VIENNA, Austria - The Paaralan sa Pasuguan project of the Philippine Embassy in Vienna was successfully completed last July 17.

The commencement exercise of the 8 graduates was held in conjunction with the celebration of the Barrio Fiesta in Vienna.

Paaralan graduates received their certificates of completion from Philippine Ambassador to Austria Lourdes Yparraguirre.

Consular Attache Tony Bosa thanked the parents and students for their enthusiastic response to the project. Bosa also assured them the embassy would be holding the Paaralan every summer.

Bosa invited the parents of the graduating students to build on the knowledge and appreciation gained by their children from the project and to continue nurturing their children’s pride in their Filipino identity.

The project, which also went by the German name Schule in der Botschaft, was held from 9 a.m. to 12 noon for 4 consecutive Saturdays last July.

Going by the slogan “Geh Ma’ Philippinen Kennenlernen!” (Let’s go know the Philippines!), it offered modules on Philippine geography and history, Filipino culture and values, conversational Filipino, as well as Filipino songs, dances, folktales and children’s games taught by a corps of volunteer-teachers from the Filipino community and the embassy.

Lectures were supplemented by print and audio-visual Filipiniana resources from the embassy’s library.

The Paaralán sa Pásuguán project was initiated by the embassy. It seeks to educate Filipino children about the Philippines and its people, history and culture, so the younger generation of Filipinos and Filipino-Austrian students may develop an appreciation for the Philippines and pride in their Filipino heritage.   

Its ultimate goal is to instill in children a deep sense of awareness and pride in their being Filipino. The program also sought to help them cope with the challenges of being raised in a dual-culture environment by helping them gain a better understanding of Filipino culture and values.

There are around 30,000 ethnic Filipinos in Austria. Majority have already been naturalized as Austrians. A large percentage of the population is composed of teenagers and school-age children, majority of whom are in Austrian schools and are using German as their mother language.