Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Bolinao 52 is Creating A Legacy

The groundwork laid by Bolinao 52 is now being used to create a path by the new generation of Vietnamese overseas to build and maintain the heritage that is so central to our identity and legacy.

A group of younger Vietnamese Canadian in Montreal is taking on an initiative to bridge the generation gap in the Vietnamese Canadian community.  Spearheaded by Glenn Hoa, a young Vietnamese Canadian dentist, the Generation's Legacy is organizing events to raise fund for the Boat People Museum in Ottawa.

How does Bolinao 52 play a role in all this?

Last summer, we traveled to Calgary, Canada to attend the "PASS IT ON" conference. The 3-days conference was created to address the generation gap issues among the Vietnamese Canadian population.  Its aim is to create a new crop of leaders for the future.  Glenn Hoa at the time was a skeptical attendee.  But after watching Bolinao 52, Glenn had a change of heart.  This is what he wrote:

"Something simple, that a cynical and resistant youth, of any ethnicity, can watch and be touched by. This is why Bolinao 52 is so important! It completely changed me! In Calgary, I was just a spectator. Now, in Montreal, I have hope! And I'm just 1 person. Imagine if there are 10, 20, 30, 100 like me. Wouldn't that be awesome? Bolinao 52 does not give the answers, but it makes us think of questions. Who in my family are Boat People? Why haven't I given them more appreciation? If I could do something to honour their journey, what would it be? If the Japanese have the samurais, warriors that sacrificed their life in the name of honour, why can't the Vietnamese 2nd generations honour the Boat People as their universal source of inspiration?"

So continuing the mission of inspiring a new generation of youth to preserve the Vietnamese Boat People legacy, we will be heading to Montreal, Canada on March 2 and 3, 2013 for yet another presentation.  This time, we hope to inspire more souls like Glenn Hoa to build and preserve the legacy of Vietnamese Boat People.

For more information visit the Generation's Legacy Facebook Page:
https://www.facebook.com/generationslegacy.ca