Central)
Participants will learn three folk and protest songs from the Philippines known for their resistance to oppression and community organizing power.
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Pamaskong Kantahan at Kuwentuhan Holiday Singing & Storytelling
December 11, 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. (Hamilton Public Library Central)
Participants will learn common words and phrases, Magkuwentuhan Tayo (we will share stories) and practice dialogue that can be used during the holidays.
Meet the facilitators
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Karen Ancheta
Multifaceted Filipina Canadian artist
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Joseph Arevalo
Enjoys both Sciences and the Arts
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Mohamad Bsat
Staff lawyer (Hamilton Community Legal Clinic)
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Julia Espinosa
Community Engagement Coordinator (Filipinas of HamOnt)
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Dion Flores
Founder (KW Sentro)
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Jennie Hamilton
Librarian - Digital Technology, (Hamilton Public Library)
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Lani Lirio
Organizational Effectiveness Consultant
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Rev de Ocampo
General Manager (Club Pilates) and Lead Administrator (National Energy Inc.)
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Angelica Pangilinan
Program Content Strategist (Filipinas of HamOnt)
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Anabelle Ragsag
Co-Executive Director, Co-Founder (Filipinas of HamOnt)
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Josephine Ruiz MA ATR-BC, RP
Registered Psychotherapist
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Criselda Vil
Non-profit organization
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Jessica Vinluan
Co-Executive Director, Co-Founder (Filipinas of HamOnt)
Testimonials from a participant feedback form:
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"Sadya has helped foster a sense of community." - Participant, 2024
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"Sadya is an essential program that serves a long-standing desire of our elders for young people to speak their native language." - Participant, 2024
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"Feeling proud and connecting with our culture in a meaningful and positive way." - Participant, 2024
We are celebrating heritage and connecting with ancestral wisdom
This Conversation Circle is designed for those in the Filipino/a/x diaspora seeking to connect with their ancestral wisdom and build community through language. We approach this journey as peers learning together, committed to language equity rather than as experts.
We invite anyone interested in joining the conversation, connecting with others or volunteering to facilitate future sessions. Our focus is on mutual aid and the empowerment of our collective and individual identities as racialized individuals, aiming to create new, equitable storytelling frameworks (See Kertman 2021, Do What I Say, Not What I Do: Decolonizing Language in International Development).
In an informal environment, participants will practice speaking through flexible, pre-determined topics tailored to the group's needs. Each session will introduce at least five new words or phrases, offering opportunities to learn alongside fellow language learners and native Filipino speakers.
Open to all levels, this free beginner-friendly session welcomes anyone with Philippine heritage, from those with no Filipino language skills to those actively learning one or more Filipino languages, including Tagalog.
The program team leads for Sadya are:
Anabelle Ragsag, concept development, grant writer & point of contact with McMaster OCE, recruiter of facilitators, and facilitator of June Sadya (McMaster University and Filipinas of HamOnt)
Jennie Hamilton, concept co-development and library liaison, facilitator of June & September Sadya (Hamilton Public Library)
Jessica Vinluan, web designer & developer, digital community relations, facilitator of July Sadya, and Sadya sessions leader (Filipinas of HamOnt)
Angelica Pangilinan, social media coordinator and facilitator of July Sadya (Filipinas of HamOnt)
Julia Espinosa, social media contributor and facilitator of July Sadya (Filipinas of HamOnt)