Pinaysphere Youth Arts Organization celebrates Filipino American History in Ventura County

VENTURA, Calif. - A Filipino-American nonprofit organization in Ventura has been celebrating Filipino American History month.

Pinaysphere Youth Arts Organization cherishes its celebration of Filipino American History.

"Just discovering a lot of the connections with my grandmother and then living in America, so I’m an artist first and foremost," said founder Jennifer Benitez of Pinaysphere Youth Arts Organization.

The 100 percent Filipino-American woman led organization focuses on spreading awareness in support of youths through local art workshops and programs in the community. 

“And I wanted to figure out how we can tell our stories and preserve a lot of like the ancestral stories within my upbringing and then also share that with you, you can teach them how to do it as well," said Benitez.

Organizers of the nonprofit hope more youth will get involved in the coming year.

"It means a lot to me ... I grew up here in Ventura County ... overall it didn’t feel like I connected with my culture growing up here ... wasn’t a lot of representation ... so to do that and provide an opening to more representation means a lot to me," said volunteer Tori Tran of Pinaysphere Youth Arts Organization.

They are pushing to expand education highlighting indigenous knowledge and pre-colonial history. 

Pinaysphere’s next free workshop will be with Santa Barbara artist, Solange Aguilar, at the Island Pacific Supermarket in oxnard on November 4th.

If you would like to learn more about Pinaysphere Youth Arts Organization, visit: pinaysphere.org.