NaFFAA Nevada. Working for the Filipino American communities all over Nevada. *
NaFFAA Nevada. Working for the Filipino American communities all over Nevada. *
History of NaFFAA National
Since 1997, the National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA) has been the standard bearer for promoting the welfare and well-being of the four million Filipinos and Filipino Americans throughout the United States. At the time of NaFFAA's inception, there were just over 2.5 million Filipinos and Filipino Americans. Founding members of the organization had the foresight to visualize and organize our growing power and voice into the next millennium.
Now with over 4.2 million Filipinos across the United States and the second-largest Asian American group, NaFFAA is the largest non-partisan, non-profit organization, and national affiliation of Filipino American institutions, umbrella organizations, and individuals. Its fourteen-member regions cover the continental United States, Alaska, Hawaii, and the Pacific Islands.
Read more about the NaFFAA History here.
NaFFAA in Nevada
The Filipino community is the largest and fastest growing AAPI community in Nevada.
There are approximately 200,000 Filipinos in Nevada, as of 2020 survey. Most are employed in the casino and hospitality industry with the healthcare sectors, with Filipino-American businesses ranking first in terms of numbers, spread in diverse enterprises like health care, food and hospitality, technical and professional services. Filipinos make up 20% of the entire Nevada population.
There are 52 Filipino American organizations in the State of Nevada, with the NaFFAA Nevada chapter being one of the largest, with an umbrella of 18 member organizations and a growing number of individual membership.
NaFFAA in Nevada has been in the forefront of:
• Promoting active participation of Filipino Americans in civic and national affairs and in all other aspects of mainstream America.
• Promoting Filipino American contributions to social, economic, cultural and political life in the United States
• Promoting Philippine assistance programs through partnerships with Filipino American organizations.
• Securing social justice, equal opportunity and fair treatment of Filipino Americans through advocacy and legislative and policy initiatives at all levels of government.
• Strengthening community institutions that promote the cultural heritage of Filipinos.
• Eliminating prejudices, stereotypes and ignorance of Filipino Americans.
As part of the original thirteen founding regions of NaFFAA, Nevada has played host to several Regional Summits and Conferences and has had prominent Nevadans serve in the key leadership positions at the NaFFAA National like co-founder Gloria Caoile, Rozita Lee, Brendan Flores, Leo and Amie Belmonte and a host of others.
NaFFAA NEC Historical Map from 1997 to 2022
This infographic is an illustration of NaFFAA’s NEC map showing the year, and the city and state they were held. Nevada hosted the event in September 28 to October 1, 2000 and again, this year from August 4 to 7, 2022 for the historic 25th Year of the Founding of NaFFAA and the staging of the 14th National Empowerment Conference or NEC.
Source: Gloria Caoile, NaFFAA Senior Adviser
To achieve these objectives, NaFFAA sponsors and supports the following programs:
• Community Development: providing assistance to Filipino American community based organizations.
• Applied Research, Policy Analysis and Advocacy: providing a Filipino American perspective on issues such as education, immigration, health, employment and training, civil rights, youth and the elderly.
• Political Leadership & Candidate Development: preparing Filipino Americans for public service.
• Entrepreneurial Training: developing the business skills of Filipino Americans in order to promote Economic Development.
• Civic Participation: educating Filipino Americans to get involved in the electoral process through voter registration and get-out-the-vote (GOTV) campaigns.
• Scholarship and Youth Assistance: assisting Filipino American youth access information on scholarships, education grants and other forms of financial support.
• National Resource Directory of Elected and Appointed Public Officials at all levels of Government, Filipino and Filipino American organizations and businesses in the entire country.
NaFFAA's national office is based in Washington, D.C. Its main function is to monitor legislation and public policy issues affecting Filipino Americans and work in coalition with ocher national groups around common issues and concerns. In addition, the national office serves as a communications link between affiliate members as well as an information source on federal and legislative initiatives and policies relevant to Filipino Americans. NaFFAA maintains 12 regional offices across the U.S. and in Hawaii.
Our Objectives
• Promote active participation of Filipino Americans in civic and national affairs and in all other aspects of mainstream America.
• Promote Filipino American contributions to social, economic, cultural and political life in the United States
• Promote Philippine assistance programs through partnerships with Filipino American organizations.
• Secure social justice, equal opportunity and fair treatment of Filipino Americans through advocacy and legislative and policy initiatives at all levels of government.
• Strengthen community institutions that promote the cultural heritage of Filipinos.
• Eliminate prejudices, stereotypes and ignorance of Filipino Americans.
Our Vision & Mission
Mission
NaFFAA’s mission is to promote the welfare and well-being of Filipino Americans throughout the United States by amplifying their voices, advocating on behalf of their interests, and providing resources to facilitate their empowerment.
Vision
NaFFAA envisions a unified Filipino American community that is culturally, economically, and politically empowered and engaged. Its vision is to serve as the voice of all Filipinos and Filipino Americans by uniting, engaging, and empowering diverse individuals and community organizations through leadership development, civic engagement, and national advocacy.
Our Three Pillars.
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Leadership Development
Engaging and empowering young Filipino Americans in order to build the next generation of leaders, and building the capacity of Filipino American organizations in order to better serve their communities.
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Civic Engagement
Uniting, building, and increasing political empowerment through non-partisan civic engagement, and building strategic relations with policymakers at the federal, state, and local level.
•Civic Leadership Forum
•Filipino Elected Officials Database
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National Advocacy
Advocating for immigration reform and civil rights for Filipino Americans, and promoting small business and financial education.
•Call To Action: Filipino WWII Veterans Parole Program
•Hate Crimes Task Force
NaFFAA Values
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Diversity and Inclusion
We welcome diverse perspectives and serve as a voice for all Filipino Americans.
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Collaboration
We aim to work with all Filipino American organizations and leaders, transcending generations and ideological differences.
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Accountability
We strive for transparency and hold each other accountable to our goals.
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Justice
We speak out against injustices and promote civil rights for our community.
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Integrity
We strive to do what is right and what is in the best interest of Filipino Americans.