Little Manila After School Program
Serving our local high school students, the Little Manila After School Program (LMASP) is an Ethnic Studies program focused on Philippine & Filipino American history, culture, politics, art, community responsibility, and collegiate access.
Our students gain essential knowledge that is not taught in our local public schools. Students in our program graduate with a deeper understanding of their identity and their own place in history as they set out to build upon the sacrifice and achievements of generations past.
Established at Edison High School by Little Manila co-founder Dillon Delvo and former LMASP teacher Alma Riego, LMASP extends Little Manila's mission to provide education to the community.
The program operates at Edison High School and has served students from Edison, SECA, St. Mary's, Stockton Collegiate, and Langston Hughes Academy. The program has helped numerous students attend prestigious universities, appreciate their history, and develop ways to help the communities they love so dearly.
The Little Manila After School Program is only made possible through your generous donations.
Through the Years
LMASP students engage in culturally relevant topics that are not usually discussed in high school History classrooms. In previous years, LMASP students have collaborated on theatrical skits such as, A Day in the Life of a Manong, a performance for elementary school students about the experiences of the Manong/Manang generation. This powerful experience sparked meaningful dialogue between LMASP students and elementary students about racism in the 1920s. LMASP students were also able to create their own Living Museum, where they acted as docents and living exhibits to tell the story of individuals throughout Filipino-American history. Today, artifacts from this museum can be found on display at the Little Manila Center.
In past years LMASP's focus was to have students be tour guides for the Little Manila Historic Site, giving tours to community members from across the nation. LMASP students have given tours to university students from UCLA, UC Davis, UOP, San Jose State, as well as various community organizations. Theses past few years have shown that LMASP students have the diligence and ability to share Little Manila's deep history and roots in Stockton, and develop a passion and love for their community all at the same time.
Our program has taken field trips to cities and schools outside of Stockton. Our students have visited the prestigious campuses of UC Berkeley, UC Davis, and San Francisco State. College students organized workshops focused around the Pilipino experience in higher education. Students also attended and participated in Pilipino Cultural Nights at UC Berkeley and University of the Pacific. They have consistently attended the Pilipin@ Youth Conference at UC Davis. With donor support, we hope to continue these annual exposure trips in the near future.
From the beginning, the co-founders understood how education would play a major role in the historic preservation of Little Manila. It is through the Little Manila After School Program that Stockton's youth are empowered to know their history, know themselves, and understand the significance of Stockton in the larger fabric of American history.
Us History
Expanding on the success of the Little Manila After School Program, we began "Us History," a multicultural ethnic studies after school program addressing today's critical issues and providing tools for youth empowerment.
Us History puts "us" back in U.S. History
We believe that the inclusion of multi-ethnic histories is essential to the empowerment of our young people. These facts provide the context for who we are as a people in our modern day society. Laying the foundation, by understanding the experiences of our ancestors, helps us find our future and create a better tomorrow.
Ethnic Studies is making a difference
From The Atlantic, "The Ongoing Battle Over Ethnic Studies"
“Stanford University researchers examined the impact of an ethnic-studies curriculum for struggling ninth-grade students who participated in a pilot program in San Francisco high schools from 2010 to 2014. The academic performance for these students, identified as being at high risk for dropping out, was compared with that of classmates who weren’t enrolled in such classes. The improvements were significant: Attendance jumped by 21 percentage points, grade-point average by 1.4 points, and students in ethnic-studies courses covering discrimination, stereotypes, and social-justice movements earned 23 more credits toward graduation. Overall, the largest gains were found among boys and Hispanic students, and in the subjects of math and science.”
Gaining an appreciation for our histories = historic preservation
Little Manila Rising was created by two students who learned about Stockton's Little Manila in their college ethnic studies classes. The preservation of Stockton's historic ethnic communities depends on a community that values and cherishes its own diverse histories and cultures. It is essential that young people understand the richness of our diversity and the unique and shared struggles of generations past, so that we can build upon their accomplishments in solidarity.