Advanced Filipino Abroad : June 12 - August 7, 2009 The Advanced Filipino Abroad (AFA) program is an intensive eight-week advanced Filipino language-training program held in De La Salle University-Dasmarinas. It aims to fill a void in the academic community by providing 3rd year level students a one-of-a-kind opportunity to acquire the linguistic foundation necessary to engage in academic research, professional discourse, and cultural interaction with all segments of Philippine society. An important aspect of the program is a eight-week stay with Filipino families in Dasmarinas, Cavite. This helps immensely in enhancing cultural immersion. This program is contingent upon the US Department of Education, Fulbright-Hays Groups Projects Abroad funding. It is a highly intensive eight-week program offered to students with at least intermediate level study of Filipino (Tagalog) language (or the equivalent). It is supported by the Consortium for the Advancement of Filipino in cooperation with the De La Salle University at Dasmarinas, Philippines.  Applicants must be a university junior or above, a US citizen or permanent resident. Application Deadline:  Friday, January 30, 2009 For more info. go to the Study Abroad (AFAP) page. Project Katoto* Started in Fall 2005, Project Katoto, is a mentoring/outreach program that facilitates interaction and sharing among college students enrolled in Filipino and Philippine literature classes at UH-Manoa and students from various Hawaii high schools. It aims to encourage more high school students to pursue higher education. The initial outreach activity was done in partnership with the Filipino students organization of Waipahu High School. Filipino for Kids (Summer Program)* Filipino for kids is a summer program for kids ages 6-13. It is also a venue for college students to volunteer as group leaders/student teachers. Piloted in the summer of 2005, it ran for four weeks with 4-hour sessions every Saturday. Twenty-four kids from all over Oahu participated in the fun activities that introduced them to the Filipino language and Philippine culture. The activities were designed to encourage creativity and curiosity. Filipino for Middle and High School Students (Summer Program)* Filipino for high school students is an introductory language and culture course first introduced in 2001. This program is designed to provide interested youth a preview of UH-Manoa Filipino language and culture classes. In summer 2001, ten students from various Oahu middle and high schools signed up for the class. Three adult learners also participated in the program. The program ran for four weeks, with three 3-hour session each week. Students learn basic conversational Filipino and different aspects of Philippine culture through guest lectures, video presentations and hand-on activities, such as cooking, dancing and crafts.   *Support for these projects were provided by the UH Student Equity, Excellence and Diversity (SEED) Office, Filipino Community Center, University of the Philippines Alumni Association-Hawaii and FilCom Center.