Applications to join Buong Loob's Spring 2026 cohort are now closed. Maraming Salamat!

Buong Loob: Filipinx Student Wellness Program 

buô: wholeness; loob: inner self

ABOUT THE PROGRAM
Established in 2021, Buong Loob aims to support Filipino and Filipina/o/x American high school students in San Francisco by creating learning spaces that strengthen connections and foster mental wellbeing. We envision a future where Filipino and Filipina/o/x American youth in San Francisco have access to culturally responsive mental health resources and support systems that nurture their identities, cultivate resilience, and inspire them to lead initiatives that center the well-being of their communities.

GOALS
1. Empower Filipino & Filipina/o/x American Youth through Culturally Responsive Mental Health Education​
2. Cultivate Leadership, Mentorship, and Community Engagement​
3. Foster Community Building and Intergenerational Healing

This program is sponsored by the Filipino Mental Health Initiative-San Francisco, in collaboration with 5 Elements Youth Program.

Five generations of Buong Loob students celebrating the class of 2025 at SFUSD's annual Pilipinx Graduation.  Photographed by Jan Bautista (May 2025).

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Commitments & Eligibility for Spring 2026

PROGRAM TIMELINE
Mandatory Online Orientation
Thursday, December 18th, 2025 from 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM (ONLINE)

Program Cycle
Thursday, January 15th, 2026 to May 14th, 2026 (18 weeks, IN PERSON)

ELIGIBILITY

• Currently in 10th, 11th, or 12th grade
• Identifies as Filipino or Filipina/o/x American
• Lives in San Francisco
  
• Taken an Ethnic Studies course or has work/volunteer experience with organizations whose mission is rooted in social justice, health equity, or mental health
• Must attend mandatory online orientation on December 18, 2025 

INCENTIVES

• ​$500 gift card stipend for completion of program
• Certification in teen Mental Health First Aid training course
• College and career exploration in the fields of psychology, public health, education, and social work
• Develop leadership skills and build community with peers
• Build a professional network and work experience in community health 

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MEETING LOCATION & TIME
Program meetings are in-person at a location in San Francisco every Thursday from 5:00 PM-6:30 PM. There are no options to participate virtually. Participants will also be required to attend off-campus events. Program leaders will share calendar dates in a timely manner. Please take note of the varying dates and meeting locations listed below and plan accordingly.
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[1/15/26, 1/22/26, & 1/29/26] Location to be announced in December 2025. 

[Feb 2026-May 2026]  Philip & Sala Burton High School-400 Mansell Street, San Francisco, CA 94134

STIPEND INFORMATION
Participants will receive a $500 gift card stipend, split into two payments. PAYMENT #1: $250 in March 2026 (9-week mark), PAYMENT #2:  $250 in May 2026 (end of program).

Download our 1 page Outreach_flyer__bl_fsw_spring_2026

The due date to submit applications is Tuesday, December 9, 2025 and will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Early submission is recommended. 

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Check out more Buong Loob 2024 Highlights on Instagram!

Buong Loob Interns & Youth Contingency Interns at the 4th annual "Filipinx Student Wellbeing Conference," a youth-led mental health conference for Filipinx-identified high schoolers. (2025)

Buong Loob Interns at the 1st annual "Filipinx Student Wellbeing Conference".  Photographed by Michelle Lapitan (2022).

Buong Loob x Galing Bata x Gamut sa Puso Boba Date at Yerba Buena Gardens.  Photographed by Harvey Lozada (2024).

Buong Loob Interns on graduation day at Spark Social. Photographed by Verma Zapanta (2022).

Student Testimonials

"This internship made me no longer afraid of mental health. I've always seen mental health as a sort of bad thing partially being because of the stigma that accompanies it but also because of my own experiences with mental health. But ever since joining this internship, it helped me realize that mental health is more complex than it is complicated. Especially the mental health of Filipinxs or folks of color in general. Our mental health has been affected since the very first day we were exposed to the world. We inherit so many of our past generations' way of thought and feeling. And I feel like, things like this make it so that we have to put in so much work and effort to not only understand our own mental health, but to tend to and make progress in our healing and wellness journey." -Buong Loob Intern 2022

"This program not only gave me an outlet to talk to when I’m uncomfortable talking to my family, but also taught me how to approach a family member, how to teach them about mental health, and how I can help them be a better ally." - Buong Loob Intern 2023

"This program gave me the tools to tackle mental health issues and the related stigma in the Filipinx community. It helped me understand deeply how our culture shapes our views and actions towards mental health. I acquired skills on how to talk about mental health with respect for cultural differences, and also on offering help and resources to those who need them. Furthermore, I have acquired abilities in connecting with the community and teaching them. These are very important for lessening negative beliefs and making more people know about mental health issues among Filipinx people. In general, this program has given me strength to create good changes regarding how we see mental health problems and deal with them in the Filipinx society, including dealing with family matters, educational settings or when interacting with friends." - Buong Loob Intern 2024

"Buong Loob" Internship Highlights

Buong Loob Airmail Project Highlight Reel (Spring 2024).  A middle school student mentorship project in collaboration with Galing Bata: Filipino Education Center.

"A lil wholesome video which entails specific things people around us do that we appreciate. ;) We hope this provides an idea of what things adults can do to help us or show that we're cared for, in everyday life.  It also pinpoints things adults may not realize is very important to us in feeling loved, heard, supported, and comforted." -Filipinx Student Wellness Interns 2021
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A Mental Health Tool Kit for Adult Allies.  Digital media and video created by FMHI-SF "Filipinx Student Wellness Interns."
​ All rights reserved. Do not duplicate without permission. (2021)

Meet Our Team

Founders

[email protected]

 Harvey Lozada (he/him), MSW, PPSC 
Youth & Transitional Aged Youth Specialist

Harvey Lozada is a fourth-generation FRISCOPINO.  He is an educator, community worker, healer, filmmaker, photographer, and visual storyteller. Harvey is the son of Filipino immigrants from the islands of Luzon and Mindanao and traces his familial roots in Yelamu, occupied Ramaytush Ohlone territory (San Francisco, CA) as far back as the 1920s. He is a humble culture bearer and descendant of traditional medicine keepers such as albularyos and manghihilots from the so-called Philippines. Harvey’s healing journey began with community activism and engaging young people in the juvenile justice system. For almost two decades, 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. 

[email protected]

Verma Soria Zapanta (she/her), M.Ed
Director of Wellness Education & Youth Programs

Verma Soria Zapanta is an educator, holistic wellness practitioner, and mental health
program consultant from Yelamu — unceded Ramaytush Ohlone Territory. A proud #Friscokid and daughter of Filipino immigrants, she holds a B.A. in Asian American Studies from SF State and an M.A. in Education with a single-subject Social Studies credential from UCLA. Verma’s teaching journey began with Pin@y Educational Partnerships (PEP) in 2007 at Balboa High School and later taught the 9th-grade Ethnic Studies pilot program at Thurgood Marshall Academic High School in San Francisco Unified School District. After transitioning from the classroom in 2018, Verma deepened her studies in Philippine folk medicine and noticed that it became a point of access to discuss mental health within the Filipinx community. These experiences continue to inform her role as the Director of Wellness Education and Youth Programs at the Filipino Mental Health Initiative–SF and PEP’s Assistant Director, where she develops culturally and community-responsive mental health supports for students and community members.

Community Partners

5 Elements Youth Programs (5E)

Our mission is to explore innovative methods to promote academic and personal development from elementary levels to transitional adulthood. Our programs serve youth of color with evidence-based practices and multicultural frameworks, using the arts as a vehicle to overcome adversity.
We serve diverse youth populations from low-income Black, Latinx, Indigenous, Asian, Pacific Islander, and Arab communities who reside in the Bayview, Excelsior, Sunnydale, Lakeview and Mission districts of San Francisco. We partner with innovative projects across the Bay Area, extending our reach to youth across the region.

415elements.org/

Filipino Education Center: Galing Bata Program

FEC 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/​

Ways to Show Your Support

Lay a donation via Paypal or Venmo and add the note "BUONG LOOB." For in-kind donations (i.e.: school supplies, snacks, etc.), please contact Verma Zapanta ([email protected]).  Buong Loob Internship Programs are sponsored by the Filipino Mental Health Initiative of San Francisco, a program of the Filipino American Development Foundation (501c3). Donations are tax-deductible. Maraming Salamat!