We are happy to announce that we have crossed another milestone in the history of ENFiD. On September 29, 2017, we shall complete 5 years of its establishment.
European Network of Filipino Diaspora was born on September 29, 2012 when the participants from Europe at the Dialogue to Diaspora (D2D) Conference that was held in Rome, Italy agreed to form a body that would represent the concerns of Filipinos in Europe. Delegates from the fourteen European countries represented were selected to be part of the adhoc committee that would attend to ENFiD’s formalization and the European delegates agreed to form ENFiD entities when they return to their countries of residence. As the year proceeded, the representatives went on to form corresponding ENFiD affiliates in their own countries such as ENFiD-UK and ENFiD-Netherlands. D2D echoes across Italy, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany and other European countries were held in fulfilment of the Rome Declaration giving birth to respective ENFiDs.
Stronger, steadfast and more determined 5 years on, we take this occasion to thank each of you for being an earnest part of ENFiD’s success. What began as a small group has risen up to stand tall with more than 17 member countries. ENFiD has countless achievements and accomplishments, which proved to be exceptionally productive in fulfilling its mission.
Our success story remains incomplete without the support of an excellent team. To the Board Members, Country Representatives, members, sponsors, donors and the general public, it is for your enthusiasm, support and dedication that have brought us to this height. ENFiD shall ever remain indebted to the contributions of its members and advocates. Not only have you made us a part of your lives but also helped us reach out to the world.
We plan to keep our mission growing with you and continue to provide you nothing less than the best. With your support, we wish to explore new heights this year.
To celebrate our fifth anniversary, we are going to launch the following:
Start of Registration for the ENFiD Annual European Regional Conference 2017
ENFiD will hold the Annual European Regional Conference on Sept. 29 to Oct.1 2017 in Essen, Germany. Essen, a city in the federal State of Northrhine Westfalia, was chosen by ENFiD Germany as the Conference’s venue since it is home to most Filipinos in Germany. The city is well known not only with the UNESCO’s Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex-the European’s Route of Industrial heritage but also as a European Capital of Culture as conferred in 2010. It is tagged as a European Green Capital because of its transformation from an industrial past to a Green City of today.
The Conference will be held at St. Altfrids Seminar, where the delegates will also be accommodated. Nearby cities from Essen are, Duisburg, Dortmund, Oberhausen, Düsseldorf, Cologne and Bonn. The Hon. Consul of Dublin, Mark Congdon , Ambassador Nathaniel Imperial of Tel-Aviv are invited as speakers, while Prof. Hein de Haas, UvA is the invited keynote speaker. Local politicians, the Lord Mayor of Essen Thomas Kufen and the governor of Northrhine Westfalia will also be invited to take part in the event. The conference will also be graced by our very own Philippine Ambassador to Germany MELITA STA. MARIA-THOMECZEK
This year’s conference is remarkable since ENFiD is also celebrating the 5th year since it’s formation in Rome. Another milestone that will mark the 5th foundation anniversary of ENFiD is the launching of Young ENFiD, ENFiD Environment Projects and the introduction of Arts and Culture as well as the Sport segment of ENFiD. A Youth Forum will be organized parallel to the ENFiD conference sessions in the afternoon of the first day. Ms. Melanie Cuizon, a long and active member of ALAEH in Germany and Ms. Regina Galias of CFO will be the speakers.
Planned to be invited are significant FilCom leaders and individuals around Europe. About 150 delegates are expected in the conference among them about 40 young delegates.
A Gala Dinner will be held in Hotel Gladbeck van der Valk on the 1st October showcasing talents of different country members. A night not only to enjoy the good food but also to enjoy the live band sing and dance to their sophisticated music. The raffle ticket will be drawn in between the program. Prizes are Paintings from our artistic Kababayans of the KUNST Gallery, third prize is a travel certificate worth 500€.
The registration will start on May 15, 2017, and it is on a first confirmed-first serve basis. Slots are only limited so that we encourage everyone to register as early as possible.
June 12: ENFiD Communications Revamp
In June, we are going to raise the curtain to the new ENFiD image, branding, and website design.
As part of the ongoing evolution of ENFiD’s brand and the services we provide, we are proud to announce that our organisation has grown and evolved over and we felt it was time for a change. Through an inspiring PR communications workshop and productive IT Team meetings and discussions, and we have refreshed our branding to reflect who we are today and to symbolize our dynamic future.
ENFiD’s Branding
Our dedicated team has worked hard to redefine and strengthen ENFiD’s definition to be:
Open and up-to-date, ENFiD is a collaborative undertaking which promotes effective interconnectedness in the Euro-Pinoy community in order to affect relevant developments in Europe and the Philippines. It aims to stimulate the interest and raise critical consciousness of key issues, as well as encourage action, taking inspiration from European neighbours while adhering to its Filipino roots.
Website & Newsletter Design
Our IT experts have also created a more engaging website “design language” to evoke a feeling of familiarity and aesthetic delight for our visitors who will now enjoy a clean, modern, easier to navigate, and user-friendly technology. As we continue to try to better serve our users, we have also updated the look of our newsletter ENFiD News and Views making it more contemporary, professional, rich in information, and ready to be used as a valuable resource.
We hope these changes will give our followers an opportunity to know us better and who we are as an organisation.
May 15: #ENFiDselfie Campaign
The online ENFiD hashtag campaign will be launched on May 15th.
What is a hashtag?
The hash symbol (#) turns a word or a group of words into a searchable link on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. It also allows for organizing content and tracking discussion topics based on the keyword(s).
What is the purpose of the #ENFiDselfie campaign?
The PR Communications Strategy team created the hashtag #ENFIDselfie campaign to increase active participation among members, to provide regular updates to the member community, and to spread awareness of ENFiD through social media platforms.
This online campaign will take place from May 15th until the end of the conference in Essen in September, after which the PR team will evaluate its effectiveness based on the increase of Facebook and Instagram likes and followers, as well as visitors to the website.
How can members participate?
Members can easily participate by taking a selfie and inserting #ENFiDselfie in their caption.
Be imaginative! Take a selfie when…
Participating in ENFiD workshops, meetings, assemblies
Doing anything that is characteristically Filipino (ie. eating Filipino food)
Visiting famous European landmarks
Thank you once again for helping make this a great 5 years. Please join us in celebrating by taking part and getting involved in these anniversary projects. We will continue to keep the needs of the Euro-Filipino migrant community in mind as we grow.
Download the infosheet here: ENFiD-PR-Communications-Revamp