buô: wholeness; loob: inner selfThe Buong Loob: Filipinx Student Wellness Internship is a youth, mental health education program that engages Filipina/o/x American identified 10th/11th/12th graders to learn about mental wellness in the context of their ethnic and socio-cultural experiences. Students attend a series of mental health education workshops, participate in several community action projects, and explore college & career options alongside mental health and wellness practitioners in the field. Buong Loob is co-sponsored by San Francisco Unified School District's Office of College & Career Readiness and the Filipino Mental Health Initiative of San Francisco.
Composed of past and present interns of the Buong Loob: Filipinx Student Wellness Internship, The Filipinx Student Wellbeing Conference is organized by a "Youth Contingency" who engage in a series of project-based learning activities to determine the wellness needs of SFUSD's Filipinx high school student population, identify culturally responsive mental wellness organizations/practitioners to address those needs, and create humanizing spaces of learning in the form of a conference. Learn more about the Filipinx Student Wellbeing Conference 2022. Applications for our Spring 2022 cohort has closed. Sign up for our email list to receive updates on future opportunities. |
![]() Original Artwork. Marker on paper. Created by FMHI-SF Buong Loob Intern 2022." All rights reserved. Do not duplicate without permission
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Harvey Lozada, MSW, PPSC (he/him/his)Harvey Lozada is a fourth-generation FRISCOPINO. He is an educator, community worker, healer, filmmaker, photographer, and visual storyteller. Harvey’s healing journey began with community activism and engaging young people in the juvenile justice system. For over 18 years, he has dedicated his life to disrupting the school-to-prison pipeline through youth leadership development and culturally responsive counseling services for children and families throughout San Francisco. Harvey currently serves as a Transition Specialist at the San Francisco County Office of Education and Woodside Learning Center in San Francisco Unified School District. He is a core member at the Filipino Mental Health Initiative of San Francisco and is co-founder of the "Buong Loob: Filipinx Student Wellness Internship" program. |
Verma Soria Zapanta, M.Ed (she/her/siya)Verma Soria Zapanta is an educator, mental health advocate, and proud San Francisco native. Prior to delving into mental health and holistic wellness work, Verma was a high school Ethnic Studies History teacher in SFUSD, LAUSD, and taught/mentored graduate students in teacher education programs at UCLA and St. Mary’s College. She has over 10 years of experience in curriculum design, instructional coaching, and implementing school-wide educational frameworks that combine college-focused academics, rigorous technical education, work/project-based learning, and personalized student support. Verma serves as one of the Program Coordinators at the Filipino Mental Health Initiative of San Francisco (FMHI-SF) and is co-founder the "Buong Loob: Filipinx Student Wellness Internship" program. |
(t) 415-355-4578 (e) sanjoset@sfusd.edu
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Tiffany E. San Jose, MSWEducation Specialist, Work-Based Learning College & Career Readiness San Francisco Unified School District https://www.sfusd.edu/departments/college-and-career-readiness |
Filipino Education Center: Galing Bata ProgramFEC GALING BATA PROGRAM provides vital linguistically sensitive and culturally responsive services and resources to the Transitional Kindergarten - 8th Grade students enrolled at Bessie Carmichael/FEC throughout the school year and the summer, to their families, and the community in SOMA Pilipinas, the Filipino Cultural Heritage District in San Francisco. Social-emotional learning, restorative practices and trauma-informed care are embedded in their programming. Their staff are also certified in Mental Health First Aid and are screeners for behavioral health challenges or crises. They are committed to fostering safe spaces through building intentional and trusting relationships with students and families; spaces such as a weekly middle school lunch club to celebrate Filipino culture and identity, enrichment on wellness & resilience for middle school students, weekly parent support group (GB Chikahang Good Vibes), etc. In their efforts to prioritize their students’ wellbeing, they work closely with school-day social workers, make student referrals to community resources for mental health and wellness support, are an active member of the Bessie/FEC Wellness Team and Bessie/FEC Coordinated Care Team, and collaborate with other organizations to address the mental health issues within our community (MHC, FMHI-SF, Incredible Years/Filipino Family Health Initiative, etc). https://www.galingbata.org/ |
Geraldine Punzalan Lapitan, MSW, PPSC (she, her, siya)Born and raised as a second generation Pinay in SF/DC, currently working as a School Social Worker at Denman Middle School in San Francisco Unified District after several years of working with youth all over the bay area in different educational and mental health backgrounds. |
Richmond Area Multi-Services-Asian & Pacific Islander Mental Health CollaborativeRAMS, Inc. (Richmond Area Multi-Services) is a private, non-profit mental health agency that is committed to advocating for and providing community-based, culturally competent, and consumer-guided comprehensive services, with an emphasis on serving Asian & Pacific Islander Americans. Founded in San Francisco’s Richmond District in 1974, RAMS offers comprehensive services that aim to meet the behavioral health, social, vocational, and educational needs of the diverse community of the San Francisco Area with special focus on the Asian & Pacific Islander American and Russian-speaking populations. https://ramsinc.org/prevention/ |
Kababayan SFUSDKababayan SFUSD is an organization of Filipinx/a/o educators in San Francisco. Our organization aims to:
https://sites.google.com/sfusd.edu/kababayan-sfusd/home |
SFUSD Office of College and Career ReadinessWithin SFUSD’s Division of Curriculum and Instruction, the Office of College and Career Readiness (CCR) provides direct services to students and supports teachers and counselors to increase the likelihood of students’ postsecondary success in college and career. https://www.sfusd.edu/departments/college-and-career-readiness |