Founded in 2020 by Camille Esquivel, a second generation Filipinx-Canadian and first generation architect-planner, SQVL is a NY-based think tank with a mission of making architecture, research, and the planning process accessible to communities who need them the most through technical and engagement services.
KANIYA
Kaniya is a movement that both empowers and disrupts the Filipinx status quo through thought-provoking and vulnerable conversations aimed to cultivate a strong sense of belonging in the Filipinx community.
EPISODE 00
THE INTRO: Disrupting the Filipinx Status Quo
Despite recording this back in July, so much of what we start to delve into in these first conversations still reign true. Community, empowerment, connection, stumbling through our parent's native tongue, and comparing each of our family's Tita Baby - we're here to talk about it all.
EPISODE 01
Donnel Garcia Barroso: sTREET DREAMS PHOTOGRAPHER + WRITER
Donnel Garcia Barroso is a Vancouver-based photographer and writer, most recently known for his work with photography-based publication, Street Dreams Magazine, and Canadian streetwear boutique, Livestock. We ask him about how he seems to have found every Filipinx in the city, and dive into the scarcity complex, being mentors with/for your peers, AI (the player), all of our shared love for bipstek, and realizing on-air that he isn't from Surrey after all.
EPISODE 02
Mariel Padilla: Being a Journalist, Winning a Pulitzer Prize, and Growing Up Filipinx
Mariel Padilla is a NYC based Journalist, who, at 23, won a Pulitzer Prize in the Local Reporting category for being a part of the team that wrote the investigative article, “Seven Days of Heroin,” by The Cincinnati Enquirer. In this episode we talk about her experiences with her new career, growing up Filipinx in Indiana, her experiences of being a POC, her connection to the culture, and more.
EPISODE 03 | PART 1
EPISODE 04 | Part 2
Chadley Abalos + Gino Coronado: OWNERS OF Parlor by Haides
IN part 1 (of 2) of our talk with Chadley Abalos and Gino Coronado of Parlor by Haides—a barbershop, salon and lifestyle brand based in Surrey, BC, Canada. Founded 3 years ago, Haides has established itself as a respected business that successfully combines creativity and culture to cultivate community around it. Today, we talk about their upbringings, how Filipino culture informed their business, living in a westernized society, navigating being part of the Filipino diaspora, and more.
EPISODE 05
Abby Albino: Sports marketing for the Raptors, Storytelling with Nike Sportswear and co-founding rise tribe
Abby Albino (@abbyalbino) is a Toronto-based sports marketing and communications professional who has managed to have some pretty incredible career moments for someone who grew up loving sports and sneakers. From overseeing PR for Toronto's biggest sports teams like the Raptors and the Maple Leafs, to now Account Manager for Nike Sportswear, Abby shares with us the struggles of being taken seriously as the only person of colour and woman in the room, let alone someone who knows sports. We missed Mal on this one but we talk about the realities Filipinx youth in Canada face, which ultimately led Abby to co-founding Rise Tribe. Rise is a non-profit organization focused on powering the next generation of Filipino Canadian leaders through community events and mentorship. We also get into the story behind the big spoon and fork, how bagged milk is not a universal Canadian thing, and the sneakers you can find on a typical Toronto mans.